Electrical Issue

[woodlandfarms]

Thank you to everyone so far. I see the writing on the wall very clearly. This is not going to be an instant fix. As the machine is so intermittent, not sure who either the spark idea or puling half the system will work, not impossible but could be months before the short is tracked down.

The temptation is very high to re-wire the entire tractor, I have plans someone made here on the net and it is a much, much better diagram. And it is something I am capable of.

The half and half is a good start, and the breaker is a pop out type breaker. It gets hot, pops out, wait for it to cool an push the breaker back in. And yes, only one breaker for the entire electrical system. PT keeps things simple, except for Wiring. Wiring on the PT is a mess. We have screw mount panels. 2. One next to the engine (nearly inaccessible) and the other under the dash.

I am savvy to electronics and automotive electrical for the most part so don't be afraid to push me.

As for the battery. It is the one my PT came with in 2007 (Ken, was it 07?). It could be a bad cell for sure. I just have been focused on wiring as I am finding so much abraded.

So yes, it could be a bad breaker. Could be a bad battery. it could be i just do a re-wire I have always wanted to do.

 

[BobRip]

Thank you to everyone so far. I see the writing on the wall very clearly. This is not going to be an instant fix. As the machine is so intermittent, not sure who either the spark idea or puling half the system will work, not impossible but could be months before the short is tracked down.

The temptation is very high to re-wire the entire tractor, I have plans someone made here on the net and it is a much, much better diagram. And it is something I am capable of.

The half and half is a good start, and the breaker is a pop out type breaker. It gets hot, pops out, wait for it to cool an push the breaker back in. And yes, only one breaker for the entire electrical system. PT keeps things simple, except for Wiring. Wiring on the PT is a mess. We have screw mount panels. 2. One next to the engine (nearly inaccessible) and the other under the dash.

I am savvy to electronics and automotive electrical for the most part so don't be afraid to push me.

As for the battery. It is the one my PT came with in 2007 (Ken, was it 07?). It could be a bad cell for sure. I just have been focused on wiring as I am finding so much abraded.

So yes, it could be a bad breaker. Could be a bad battery. it could be i just do a re-wire I have always wanted to do.

If you have a clamp on DC ampmeter it would be a big help. Your intermittent short could be happening a lot, but for very short time intervals, which the meter could see. Only if the short last longer, say a few seconds, would the breaker trip. You could then wiggle wires, move the meter around, etc. You could also add a mutlfuse holder and break out your loads. This would be a good thing for future problems as well as helping with your immediate problem. I have done a lot of trouble shooting in my life and the worst ones are the intermittent problems.
Oh, just thought of another idea. Put a large 12 volt bulb across the breaker and open the breaker. A head lamp or two in parallel might do it. Have somebody watch the bulbs as you wiggle components. Of course if it is a thermal problem with the component failing only when it gets hot this might not work. You can simulate thermal conditions with a hair dryer. This enables you to heat one component at a time. Keep at this and keep posting and you will find it.

 

[MossRoad]

A 7 year old battery will bite you in the butt. They lasted 6 on my PT425. But batteries are not cheap any more, as in a hundred bucks easy. Have it tested for free at Autozone, as suggested just to eliminate that possibility.

 

[woodlandfarms]

i have to go into town today so I will take the battery with me.

 

[ponytug]

If you are having tested, I would do more than just a load test (fitness), but also have them check the internal resistance (which should show up a fractured post or interconnect).

All the best,

Peter

 

[woodlandfarms]

They did both, its a negative on the battery. tired but in good shape.

but my Tractor has Hungry Butt. OK, it means when your shorts suck up the crack. The wire I repaired for the seat yesterday was very very tight, It seems turning back and forth for 4 hours cause the wire to suck back into the tub. OK. I know, it seems weird.

I am going to go a step further with the volt meter, good idea...

Here is a question for the group, where do I buy wire for my PT that has the bonus covering as these wires are subjected to lots of abuse traveling through the center of the tractor.

 

[ponytug]

You can get wire loom or spiral wrap from Amazon, or any auto parts store. If you are doing a new install, I would go with woven wire loom (not split) to get through the tunnel; it won't hang up on things as much. The spiral is better protection, but it will be a piece of work to fully cover the cables and then fish them through. I have spiral wrap of varying sizes on all my hydraulic lines, and all but the smallest of the wires on my PT. The wrap is either nylon or HMWPE, which can take a lot of abrasion.
Good luck!
Peter

 

[washita]

If you can source it use mil-spec wire when building a new wiring harness, tough to work with but worth the effort has been my experience.

 

[BobRip]

I don't see how a battery can blow a fuse. But a battery that old should be tested.

 

[CobyRupert]

I don't see how a battery can blow a fuse. But a battery that old should be tested.

Exactly! It wouldn't. Neither would a bad neutral, no need to move the neutral around. Yes it could of been a bad breaker, but very likely a hot wire is shorting to neutral/ground (frame) somewhere before the load, this causes a lot of current to flow into the short, the breaker then pops if the short continues for longer than the breaker can handle it.

Breakers don't trip at a magic number of amps, it's always a combination of amps for a duration of time. Example (making up numbers, but close) a 30 amp breaker can pull 35 amps for many minutes. 40 amps for a few seconds. 60 amps for a second, and will trip very quickly when a short faults at 100+ amps.