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ONE WIRE ALTERNATOR
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Battery Drain Down

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BIG JOHN

04-07-2003 20:14:38




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Bob M. & all the other electrical experts - I need your help here. I have a single wire 12V alternator w/internal regulator on an M that the battery drains down when not used everyday. I also have a W-6 with a single wire 6V alternator w/external regulator that does the same thing.

My NAPA store doesn't have the ability to test the regualtors in either one. But they tell me that it has to be the regualtors in both cases because the alternators both work.

I would appreciate an expert's opinion.

THANKS

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randy hall

04-08-2003 14:15:49




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 Re: ONE WIRE ALTERNATOR - Battery Drain Down in reply to BIG JOHN, 04-07-2003 20:14:38  
that is one of the reasons why i don't use one wire alternators. to use a alternator the regular way all you have to do is run one more wire to the switch with a diode in the middle. no dead batteries this way and you don't have to rev the engine wide open to get it to start charging.



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dw

04-08-2003 08:54:53




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 Re: ONE WIRE ALTERNATOR - Battery Drain Down in reply to BIG JOHN, 04-07-2003 20:14:38  
I would go to Tractor Supply and buy a switch that fastens to one of the battery posts. When you shut off the tractor, you turn a knob and it disconnects the battery from all electrical drains. I use this on a B JD and it works great. Before, the battery would discharge in a few days. As I recall the switch is less than $5.00. Otherwise it doesn't take too many times for a battery to discharge before the battery is ruined.

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Bob M

04-08-2003 05:49:49




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 Re: ONE WIRE ALTERNATOR - Battery Drain Down in reply to BIG JOHN, 04-07-2003 20:14:38  
That's a fault inherent in the single wire alternator design. They require a small amount of "leakage" current at all times in order for the regulator to turn on upon startup. Some single wire alternators are worse than others in this regard - sounds like you got a couple of the bad ones!

Like Tractor Dan suggests you can put a switch in the alternator line. However DO NOT under any circumstances open the switch with the motor running! Doing so can fry the regulator....

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Jailkeeper

04-07-2003 20:25:54




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 Re: ONE WIRE ALTERNATOR - Battery Drain Down in reply to BIG JOHN, 04-07-2003 20:14:38  
It could be your alternator or regulator is shorted causing battery drain.

Try taking the neg. cable off the battery, connect a test light between the neg. cable and the neg. battery terminal. If the test light lights up, you have a short. Make sure all swithes are off, and then start disconnecting wires one at a time until the light goes off. That will verify where the drain is.



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Bus Driver

04-08-2003 05:51:59




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 Re: Re: ONE WIRE ALTERNATOR - Battery Drain Down in reply to Jailkeeper, 04-07-2003 20:25:54  
The test procedure suggested by jailkeeper is the one that I would use. But some discharging currents may be less than required to light the test lamp. For that reason, I use a voltmeter instead of the lamp. A 1 volt draw will drain a battery over a few days. When the "leak" is disconnected, the voltmeter reading will drop to zero. On one of my tractors, the problem was wet dust on top of the battery providing a current path from one post to the other.

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Tractor Dan

04-07-2003 20:22:05




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 Re: ONE WIRE ALTERNATOR - Battery Drain Down in reply to BIG JOHN, 04-07-2003 20:14:38  
you need to put switch in to disconect altinator when you shut it off cuz altinators need a little juice to work so they alway draw



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