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716 charging system (troubleshooting)


Simpleton7016

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I sold the 716 and package to a guy (and maybe soon to be member) this weekend from Indiana. He got it home and sounds like he used it all day with great success. However, at the end of the day, he tried to start it and it just "clicked". He called me and I am trying to troubleshoot it from afar. Sounds like a battery or charging system problem. It could be that the battery connectors need to just be cranked down or the posts cleaned. But he said he tried to arc the two posts and got nothing. Now, when I bought it a month ago, the battery started it up no problem then one day it was dead. I assumed it was the battery because it was 5 years old. So I put an almost new battery in it (from my 912) and it fired up and I mowed with it twice. Still no problem. Again, he used it all day with no problem or lights on. But now it sounds like the battery is dead. Question: what typically causes this? Is it a short in the system? Would the machine work all day if the generator was shot? I know that my car will not run very long if the alternator is shot....do these machines operate similarly? Thanks in advance for your thoughts....I am trying to avoid a "negative feedback" on my wife's e-bay account. (Could be grounds for divorce!) :D
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Hi Generator/good wiring connections/'shorts'- putting those issues aside for now (which are important issues to address)... Experienced mostly with motorcycle batteries-there is something called 'battery sudden death.' You ride for hours, stop for gas, turn bike off, then only one 'click'-when you go to start it. After much investigating, turns out the battery has internally shorted itself out! I'll leave the why's out for now, but it does happen, at least, with motorcycle batteries.
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They will work a long time with no alternator output. My 712 had a bad ignition switch that didn't send power back to the battery and would run for several hours without problem. A new switch and it charged back up. If, when running, the voltage at the battery is not over 12, then it's not charging. There are a lot of things to check, down load the K series service manual from Kohler and look there. It can be diodes, regulator, etc. Good luck.
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Erik, did he say what the current battery voltage was when he got this clicking? Also, after you put in new battery , did the ameter show some sort of positive charge when running?
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Had the same trouble with my A/C 416. Turned out the ign switch was the culpret. The contact that charged the batt. from the rectfier- regulator output was bad..Found a way to jump it until i find a new switch. the tractor ran sevral days w/o charging. Scott
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