erratic charging

[peter lena 8,067]

having a voltage charging issue , barely comes off center of charge point, new regulator, battery is good , now and then it will charge ,then back to almost nothing . could a better engine and separate regulator ground  wire help out ?  thanks pete 

[ebinmaine 63,139]

I don't really know enough about electronics to offer you an excellent solution.

Some things I can tell you.

 

On the tractors that Trina and I have built I've done all the electric work. 

 

At the advice of several people on this site and other places on the internet I have started putting the ground from the battery directly to the engine.

 

I've also started running a separate ground from the voltmeter. (I do not use ammeters.) 

And... use a separate ground from a mount bolt of the regulator rectifier as well.

 

 

Keep us posted....

 

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 10,498]

Sounds like you are looking at an ammeter.

Hook up a voltmeter so you can watch it at the same time.

If the ammeter is showing +1/2 amp of charge and the voltage is up around 14.2 volts you don't have a problem after a few minutes running.

If the ammeter is showing +1/2 amp of charge and the voltage is 13.8 volts or less you have a problem after a few minutes running.

Problem is you can't easily read +1/2 amp so you don't know it the system is good or not.

If you have 14-14.4 volts after a few minutes of running you don't have a problem so don't worry about it.

That is why we like voltmeters.

 

Garry

 

[pfrederi 17,147]

If the battery is good and your system is working you should show almost zero + amps while running.  ideally a good regulator battery and charging system should read Zero all the time (allow a couple minutes after starting may show a slight charge)

[953 nut 51,682]

    GET A VOLT METER!

If you leave your lights on for a half hour and then start the engine there should be a strong positive reading showing the battery being recharged. After a few minutes the amp meter should settle down. A bad ground on the voltage regulator or corrosion anyplace in the system could be the culprit.

 

[midpack 804]

Sounds like something I was tracking down last year. It ended up being one of the wire  contacts broken in the key switch female connector. I would move wires just enough to get a little contact and think I fixed it. 

[peter lena 8,067]

thank you all, for the combined feedback above, today i will enhance my grounding points and verify my female key switch plug in points, just the fact that it has been slowly getting to this point , is telling me its probably a back track on all connections.  mabey a new wire harness key switch plug on , to eliminate possibilities .  other than that , it starts instantly ,responds very good  . hope to be able to tell you what i found , pete  

[peter lena 8,067]

found it !  went over every electrical contact point , added new heavier engine grounding with additional 4 ga cable , separate , added grounding to new voltage regulator, enhanced key switch ground and detail switch harness connection.  just put inn some good seat time , drove it miles in and around a cul de sac that was empty , brought a tool kit along with test light, seafoam, chain and cable spray oil, spare fuses , screwdrivers , etc  just in case . it was a combination of small grounding spots , heated up the trans and oil , for oil changes , hot flush is best. another thing i did was run my battery tender , just to verify battery state , started instantly , charging on gauge like it should , needed a little kita , or maybe i did, to correct it , pulled of my tire chains, getting ready for spring, pete