JD 1070 charge light help?

[Zeke56]

Can you confirm this is what your tractor looks like.
Dave, that is my 1070 minus the 80 loader

I am studying the wiring diagrams again.

I see one flasher with 4 wires being for the left and right warning lights. No ground shown for this flasher.
Mine's a 4 wire flasher

The second flasher is shown with 5 wires, one black wire being tied into a ground point somewhere.
This flasher seems limited to the Park Brake Switch and warning light.

Could it be that your flasher are different? It could explain a lot. One is grounded and the other not.
No, mine's the original 4 wire/7 bulb flasher

I don't have time tonight to look for part numbers for the two flashers but if you have any invoice for the one you replaced and also tell me why it was replaced it might help with the mystery.
Sorry, I misspoke. I had changed a warning light, not the flasher.

Back again
The more I look at their parts the more confused I become. JD calls flashers "Relays" and then adds the descriptor "flasher"
I'll try to post a pic. Never done one on here. There's one "flasher". Looks like a relay (black) next to it, but don't know what it goes to?

Can you post some photos of these two flashers . One close enough so that I can see the wire colors.
I'll try.

Also post a picture from your owners manual of any flasher location
I'll try.

When your park brake is on does a warning light flash?
No.

Do you have the optional turn signal switch?
No

Dave m7040

All that being said, we went over the alternator again. As you suspected, it does appear to have issues. At 1400 rpms (high idle) we were getting 27 volts, at 1800, 33 volts and at around 2100, 40 volts.
Still not making sense to me why the charge light' on with the 2 warning lights and NOT on with the 2 warning lights plus every other light?
Sorry for not getting back to you with those alt #'s sooner and thanks again for all your help.

 

[Dave M7040]

I think I am getting close to believing the alternator/dynamo is the problem if you did the test as shown in the following illustration.

The 40 volts is the minimum but a passing level at high idle say 1400 rpm. Needing 2100 rpm is not good.

1. Multimeter set to Alternating current.
2. Alternator plug disconnected

There are other tests you could do but they require tools to load the electrical system and to measure current.

What is the price of a dynamo on ebay? I now see $58.66
New Alternator Fits John Deere Mowers 1, 67, 77, 87, 97, X595, X7 1939 | eBay

I will now go over your most recent photos re flashers.

Dave M7040

 

[Dave M7040]

I cannot understand the fact that the John Deere 1070 is showing a park brake indicator flasher in the WSM and you believe you do not have one.

The photos you sent me have the silver Nippondenso FR2HZS flasher. The other black box to the left is a neutral start relay.

Park brake indicator flasher appears to be back to back with the items in the first photo.

What year is your tractor and what is its serial number.

Could you check your owners manual again to see if there is any mention of a brake flasher.

Dave M7040

 

[Dave M7040]

I keep going back over your symptoms and now because of this comment:

I misspoke. I had changed a warning light, not the flasher.

I think a review of your warning light installation is merited.

Can you remove one lens and then the bulb. Photo the numbers on the bulb, the light socket and the wires leaving the warning lamp assembly.

Dave M7040

 

[Zeke56]

I cannot understand the fact that the John Deere 1070 is showing a park brake indicator flasher in the WSM and you believe you do not have one.

The photos you sent me have the silver Nippondenso FR2HZS flasher. The other black box to the left is a neutral start relay.

Park brake indicator flasher appears to be back to back with the items in the first photo.

What year is your tractor and what is its serial number.

Could you check your owners manual again to see if there is any mention of a brake flasher.

Dave M7040

Dave, FOUND the park brake flasher! it was laying around below the pictured flasher after we checked that.
I reinstalled it this afternoon.
That being said, there hasn't been a warning light when parking brake is on in the dozen or so years I've owned that tractor.
Not sure if that's a fuse, switch, spring or what? It's pretty much a nonissue for me. I rarely use the parking brake and know immediately if I left it on.
The serial # is A001131 so I'm assuming it's an 89? Older than I thought but still a good running tractor minus the charge light issue.
I did see that $58.00 alternator a ways back from DB electric. I have no issues getting one and installing it if it will fix the problem. Looks like I'll need one soon anyway.

 

[Zeke56]

I keep going back over your symptoms and now because of this comment:

I misspoke. I had changed a warning light, not the flasher.

I think a review of your warning light installation is merited.

Can you remove one lens and then the bulb. Photo the numbers on the bulb, the light socket and the wires leaving the warning lamp assembly.

