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Dave(inMA) 
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Location: Grafton, MA
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 Topic: Battery Mystery
Posted: 22 May 2019 at 7:08am |
Good morning. I have a 1.5 year old 6v battery that tests 6.5 volts and shows "Good" on a load test. Installed it in my CA - wouldn't light the lights or turn over the engine...not even a burp. Clamps were clean and tight. Heavy cables. Replaced it with another battery and the tractor spun over and fired.
Is it possible for a battery to test "Good" yet not work? Or is the load test not the gold standard for checking batteries?
Thanks! Dave
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WC, CA, D14, WD45
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Lonn
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Joined: 16 Sep 2009
Location: Назарово,Russia
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Posted: 22 May 2019 at 7:28am |
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With the battery disconnected, check each cell with an electrolyte tester (hydrometer) after it has been charged for a bit. They'll probably all show good. Then let it set over night and check again. They should be equal or very close to it. Replace the liquid from the hydrometer to the same cell you drew it from or you'll mess the whole battery up! And keep baking soda nearby for any spills! And don't spill!
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Lonn
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Posted: 22 May 2019 at 7:29am |
Here's a link with instructions.
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Bill_MN
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Location: Sioux Falls, SD
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Posted: 22 May 2019 at 10:14am |
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Have you put a voltmeter on it while on the tractor and pulling the starter rod? Have you checked voltage at the starter/switches/lights with it hooked up to see if voltage is getting there? Even though the other battery works it would be interesting to see how the dead battery acts on the tractor.
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1951 WD #78283, 1918 Case 28x50 Thresher #76738, Case Centennial B 2x16 Plow
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Stan IL&TN
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Posted: 22 May 2019 at 1:30pm |
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The simplest answer is usually the most correct. Replace the battery.
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1957 WD45 dad's first AC
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Tbone95
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Posted: 22 May 2019 at 1:36pm |
 Stan IL&TN wrote:
The simplest answer is usually the most correct. Replace the battery. |
True. It is very odd though that the battery was actually load tested as good, and wouldn't even bump the engine a tad. Makes ya' wonder.
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Steve in NJ
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Posted: 22 May 2019 at 1:44pm |
Batteries are fluky. They can test good on a draw test and not be good in service. It probably has a cell that's ready to fail or is weak. Its the same as a Generator that "motors" when tested, but doesn't charge when put into service....
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39'RC, 43'WC, 48'B, 49'G, 50'WF, 65 Big 10, 67'B-110, 75'716H, 2-620's, & a Motorhead wife
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Tbone95
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Posted: 22 May 2019 at 2:45pm |
Steve in NJ wrote:
Batteries are fluky. They can test good on a draw test and not be good in service. It probably has a cell that's ready to fail or is weak. Its the same as a Generator that "motors" when tested, but doesn't charge when put into service.... |
How do it know? 
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LouSWPA
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Posted: 22 May 2019 at 3:05pm |
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whoa up a minuet.....are you absolutely sure your connections on the tractor are good? you are only dealing with 6v, so even a itty bitty resistance at a connection can give you grief.
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I am still confident of this;
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Ps 27
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DougS
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Posted: 22 May 2019 at 3:49pm |
LouSWPA wrote:
whoa up a minuet.....are you absolutely sure your connections on the tractor are good? you are only dealing with 6v, so even a itty bitty resistance at a connection can give you grief. |
This. Put a voltmeter across the ground cable at the battery post and a clean part of the frame. If it shows 6 volts, your connection at the frame is kaput. This is one place that can have a nice tight connection and almost infinite resistance. Remove the bolt and use a powered wire brush and clean all rust down to bare shiny metal. Reconnect the cable with a new bolt and see if it works.
Edited by DougS - 22 May 2019 at 3:50pm
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Dave(inMA)
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Posted: 22 May 2019 at 4:20pm |
Thanks for all the suggestions and comments. I'll check the specific gravity of each cell as well as the quality of the ground connection. Maybe, as a couple suggested, the battery gods are NOT happy with this one!
Dave
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Dave(inMA)
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Posted: 22 May 2019 at 5:39pm |
Well, I am perplexed. Here's what happened: Specific gravity of the cells tested as 1.250, 1.275, 1.250 - not quite in the "Good" range but close. And the readings are very consistent. Put the battery back in the CA - engine cranked and fired right up. What's different between yesterday and today? Nothing except the passage of time...at least nothing that I can account for. Very weird. Sorry to have troubled you guys. 
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CTuckerNWIL
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Posted: 22 May 2019 at 6:22pm |
I had a similar problem with my 45 a couple years ago. I KNEW the battery was good cause it was only about 10 years old  I took the cables off the battery and ran my brush up inside and it worked once, then went back to acting up. I then removed the cables and brought a light out to the shed so I could see better and find what looks like a black oxide coating on the inside of the clamps and some on the posts. I very vigorously cleaned till I had shiny lead, clamped things up and coated everything with a layer of gun grease. It's been fine ever since.
