Weeping battery

[big bubba]

good point, didn't think to increase rpm, will do. need to address the battery tray rust as well. my bet is on the poor quality battery itself. thx, send good thoughts to the hurricane victims, my problems are small in comparison.

 

[DutchInNZ]

good point, didn't think to increase rpm, will do. need to address the battery tray rust as well. my bet is on the poor quality battery itself. thx, send good thoughts to the hurricane victims, my problems are small in comparison.

When I bought the Zetor, the battery tray was practically non-existent any more. I got a buddy to make/weld a replacement from stainless steel, which is very much more resistant against sulphuric acid in battery concentration. 18/10 is good enough, but go for lower chromium/higher nickel ss, like 17/13 if you can get it. I drilled a few 6mm holes (1/4" for you USers) in the bottom, lift the battery a bit up and put the water hose to it when I very sometimes clean and grease the machine.

 

[5030]

Best method to combat acid corrosion from any battery is baking soda. I'll wash the batteries and trays with it about once yearly.

 

[TT45]

If you're using an SLA, you're probably fine. SLAs actually are happier with higher charge voltage than wet cells. A read through the Odyssey owner's manual and other docs would probably be helpful. Most of the SLA starting batteries use similar chemistry, so the well-written Odyssey docs are widely applicable.

I doubt there's any voltage adjustment on the MF's regulator. Given the year, it might have an external regulator or it could be an internally regulated, 'one wire' alternator. If it's external regulated, just about any automotive regulator for late '60s-early '70s cars should work as a replacement; the Ford model works on most externally regulated alts. A quick googling indicates it is probably internally regulated, which reduces the odds of it being adjustable, but also reduces the cost of replacement of the regulator, if you can do it yourself. Swapping the regulator isn't difficult, but you would probably have to disassemble the alt to do it. Reassembly typically requires 'pinning' the brushes in the housing (holes in the housing are provided) while the armature is reinserted in the rear case half.

The alt *should* be out of the circuit when the tractor's switch is off. If it's an internally regulated model and the B-lead does (by design) remain connected to the battery and it is draining the battery, that's a good indication that you have issues with either the regulator or the diode block inside the alternator.

Thanks for the good info.
Its a one wire Delco, so probably has internal regulator as you say.

Will definitely check to see if it remains powered when engine is shut down. Pretty sure it has some oil pressure switch to de-energize and re-energize the Alt, but on a 45 year old machine it could be bad.

I'll see if local Napa has this regulator and new diode.