# 30 YEAR TECH reply:



## scrappydude (Sep 1, 2006)

ok, i figured out the spark, it was the yellow wire, it wasnt sending power threw to the black one, so now it runs, i hooked the alternator up and it runs the lighrs perfectly but it wont charge the battery, when it runs the lights it is fine but when i shut it off the battery is dead. Any ideas???

THANKS THANKS

KIRK


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

Did you test the battery?
Are you sure it's dead or will it just not crank over?


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## scrappydude (Sep 1, 2006)

ok, thanks, um when i put it on the tester it says 11.94 volts and when i put it on the mower it just cranks over 1nce every 2 seconds and thenkeeps doing that. Thanks KIRK


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

You need to put your battery on an external charge and bring it to a fully charged state, excessive cranking will draw down a battery and it would take several hours of the engine running to bring it back up. Start with a fully charged battery and now that the engine is starting and running the alternator should be able to maintain the battery.


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## scrappydude (Sep 1, 2006)

well, we did have it fully charged, when i drive it for like 10min with lights the battery is dead but the lights still work off the alternator but the battery is dead, when i drive with no lights the battery is still good, but, the alternator must not be charging the batter. THANKs

KIRK


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

Have you tested the output from the alternator with the engine running?
How many volts does it register?


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## scrappydude (Sep 1, 2006)

it registers 7.04 volts, how much does it need to charge the battery? thanks

KIRK


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

If it's a regulated alternator then usually about 14 volts, unregulated will register even higher voltage readings when not connected to the battery.

7.04 volts is not enough to recharge your battery, there is a problem with this alternator.


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## scrappydude (Sep 1, 2006)

ok, thanks ill try another one

KIRK


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## scrappydude (Sep 1, 2006)

ok, i dont have a plug, does the lights hook to the red wire and the amp to the black??? thanks

KIRK


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

Generally the red wire will have DC power and will be used to charge the battery and the other will be AC and used to run the lights. I would test output from both sides and make sure that the DC side is used for battery charging. The lights can be run off of either DC or AC, but the Battery is strictly DC.


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## scrappydude (Sep 1, 2006)

ok i rearanged thme i had them backwards, now the 7 volt side runs the lights and the red one weas powring the lights better than the other one but when i test it but i dont think the tester im using is for that, it says like 0.01 but it moves aorund so i musnt be doing it right, then i just realized thats what you said, the alternator cant keep a dead battery charged, i havent been charging it fully, so i am going ot put it on for what it says, 9 hours, we had to calculate it, and ill put it on and run the lights and see what happens, when you hook the lights up to the black part on the alternator, will the lights still take power from the battery but when i fire it up it stops then runs off the alternator, thats right right?????? THANK YOU SO MUCH

KIRK


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

If you hook the lights up to the AC power from the alternator, it will not affect the battery at all. The lights however will only operate when the engine is running when hooked up this way.


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## scrappydude (Sep 1, 2006)

HMM, for sum reason when it is hoocked up to the AC they still turn on when i have the engine off, that must be what drains the battery. Thanks 

Kirk


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## scrappydude (Sep 1, 2006)

ok, there is only 1 way for the battery to send power to the lights is threw the keyswitch, but if i unhook it there the lights dont turn on, ill have to try it again
THANKS
KIRK


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

You may just want to redo the wiring completely, it would be fairly simple since you are not using it as a mower. 

You need battery power to the ignition switch that activates the solenoid when the key is in the start position, and then you would need a lead wire from the terminal that grounds out the ignition module when the key is in the off position.
All that would be left is to wire the alternator DC output to the battery + terminal and the tractor lights to the AC power side of the alternator.

Good Luck.....


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## scrappydude (Sep 1, 2006)

ok, i checked over the wiring its good, if the alternator has anyway of connecting to the battery directly then it will smoke, it does it for every alternator that is on that lawnmower, on the amp meter there is 2 terminals, + and -,, im pretty sure the alternator hooks to that, and the amp hooks to the g on the keyswitch, whick should transfer the power threw the switch and into the battery. What does the G stand for and also the L. Thanks

KIRK


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

the L is usually for the lights and the G is usually Ground. If you are hooking up the alternator to the G terminal it will short out the alternator unless the switch is mounted in a plastic dash panel. If the DC lead from alternator is smoking when you hook it up to the + terminal of the battery, you either have a bad voltage rectifier or diode.


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## scrappydude (Sep 1, 2006)

ok, the alternator is hooked to the ground and it is on a metal dash. Would that cause it not to charge, there is no diode, it was taken off before i got it, the alternator hooks directly to the power. if i changed that would it work?, and, does the amp hook to the alternator wire too when it is hooked to the + WIRE? could you send a picture of the diode. THANKS

Kirk


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

The battery will not charge with the alternator hooked up to the G terminal on the switch.

The diode *MUST* be replaced, without it the alternator will burn up when hooked up to the battery. If you want to hook it up through the amp meter, then the alternator would be hooked to the amp meter and the meter to the battery.


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## scrappydude (Sep 1, 2006)

ok, i tried the meter to the battery, it still smokes, i have a dual circuit alternator, if i put the plug that hooks to the alternator on and then will that help it, or do youneed the diode??? Thanks

KIRK


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

Kirk,

No matter how you wire it up you *GOTTA* have a *diode* in the output from the alternator to rectify the current to DC, it's the only way it will work.

Battery = DC

Alternator = AC (alternating current) thats why it's called an alternator. You cannot charge a battery DC with alternating current.


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## scrappydude (Sep 1, 2006)

ok, thanks, ill have to get one.
THANKS

KIRK


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## scrappydude (Sep 1, 2006)

ok, i hooked up the diode coming off the alternator, do i have to have the plug that goes into the diode or can i just touck the wires inside??

THANKS

KIRK


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

As long as you have a good tight electrical connection you should be alright.


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## scrappydude (Sep 1, 2006)

ok, ill try that and see what happens, THANK YOU!!!!!

Kirk


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## scrappydude (Sep 1, 2006)

Thank you very much for helping me, you helped me get spark, THANKS, you helped me get the alternator working, THANKS. I aprreciate your help very much
THANK YOU THANK YOU, it all works now. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

KIRK


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

*Your Welcome*

Glad to hear you got it all working...


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