walk me through charging problem

[dgjks6 6]

Been a while since I posted. Life got on the way. So I rebuilt a 1981 c-85 last year. Now, it is not charging the battery.

The ammeter, she no move no more. It did after the rebuild, but since stopped.

So what is step 1?

As an aside. Sometimes the tractor quits running after 10 minutes then restarts after charging the battery. Are these related.

[meadowfield 2,545]

firstly check if it is charging ! use a voltmeter on the battery, with the engine stopped you should see 12.5 to 13V on a good charged battery.

Start the engine and at idle it should be over 13V, at full revs the voltage should sit between 13.8 - 14.4V. If this is the case replace the ammeter with a new one or replace with a voltmeter....

If the battery voltage drops too low - i.e. not charging then the coil will not have enough power and the ignition system will stop functioning. It sounds like a charge issue - poor wiring or the r/r unit has failed.

mark

[rmaynard 14,865]

Sometimes a battery just won't hold a charge. But assuming the battery is good, I would first check the stator. At full throttle you should have about 38 volts AC. Then check the connections at the regulator/rectifier. Be sure they are clean and tight. With the AC lines connected to a properly grounded R/R, and the engine running at full throttle, you should have about 14.5 volts DC coming from the B+ lug of the R/R. From there it goes to the ignition switch and from there to the ammeter, and there to the battery. Check your voltages at each point along the way. If it is the ammeter at fault, just try jumping the two wires together, eliminating the ammeter. Make sure that ALL GROUNDS are good.

[Wheel-N-It 2,967]

Research the thread I had going asking for help with my 417. There is wealth of information there from other members who got me through my problem. The reason your engine quits running after 10 minutes is because the battery is discharging. Do not overlook the ignition switch. Your engine can start, and run with a bad ignition switch, but can not prompt the voltage regulator to charge if there is not 12volts coming from the ignition switch to the DC terminal of the regulator. Also make sure your regulator is properly grounded. You will need a good volt/ohm meter to troubleshoot this problem you are having. If your stator is not producing proper AC voltage then it is time to pull the flywheel off. So the first thing to do is find what voltage you are missing, AC or DC, then go from there.