Hooked battery up backwards JD LT 133

tjburris · Mar 25, 2012

I bought a new battery for my John Deere LT 133 and did not pay attention to the + and - posts. They were reversed. Wire started smoking, got the correct battery, and the wires still smoke when I try to hook it up. The key is off. How bad have I screwed it up?

creekbend · Mar 25, 2012

I would check the fuse panel and the wiring harness. There may be damage to the alternator. A lot depends on the length of time that you turned the ignition. Just a thought? Best wishes.

Zebrafive · Mar 25, 2012

Sounds like the alternator diodes are ruined.

Deano · Mar 26, 2012

A friend of mine tried jumping his tractor and hooked up the jumper cables backwards. Blew some fuses, but that was all. Where is the smoke coming from? Both wires? Ground wire? Alternator?

Short Game · Mar 26, 2012

Hard to guess your particulars, but that's the thing with DC. Many components and devices are extremely intolerant of reversed battery polarity. Whether its a tractor, or your TV remote, we don't want to make that mistake. Bad things can happen. Today, more and more things are controlled electronically. Any of these circuits can be subject to catastrophic damage and expensive repairs. Don't ask me how I know. Good luck.

jonyyuma · Mar 26, 2012

My bet is it either blew the fuse to the alternator, or if unfused, it burned the diodes out in the alternator..Sometimes it will blow instruments and the tach.. I did this to one of my boats ..

mitch becton · Mar 26, 2012

john deere shows your model not having an alternator but having a stator thats runs directly off the motor it can only be found by removing top cover of motor and it generates power by the spinning of the motor if this is the problem they can be bought or can be rewound. it does show it to have a regulator which john deere will have in stock possibly it is burned up but also look for fuses burnt wire possibly relays or some other type of switch that could be in-line with the charging system. if yours does have an alternator it will be a permanent magnet model will look like an alternator but very pancake look it can also be burnt also good luck

tjburris · Mar 26, 2012

I cant see exactly where the smoke was coming from. It seemed to come from below the solenoid. It wasn't the ground or positive wire, there was a little black wire that was extremely hot to the touch. I could not see exactly where it went. I needed a flashlight and didn't have one handy. I believe something is welded together as I cant hook the battery up correctly without it heating up and smoking. I think it is something to do with the ignition system, but I wont be able to get into it until next weekend.

Oh Lordy HepMe HepME · Apr 13, 2021

Old dead post so I'll recharge it with an old "short" story.
Over 35Yrs ago when I was sort of young still, Its true I was sort of young, I bought a cheap used car, like $65 cheap..lol. Oh how I miss those days...
I had driven it 2yrs by this time without problems, very good car I drove for yrs. Well' a friends car needed a jump start so I went to jump it and oh how the sparks flew trying to hook up my jumpers. I double checked jumpers, looked at +/- correct on both cars, all good here?.. yup!
I made sure all electric items lights ,radio etc. everything's off and try again, and then again but sparks flew every time I touched the bats with jumpers. Well wth is wrong with your car man?

So' I follow his cars battery cables looking for a short or possible tool lodged, maybe something shorting out is what drained it? Nope all good? I see Nothing!!
So' after blaming his car for everything I could think of, I take a look at my own cars cables. I then saw a very shocking thing. Get it, it was "shocking", just like this story man..lol
What I saw was my darn battery hooked up backwards!!" "How/What the he!! is going on here?
My cars battery positive cable was running straight to my frame/ground and my battery neg/ground cable ran right to my starter/solenoid. All factory wires I could tell.
How could this even be real, my car never failed to start even once and always charged perfectly. How could anyone even hook one up in a car backwards without sparks galore? Wow!!
I mind everyone here my being raised through the 60's and the biggest stoner in our school I may, no, I did sleep through several, no' most all of my class teachings...Just say'n..lol

Well' this day I was only drunk so at the bar later (around 10am) I actually learned when a battery is "absolutely" and "completely dead" as in "dead dead" it can be charged wrong.
Wrong meaning when a knucklehead, drunk or stoner attempts to charge the battery (out of the car) but gets his chargers +/- switched and puts the posi on the neg and neg on the posi then charges the battery? This reverses a batteries original polarity and there you go, an assbakards battery that actually works perfectly fine for yrs...lol Who knew?
Yes' I know we learned all this in school, well "you" did but stoners tend to forget all things school related and field learn it all later in life. Sometimes in a very hard way, never a good thing but rarely forgotten lessons.

The folks who charge a bat backwards surely realize it when he tries hooking it back up since they must now hook it up backwards for good or totally drain it and recharge it correctly.
I'm certain at first this makes some people scratch the buzz right out of their head wondering how/why/whats actually happened here and how stoned he really is?..lol
I sit here 34yrs clean/sober and damn proud of it fwiw...Peace

Farmer495 · Apr 13, 2021

I did the same thing on an old craftsman, new battery had the posts backwards and I didn't pay attention. It cranked fine but didn't start....I feared the worst, hooked the battery up properly and the mower was running when I sold it years later with no issues.

Forky · Apr 13, 2021

Oh Lordy that was a good laugh for sure! Onward Forward Never Straight Ahead....LOL!

Hay Dude · Apr 13, 2021

Did that once- blew the huge fuse, like 200amp. Was about $30 from AGCO.

Oh Lordy HepMe HepME · Apr 14, 2021

A close friend of our family almost lost his eyesight from using a lighter to see a bats +/- to jump a car late one night.
Said that battery exploded in his face as soon as his lighter got near it & they picked small pieces of plastic out of his face and both his eyes for hours at the hospital. Very lucky man.
Any spark can make one explode and why its recommended we place the last clamp on the engine itself & not on the battery. I strongly adhere to doing that since his accident. That one certainly had to hurt.
Sort of makes me want to look the other way when I hook one up now but thats kinda whimpy so I put my face real close and smile to feel tougher.

Dave M7040 · Apr 14, 2021

John Deere are well known for anticipating a reversed battery by owner and often provide special diodes to try and limit the damage.

However, should there be diode(s) as part of a safety design, these can fail shorted and this could be why even when the battery is properly connected you still have a short.

If you have a wiring diagram you could post I will review it and comment further.

I have attached photos of one example from another brand.