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DiyDave
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Posted: 22 May 2019 at 8:27pm |
Sometimes a battery can have a bad internal connection, between the plates or to the poles, that will go intermittent, or not work, at all. Kubotas and other small diesels seem to get this problem, I personally think its the vibration...
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Gerald J.
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Posted: 22 May 2019 at 9:45pm |
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The battery posts and connectors need polishing or scraping to bare metal twice a year in a 6 volt system because of the intolerance for a bit of series resistance.
Gerald J.
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Lonn
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Posted: 23 May 2019 at 6:15am |
DiyDave wrote:
Sometimes a battery can have a bad internal connection, between the plates or to the poles, that will go intermittent, or not work, at all. Kubotas and other small diesels seem to get this problem, I personally think its the vibration... |
There's a joke in there but I ain't sayin it
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Dave(inMA)
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Posted: 23 May 2019 at 4:05pm |
I'm with Lonn! The good news is that the battery is working.....at least for now! Perhaps changing out the battery a couple of times polished up the cable clamps/posts. I double checked them when I reinstalled the battery and they looked good.
Dave
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DiyDave
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Posted: 23 May 2019 at 5:59pm |
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Ray54
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Posted: 23 May 2019 at 8:15pm |
I just warrantied a Napa battery for a lose plate inside. Sometimes it would read 12.5 and then 9.46 and no crank. At first thought it had loose wire dragging it down,charge and us it. But anothe clue, when I had a extra hand (yes I need some clips) hold prob on each terminal then tap battery with your hand. You could see voltage jump around. Good batteriers don't do that. I just kinda stimbled on this, hope I don't find out its not that easy.
The Napa store has been real good through 3 own/manager changes in the last 6 or 7 years. So till they get me  really really be the main place to shop for the stuff they can get. From other times talking parts stores, they even have a young kid or 2 that is not afraid of all the old,old one offs that some cheap skate used cause it was there.
But some days it's all just trouble. The loader tractor last cause me no end of hair pulling last fall. Finally cleaning EVERYTHING that had to do with the ground cable to frame and shiny new cap screw. Worked every time till a month ago. The ground cable hand rooted out under the insolation. I wanted to start it then so used the cheapo fix it terminal. So it will be fun another time (don't look Shameless) unless I spend real money on a NEW CABLE. Don't bet you money on me cause I will have a exccuse till it will not start next time. |
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BigGuy1000
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Posted: 23 May 2019 at 9:57pm |
I have seen this problem on 6V pos ground systems because of the different sizes of the battery cable clamps and battery posts, a POP and smoke puff from the battery box, then no crank! If you look carefully (when at your local auto or farm supply store) at a new 6V battery and at the new cables you will see that the + terminal of the battery is slightly larger than the minus terminal. The new flat braided ground cable clamp is sized to fit the minus terminal of the battery, and the new round wire starter cable is sized to fit the + terminal of the battery. However, on a 6V pos gnd system you cannot use the cables in this way because the round cable will not fit thru the battery box exit hole and thru the switchbox on a WD, and the flat braided cable is not insulated, as it must be to safely exit the battery box. The cable end on the flat braided cable can be pried open with a large screwdriver so that it will go on the plus terminal, and the round wire cable to the starter can be clamped down by turning the clamp nut down a lot, but in both cases the contact area inside the clamp where it actually touches the posts is not as large as it should be, leading to poor or no cranking. Take the clamp bolts and nuts off both cable ends, clean all, then pry them open slightly, just enough so that they will go down on the battery posts as far as possible, tap down gently with a hammer on a wood block to the clamp, replace bolts and nuts and retighten.
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Bradleytrench
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Posted: 24 May 2019 at 7:36am |
DougS wrote:
LouSWPA wrote:
whoa up a minuet.....are you absolutely sure your connections on the tractor are good? you are only dealing with 6v, so even a itty bitty resistance at a connection can give you grief. |
This.
Put a voltmeter across the ground cable at the battery post and a clean part of the frame. If it shows 6 volts, your connection at the frame is kaput. This is one place that can have a nice tight connection and almost infinite resistance. Remove the bolt and use a powered wire brush and clean all rust down to bare shiny metal. Reconnect the cable with a new bolt and see if it works.
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Damn, I'm impressed. Someone knows how to do a voltage drop test. This is something I teach in Don Bradley's why my tractor wont start class. Nothing like seeing how strong the army men are while they do their work. Bobby MO
Edited by Bradleytrench - 24 May 2019 at 7:37am
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mechanicmarty
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Posted: 25 May 2019 at 8:35am |
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Carbon pile testers work best to test batteries, I’ve used all kinds of other testers, including digital fancy units and they have shown me a battery is “Good” when a carbon pile tester shows it’s bad. They are 250$cad a piece, but they are worth there weight in gold.
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