Farmall Super C charging too much

[sixdogs]

I have a typical Super C tractor that just goes on long tractor drives with the guys. The amp gauge would normally show maybe 5-10 amp on a ride. It has a crappy battery and had a new voltage regulator on it when I bought it. I had a shop check the generator last year and they said it was OK.

On the final drive this fall, the amp reading suddenly shot to the max at 20 amps on a high speed drive, stayed there and would cut out and go to a discharge at times. When I got home I noticed the battery had been boiling, likely from high charge and there was some electrolyte pooled on the top of the battery. I put the tractor in the back barn for winter, took the battery out and now it's time to fix. I think the battery might have a dead cell.

I rebuilt simple generators like this (6V NG) decades ago but forgot it all. I fiddled with regulators too but generally just replaced them. Also forgot all that.

Now what and where should I look first?

 

[RjCorazza]

A shorted cell in the battery will draw huge amps and boil a battery. Perhaps your charging system is fine?

 

[sixdogs]

A shorted cell in the battery will draw huge amps and boil a battery. Perhaps your charging system is fine?

If the battery was dead, would , or could the amp gauge show a discharge at times when hot? And then when I start it up again, it shows charge until it gets hot?

I only drove it a little for that observation so it may not happen every time.

 

[sixdogs]

A shorted cell in the battery will draw huge amps and boil a battery. Perhaps your charging system is fine?

I knew the battery was bad so had it checked and it was dead as a doornail. I planned to replace anyway so picked one up and will install soon and let you know how it turned out. It would be nice if it was a bad battery. Last fall it would barely take a charge and almost failed to start the tractor in hot weather despite having a charger on it all day.

 

[LittleBill21]

just check the voltage, a dead cell will cause a short, and create heat which will increase amperage. Most likely the battery

 

[sixdogs]

So I replaced the battery that I knew was bad and here's what's going on now. I put a one amp charger on it overnight.

At low idle, it's a slow discharge. At fast mid-RPM it about 15 amps. At a 80% RPM's it about 20 amps and at wide open the gauge goes over the max of 20 amps.

 

[LittleBill21]

put an amp meter on it, to confirm the gauge is working properly, something like this Amazon.com

 

[sixdogs]

put an amp meter on it, to confirm the gauge is working properly, something like this Amazon.com

My neighbor has one so I will contact him and report back.

 

[sixdogs]

Neighbor came over and at very low idle the tractor amp gauge showed a slight discharge and his meter showed 6.8 volts. At halfway on the throttle my tractor showed 10 amps while his meter showed 9.2 volts.

At full rpm, my amp gauge was off the 20 amp mark to maybe 25 amps while his meter showed 11.2 to nearly 12 volts. When we went to double check the tractor a minute later the tractor was at zero but his meter showed 11.20.

It sounds like a bad gauge but I those charging amounts seem awfully high.

 

[LittleBill21]

your saying volts, do you mean amps?

 

[sixdogs]

I can't reach my friend right now but am virtually certain it was volts on his meter. Amps were on my tractor gauge.

 

[LittleBill21]

yea you were suppose to confirm the amperage readings, not the voltage readings, your voltage numbers also seem off if this is suppose to be a 6v tractor, did you buy a 12v regulator?

 

[sixdogs]

yea you were suppose to confirm the amperage readings, not the voltage readings, your voltage numbers also seem off if this is suppose to be a 6v tractor, did you buy a 12v regulator?

It came this way last year and I've had more pressing things on the tractor. The other battery was bad so I let things go. This is the regulator it came with and does sound like you might be on to something.

Last summer I had the generator tested for output and the the shop said it put out to spec.

Why did the amp meter on the tractor go to zero at max rpm? Then go back? Sorry to ask such dumb questions but it's been decades since I've done this and forgot things.

 

[LittleBill21]

you need to slow down and do 2 things, have your neighbor come back, have him check the voltage with the tractor off, idling and full throttle, you then need to check the amperage at idle and full throttle.

if the voltage is over 10v at full throttle, you need to stop before you destroy another battery, it sounds like the wrong regulator was installed.

 

[sixdogs]

you need to slow down and do 2 things, have your neighbor come back, have him check the voltage with the tractor off, idling and full throttle, you then need to check the amperage at idle and full throttle.

if the voltage is over 10v at full throttle, you need to stop before you destroy another battery, it sounds like the wrong regulator was installed.

Will do. Thank you.

 

[sixdogs]

The battery is new and I charged it before installing it. Across the terminals before starting it was middle 6's volts. At loping slow idle it was 7.7 volts and around half or a little more was over 8 volts and gaining fast. It would have gone over 10 at high speed so I shut it down.

 

[LittleBill21]

The battery is new and I charged it before installing it. Across the terminals before starting it was middle 6's volts. At loping slow idle it was 7.7 volts and around half or a little more was over 8 volts and gaining fast. It would have gone over 10 at high speed so I shut it down.

its the wrong regulator, looks like a 12v regulator, you need to find or have some one tell you the proper pn for the regulator, i think you will find its wrong.

 

[sixdogs]

its the wrong regulator, looks like a 12v regulator, you need to find or have some one tell you the proper pn for the regulator, i think you will find its wrong.

Thanks you for your help. Decades ago I knew all this stuff but not now.

 

[DJ54]

Standard Motor Products/SMP VR214 is the correct voltage regulator for your tractor. O'Reilly's Auto Parts is the least expensive place to buy them. https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...oltage-regulator/std0/vr214?q=SMP+VR214&pos=0

I've tried as lot of them, and this is the best one I've found that will last. I have them on 4 of my tractors, one has been on my one Super C going on 6 years with no issues. I tried one from TSC years ago and it lasted maybe 30 minutes. One from NAPA lasted 45 minutes on the 240U. I put a SMP VR214 on it 3 years ago and still works great.

They aren't cheap but they last. The one from NAPA that lasted 45 minutes was $75. The first one's I bought were still made in the U.S.A. but don't know if they are now or not. I contacted SMP about one for my Massey 35 to get the correct one. He did assure me that that one was still made in the U.S.

 

[sixdogs]

Standard Motor Products/SMP VR214 is the correct voltage regulator for your tractor. O'Reilly's Auto Parts is the least expensive place to buy them. https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...oltage-regulator/std0/vr214?q=SMP+VR214&pos=0

I've tried as lot of them, and this is the best one I've found that will last. I have them on 4 of my tractors, one has been on my one Super C going on 6 years with no issues. I tried one from TSC years ago and it lasted maybe 30 minutes. One from NAPA lasted 45 minutes on the 240U. I put a SMP VR214 on it 3 years ago and still works great.

They aren't cheap but they last. The one from NAPA that lasted 45 minutes was $75. The first one's I bought were still made in the U.S.A. but don't know if they are now or not. I contacted SMP about one for my Massey 35 to get the correct one. He did assure me that that one was still made in the U.S.

Thank you. I have heard bad things about the cheapie regulators from parts unknown and would rather pay up to not have a failure in the middle of a 30 mile tractor ride with a row of unhappy guys behind me.

What is the wire and resistor for that's in the kit? I recall some generators used something extra like that but not sure on the details.