Dave M7040

I can do that tomorrow. I believe one of the warning lights was missing when I bought it?
Or, it might have been a broken lens on one of the originals?
I replaced it with a brand new OEM light (in original box) that my father had laying around for a JD 950.
Pretty sure I replaced a bulb here or there.

 

[Dave M7040]

I can do that tomorrow. I believe one of the warning lights was missing when I bought it?
Or, it might have been a broken lens on one of the originals?
I replaced it with a brand new OEM light (in original box) that my father had laying around for a JD 950.
Pretty sure I replaced a bulb here or there.

Thanks for solving the mystery of the second flasher. They both seem to be on the same fuse.

They flashers appear to be the same, warning lights and park brake lights. Do you agree.?
The flashers appear to have wire female harness terminals which slide unto male terminals on the flashers rather than the flashers plugging into sockets.

This makes someone mis-wiring something to do with the flasher much easier.

Do the two flashers only have two terminals on their bottoms?

I am trying to imagine something wired wrong and the flasher powering something else by mistake not design and this is where the overload happens causing the charge light to come on.

The wiring to the right fender warning lamp should be green with black stripe plus a black wire which goes to ground.

The wiring to the left fender warning lamp should be green with yellow stripe plus a black wire which goes to ground.

Can you see where the two black ground wires go from each warning lights?

The price of the dynamo is cheap but I would hate to have you replace it and still have the same problem. Having a spare dynamo is not a bad idea so buy one only if you understand it may or may not solve the problem.

Dave M7040

 

[Zeke56]

Thanks for solving the mystery of the second flasher. They both seem to be on the same fuse.

They flashers appear to be the same, warning lights and park brake lights. Do you agree.?
They could be? Two warning lights are on when key's moved to start the tractor and the charge light comes on as I described.
The flashers appear to have wire female harness terminals which slide unto male terminals on the flashers rather than the flashers plugging into sockets. The big flasher definitely has two male spades going into the female harness. Never looked closely at the parking brake flasher because it was attached when I put it back on. I would assume it's the same set up.

This makes someone mis-wiring something to do with the flasher much easier.
I honestly don't think those flashers have ever been touched until the other day. Keep in mind, this issue is only two years old and I never touched either of those flashers until the other day.

Do the two flashers only have two terminals on their bottoms?
The big one does, I can check the parking brake flasher tomorrow.

I am trying to imagine something wired wrong and the flasher powering something else by mistake not design and this is where the overload happens causing the charge light to come on.

The wiring to the right fender warning lamp should be green with black stripe plus a black wire which goes to ground.

The wiring to the left fender warning lamp should be green with yellow stripe plus a black wire which goes to ground.
Both warning lamps have green hot and black to ground as you described. They also (each) have another black ground and I believe red? which goes to the red tail lamps. Those go into a plugged harness on the other end. I believe the grounds are eventually going into the battery? One tail lamp is missing. The hot from that is feeding the 3 led auxiliary lights and the ground is bolted to the frame.

Can you see where the two black ground wires go from each warning lights?
See above if you mean the yellow flashing lights on rear fenders?

The price of the dynamo is cheap but I would hate to have you replace it and still have the same problem. Having a spare dynamo is not a bad idea so buy one only if you understand it may or may not solve the problem.
Understood.

Dave M7040

I'll follow up tomorrow, Dave.
Thanks again.

 

[mrmikey]

The hot from that is feeding the 3 led auxiliary lights and the ground is bolted to the frame

.
Hmmmmm, wondering if the led part of that statement may be something.
Only reason I say that, on some bikes, depending on the configuration, when you replace turn signals with LED's it'll feed back thru the other side if it's the style that uses one indicator for both sides. Depending on which way you're turning, the wires going to the indicator bulb change polarity as it gets it's ground thru the opposite side that's not lit.
I know this is not into your turn signals but it just made me wonder. I'll shut up now,..carry on ......Mike

 

[pmsmechanic]

.
Hmmmmm, wondering if the led part of that statement may be something.
Only reason I say that, on some bikes, depending on the configuration, when you replace turn signals with LED's it'll feed back thru the other side if it's the style that uses one indicator for both sides. Depending on which way you're turning, the wires going to the indicator bulb change polarity as it gets it's ground thru the opposite side that's not lit.
I know this is not into your turn signals but it just made me wonder. I'll shut up now,..carry on ......Mike

I enjoy repairing wiring. It's rather time consuming but I like to get to the bottom of things. One of my "rules" is that when nothing makes sense start checking grounds.

Now I'll freely admit that I know very little about the tractor involved but maybe you are on to something here.

Reading this and learning something beats watching TV anyday!