NH T1510 warning lights, electrical

[Automobilist]

My beautiful tractor has developed an odd thing. It's always been rock solid reliable. About 600 hours.
While operating it last week, the warning lights for oil, fuel & battery all light up simultaneously. Tractor was running fine.

When I went to start it today, battery was dead, very dead. Less than 2 volts. I finally got it running by jumpstart. The warning lights still on. Runs great though. Checked voltage at the battery, looks good at 13.8. That makes me think the alternator is ok.

So, why are the warning lights on? At lower rpm, they do flicker a bit. For brief periods, they went out, but come back on. Battery is older, don't know how old.

Ideas?

Thanks,

Ed

 

[the old grind]

Dead battery and flickering 'anything' at low rpm suggest last run may have been on alt & battery wasn't filtering charging or getting charged at all. It may have been running the safety controller onb the battery which used it up.

PM me for pages from WSM, schematics, troubleshooting guides, etc. I believe a blown main fuse would allow the tractor to stay running on alt, but 13v at batt when running says otherwise.

When flail mowing with '13 T1520 I had a stick poke up under the hood and push the belt off the alternator. With the fan & water pump not turning I saw the temp gauge shoot up rather quickly. I looked for wires that might have also been knocked loose while I had the hood up.

Meanwhile I'm going over the TC33DA for what its WSM says is likely a safety switch/connection failure. So while we're on the subject ... some systems have a diode or two to prevent backfeeding from another device connected to a relay, gauge, or dash light. Erratic gauges and battery drain are among things they're there to protect. I'll look to see if there's one to check in our Ts.

 

[Bolivar47]

Had same problem last fall with three dash lights coming on and staying on while mowing on my T1510.

While mowing I noticed that when I pushed in the clutch the 3 lights would go out. They would soon come back on. So I changed switch at clutch and got new battery. Thought I had it fixed last fall as after fix I let in run and no dash lights.

I had also taken dash apart and checked wiring, while I found a mouse nest, wiring was OK. Think I will drill large hole in dash so I can clean under dash, will put plastic plug to cover hole.

Today tried to start tractor for first time in 4 months today. Battery was dead, put battery on charger for hour and the tractor then started. Let run for while and the 3 light were on when I checked . Got on it and pushed clutch in, 3 dash llights did not go out as they had last fall.

I then moved tractor a short distance and lights went out when I shifted the range shift lever from in gear to neutral .
Tried moving range shift lever in and out of gear few times, 3 lights went out when I shifted out of gear to neutral. However lights would always come on in a short time. Did not seem to matter which range I selected or which of the 2 neutral positions I ended up in.

Will try again tomorrow to test tractor.

 

[the old grind]

Your battery could be so bad that that it could short out internally and cause the symptoms you describe by denying proper voltage to cluster (dash panel), gauges, and the safety controller when running*. (copyright and morals say I shouldn't share contents of full WSM but what's a page or two between friends? lol (PM for the few ya need, including 110-TL)
(* a diesel will perform with a 12v charging system putting out 4.5v and not give a hint other that a gauge or 'idiot light'.

btw, your tractor is the ultimate incarnation of NH/'Shibaura's TC 30. Recognize what's tantamount to a Ford/NH 1720 (9/10 s__) but with HST and equally 'as good as it gets.'

Let's get you fixed up. :thumbsup: PM me for any benefit you can get from a page or two as needed from my full OEM WSM. jon

 

[Bolivar47]

Thanks for the reply. Yesterday started tractor and very shortly the 3 dash lists came on. The 3 dash lights go out for short time after I push in the clutch .

I hooked up a 6 amp battery charger while tractor was running. 3 dash lights went out and never came on again. I reduced to 2 amps and dash lights stayed out.

Left charger on all a night and switched to trickle charger today. Charger shows battery fully charged today. Did not try and start today, Sunday. I do not work on Sunday.

Plan on checking alternator belt , Alternator connections , all grounds , battery Voltage, and charging voltage tomorrow. Also amp draw when tractor off.

Do not know what OEM WSM means, sorry.

Any help appreciated.

 

[the old grind]

If I haven't sent wiring pics from the WSM I'm ready to as you can use. Just ask here or by PM. Charging circuit likely has it's own few pages but I have the whole book. jon

 

[Bolivar47]

Thanks, please send the pictures. I think I bought new battery last fall. I am thinking it is the charging circuit. What voltage should I get when check the alternator when it is charging the battery?

 

[the old grind]

There are many pages for lighting, glow, safety controller, etc. Of ~80 page there are 15 whole or partial circuit diagrams. Here's 'complete' and 'charging circuit'.

View attachment 648299 View attachment 648300 View attachment 648327

There's a diode dangling behind the alternator that's there to prevent voltage from back-feeding to the IP and to use fewer wires o'all in the harness. It can be tested for volts going in one direction and not in the other with a $5 HFT volt-ohmeter. (Failure of such can cause wild gauge readings, and/or battery drain when parked).

Ask for more pics or pages if these aren't enough. The book has much info on component location and testing. Windows, and AT&T will do their best to makes sharing info an entertaining challenge for me. :laughing: I hope this much slips through the typical recent confonundrificationment and bit-rate bottlenecks of digital bliss.

 

[Bolivar47]

Can’t get the attachments, see them but get message to talk to administrator.

I Think I know where the diode dangle is. What if I just replace it? What would cause this diode to fail? Can’t cost to much.

How much is the book cost and where can I get it. Plan on keeping my NH tractor for long time. Also my dealer will usually print out any information I need. Not to far away and good people.

What controls my alternator, a diode or a regulator. My T1510 does use an “ alternator” correct? Read somewhere that some small tractors use something other than an alternator. Not sure what it was but it works a little different than alternator.

Thanks again. Ted

 

[the old grind]

Lotta questions, Ted. Upload from phone didn't work so well. Worked fine in advanced/preview. How's this from the desktop?



I'm not sure you have a diode problems. Real 'shorts' burn fuses or melt wires, 'opens' and no signs of life. Mysterious behavior is typically bad components, or loose or corroded connections. The diode is easy to test and can cause havoc if shorted, may be like a TIA if 'open' and certain bits shut down. I'm thinking battery drain on that is a possible symptom without actually looking.

Full WSM set can go $100-$200 for print and $20-$120 for digital. I'll check my paypal or Amz or wherever and try to find you the best suppliers for OEM WSMs. I have the full OEM set including for for 110TL. Best prices I've seen on PDF of full 690 pages is ~$120. There are folks who put them online as models become dated, and you may have to be lucky when shopping. IIRC I got my set for ~$160 in a better economy.

Lets test our components if wire continuities check out. The book is quite thorough on electrics and I should have it all. jon