12 volt system

FarmallBear · Oct 28, 2009

I had seen a post on here a week or so ago about someone having trouble with the their battery dying over night even with everything turned off. Well... I just bought this tractor yesterday and everything was great started on its own, lights were bright, everything worked, but this morning when I went out to start it it was completely dead. The lights wouldn't even come a little. Is this a usual problem with the 12 conversion?

tackhammertime · Oct 28, 2009

I have converted an H and a A had the same problem you said with the H the fellows on here told me to check my 1 wire alt. I did and it was the problem. got a new alt and no more problems.

matt from wi · Oct 28, 2009

I have used the one wire alternator in the past. I know there is a small discharge with this alternator. My tractor may have sat for a week to a month and never had a problem with the battery going dead. It sounds to me you either have a short or a bad battery. The one wire alternators I had never wanted to excite because of low rpm. Matt

Janicholson · Oct 28, 2009

A few of us have had good luck with one wire alternators. I have not. John T and Bob M (with good credentials and experiences) and I, believe the use of a three wire 10SI Delco, (or Hitachi) alternator is the most reliable and instant charging method of conversion. Charge your battery with the positive cable disconnected. Use a test light between the charged battery's + post, and the terminal you removed. if it lights, there is a drain. Put the terminal on, and see if the light will light up if you disconnect the big wire at the alternator, and test between it and the terminal it was on. If it lights it is a bad alternator. JimN
Bob Ms Superlative Wiring diagrams

M Diesel · Oct 28, 2009

(quoted from post at 17:53:09 10/28/09) I have used the one wire alternator in the past. I know there is a small discharge with this alternator. My tractor may have sat for a week to a month and never had a problem with the battery going dead. It sounds to me you either have a short or a bad battery. The one wire alternators I had never wanted to excite because of low rpm. Matt

Same here. The regulator circuitry may cause some leakage drain and over time it is a bad thing. The alternator lead now gets switched out if they are to sit for a while, and the problem went away. The excitation speed problem sucks too. I'm converting mine to switched 3 wire.

S2710 · Oct 28, 2009

Charge up your battery and in a darker area hook up the pos post and then just touch the ground cable to the post if you see any spark what so ever just unhook the one wire on the alt. and try again and if you have no spark you have a short in the alt so it is time to replace it. For safty unbolt the ground and hook it up to the battery and get your spark away from the battery. Bob

TractormanNC · Oct 28, 2009

Hey Jim,
I agree with you, John T and Bob M about using a three wire alt instead of the one wire.

You guys probably know this but I have never seen it addressed in the approx 3 years I've been on this board. Any alternator is going to have SMALL amount of drain thru the rectifier bridge. In addition, if you look at the schematic of the electronics inside the internal regulator, there is a resistive voltage divider from the #2 terminal to ground that always draws a SMALL amount (microamperes or less) of current.

In addition there is a noise suppression capacitor in the alternator which can become leaky. (never seen it happen though). This cap will also cause a small spark when the final battery connection is made or when the wire is attached to the alt bat post. SOME inexperienced persons may mistake this spark for leakage. The way I check is to make the connection and let it spark, remove the connection and remake it. If there is a spark the second time, I have a leakage problem.

farmallhfan · Oct 28, 2009

My h has always had the same problem when it sits for awhile. Charges when I run it fine so I put a battery disconect on the battery cable and disconect it when the tractor is not in use. Solved my problem with battery drain using the 1 wire alt.

minnmeyer · Oct 29, 2009

On Bob M"s site,the diagram showing the 3 wire 12volt system.Using a Delco type 10si alternator.Can you see how this system charges the battery?I don"t see how it charges the battery.Any ideas?

JMOR · Oct 29, 2009

(quoted from post at 16:13:07 10/29/09) On Bob M"s site,the diagram showing the 3 wire 12volt system.Using a Delco type 10si alternator.Can you see how this system charges the battery?I don"t see how it charges the battery.Any ideas?

I see no problem with his #5 diagram. What specifically do you have a problem with or question about?

minnmeyer · Oct 30, 2009

In diagram 5.Is the wire from the ammeter to the start button,on the same terminal as the positive wire fromthe battery?Or is the wire from the ammeter,on the same terminal as the wire that goes to the starter?Is the ammeter showing you how much you are using from the battery or how much the alternator is putting out?

JMOR · Oct 30, 2009

(quoted from post at 01:24:19 10/30/09) In diagram 5.Is the wire from the ammeter to the start button,on the same terminal as the positive wire fromthe battery?Or is the wire from the ammeter,on the same terminal as the wire that goes to the starter?Is the ammeter showing you how much you are using from the battery or how much the alternator is putting out?

"Is the wire from the ammeter to the start button,on the same terminal as the positive wire from the battery?" YES.

"Is the ammeter showing you how much you are using from the battery or how much the alternator is putting out?" BOTH, almost....actually 'using from the battery or putting back into the battery' is the more accurate statement. Since the ammeter is the only connection to the battery (excepting the several hundred amp starter connection that is too much for most ammeters), it will indicate current going into the battery as a + and current leaving the battery as a - .
If you get the engine/alternator speed exactly right, you can make the net reading ammeter indicate exactly ZERO, where the alternator output is supplying exactly the same current the loads are using, resulting in zero battery current (no charge & no discharge).

12 volt system

FarmallBear

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tackhammertime

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matt from wi

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Janicholson

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M Diesel

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S2710

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TractormanNC

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farmallhfan

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minnmeyer

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JMOR

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minnmeyer

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JMOR

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