Good battery, Sluggish start

[LD1]

Could be the temp when trying to start it?

Anymore, those cheap little mower batteries are a 1-2 year lifespan. They seem to need replaced more and more frequently anymore

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

12.7 is a fully charged battery if sitting with no charge.... no idea why you think 12.8 is a low battery

The battery can show 12.8v just sitting there.....
Put a load on it and it can drop to 8 or so volts.... just a bad battery. Take the load back off and it jumps back to 12+v.

I have a battery sitting in the shed right now that shows 12.6 v..... it will run my little transfer pump (which only draws about 1/2 an amp) without a problem. Hook up a starter or high amp device.... nope - won't do it.

Load test is the only way to see if it's bad....

 

[/pine]

When it is slow cranking...feel all the connections in the starter circuit for heat...including the battery terminals themselves and especially the ground cable on the frame...

 

[LittleBill21]

The battery can show 12.8v just sitting there.....
Put a load on it and it can drop to 8 or so volts.... just a bad battery. Take the load back off and it jumps back to 12+v.

I have a battery sitting in the shed right now that shows 12.6 v..... it will run my little transfer pump (which only draws about 1/2 an amp) without a problem. Hook up a starter or high amp device.... nope - won't do it.

Load test is the only way to see if it's bad....

a sulfated battery will not sit at 12.8 not on a charger, for more then a week, sorry I have seen enough dead sulfated battery's to know, once you put one hit on the starter that battery won't come up over 12.4- 12.5

do i still think you need a load test? sure.

 

[grsthegreat]

I work with battery problems all the time with my generator service work. Homeowner says…not the battery, its showing 13 volts. But i place a load bank device on it and draw 1/2 of the cild cranking amps and ….. 8 volts. The built in charger is whats reading 23vdc output, but only 2.5 amps. The generator could suck down 200 amps turning over.

i have a carbon pyle tester snd a Midtronics electronic tester. Saves alot of discussion.

 

[LittleBill21]

I work with battery problems all the time with my generator service work. Homeowner says…not the battery, its showing 13 volts. But i place a load bank device on it and draw 1/2 of the cild cranking amps and ….. 8 volts. The built in charger is whats reading 23vdc output, but only 2.5 amps. The generator could suck down 200 amps turning over.

i have a carbon pyle tester snd a Midtronics electronic tester. Saves alot of discussion.

notice where i said not on a charger. your saying you see 13v resting voltages off a charger?

 

[grsthegreat]

notice where i said not on a charger. your saying you see 13v resting voltages off a charger?

Yes, all the time. The generac generators have built in chargers. 13.2v when working is normal resting voltage.

 

[crreed67]

Ok. I used one of these,

Clore Automotive Solar 1852 100 Amp Battery Load Tester​

, and when I hit the switch the top of the needle went into the yellow to about the number 10 plus one hash mark. When I started the motor the needle went to around 14 in the green so I reckon the charging system is working. Not sure about the load test part where it dropped into the yellow. Good? Bad? OK? I'm not sure what this means as to if the battery needs replacing or not. The battery is a 12-Volt Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) Battery - 230 CCA. Cub Cadet OEM Item#: 725P17130.

 

[grsthegreat]

Your supposed to test load at 50% of listed CCA, so your battery is probably ok. There has to be some source of parasitic draw? That test shows battery dropped to nearly 11 volts under load, but thats not too awful, and should have been enough to turn motor over. Alot of times i test trouble battery it will drop to 8-9 volts. When you tested it this time, did unit start? You may have to retest it after it sits for a week, as thats when you stated you have issues.

i also use a clamp on dc amp tester to check for parasitic draw down. Need one that can register even a slight draw. My Fluke works great.