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bouncing ammeter


GregB

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Just put a new battery into the 716-6. It seems to go thru batteries faster than the rest of the fleet. So I wanted to spend some time looking at the Charging system. Turn on the key but do not start and the ammeter drops very slightly to discharge. Maybe slight current drain? Also when it is running the ammeter jumps from almost full scale + to full scale -. Maybe a badly damped gage? I did put a voltmeter on the battery terminals, and it will show 14v for a little bit, then drop to 12.5-13 for a bit then back up etc. So I think the charging system is working. Any sugestions on how to check the ammeter itself?
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Sounds like you have a bad regulator. Meter should be stable on the positive side when running. How far will vary. It should never show full discharge.
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I've a similar kind of problem, that has me curious as well. My 712 ammetter shows a 10 amp charge rate whenever the tractor if running, even with new battery and even after hours of running. I'm wondering if the regulator is bad?
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Randy, Take the cover off your voltage regulator and check the sets of contacts inside. I am guessing that you may have one set that has a burr on it and the contacts are stuck together. If that is the case just pry the contacts apart then use a small file to remove the burr and flatten the contacts. That should put you back to working again.
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quote:
Originally posted by GWGAllisfan
I've a similar kind of problem, that has me curious as well. My 712 ammetter shows a 10 amp charge rate whenever the tractor if running, even with new battery and even after hours of running. I'm wondering if the regulator is bad?
Check your battery. With that high of charge rate , the battery should be cooking itself dry.
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I've had (and still do have) a similar problem with the charging system on my Homelite T-10. I checked the ampmeter by removing it from the dashboard, and connecting it in series with the battery and the positive wire to the ignition switch. The ampmeter deflected down when with the ignition on, I turned on the headlights. To make sure the needle deflected the other way, I just reversed the connections. Turning on the lights then caused the ampmeter to show charge. Point being, ampmeter works fine, system does not. I have a NOS regulator on the way. We'll see. BLT is accurate in pointing out you can cook a battery, or worse yet, have it explode. Nothing to fool with. Saw a battery explosion take a guys face off once. Even when jumping another vehicle, get your head out of the engine compartment.
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Thanks for the advice. Is the K-301 Kohler regulator serviceable like that? It looks solid state to me. It's a big finned box on the side of the engine. Any way to check it with a voltmeter?
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  • 2 weeks later...
I finally swapped out the key switch and ammeter. Did not help as the voltage when running at the battery is still just 12v. Same as when it is not running. I dug out my copy of Al's troubleshooting article. Plenty of AC volts coming from the stator. So I need a rectifier/regulator. But most of the on-line parts look-ups do not have numbers listed for the K341s spec#71171a engine that is in the 716-6spd. Went onto the kohler site and downloaded a scanned parts list. It lists two 15 amp rectifier/regulators. Anyone know the part number I need to replace my large cooling fin rectifier?
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Randy, I forgot about that one being a Kohler. That one is not a generator, it is an under the flywheel alternator. The regulator box that you talked about has rectifiers in it to convert the AC current from the alternator into DC current and also has the voltage regulator in it. I have never taken one of those apart.
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Yesterday I finally got to install the regulator, I bought from one of the E-bay sellers.. Made in Taiwan ngr2 But it fit where it needed to go, the harness plugged into the connector. And the ammeter was showing a charge :D, today I'll throw the voltmeter back on to see what voltage it regulates. Now on to figuring out exactly how to clean and adjust the regulator on the B-116 loader tractor.
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