Wd45---starter draws battery down

First time posting on this awesome site.Getting my Dad's wd45 running again.The tractor will start easily with a good battery,after 10-20 minutes of running showing a positive charge of 18+/-maps,I shut it off.Tractor will not have enough juice to kick starter in,battery is dead.The tractor is converted to 12volt.Does the starter need to be 12 volt also? Any help will be appreciated greatly.Thanks,Dave

Q 1 dose it have an alternator ?
Q 2 dose the alternator get hot can you hold
your hand on it ?
Q 3 can it be that the amp gauge
is hook up back ward and it discharging
 don`t think that it`s the started .
starter only get used to start the engine .

   B:-)     Dnoym

Are you sure it is charging at 18 amps? That's excessive after 20 minutes. The battery should be charged back up within a few minutes if you are equipped with an alternator. Was this converted to 12 volts, negative ground, and the ammeter not reversed? That +18 may actually be a -18 amps if the ammeter wasn't reversed.

Edit: Your battery could have a shorted cell too.



Edited by DougS - 05 May 2016 at 8:27am

One other test if the ammeter is connected correctly and the battery is good: Disconnect the starter cable at the starter while the engine is running. Be very careful. Do not short anything to the frame. If the ammeter behaves normally after this it would indicate that your starter switch is not disengaging completely.

One thing you should ( must ) do for all old tractors is to TOTALLY rewire them ! Over the decades !  several 'modifications', 'repairs','bodges' WILL have been done. It is always best to rip out every piece of wire and start fresh. Steve at B&B has 'kits' or if you're 'electrically minded', do it yourself, but be sure to follow the ORIGINAL wiring diagram,edited for alternator. It's best to keep the same colours for obvious reasons. done right , it'll outlive you and maybe the kids too !

Jay

In order to help you out correctly, we first need to know whats on the Tractor that's doing the charging chores. Alternator or Generator? Next thing is how is it wired? One wire, or three wire Alt? Or is it a 12V Generator running through a regulator? Is this Tractor equipped with a Voltmeter or an Ammeter? If Ammeter, whats the sweep? 20/20, 30/30, or 60/60?

The things you can check-

1. Charge up the Battery and do a draw test. If you don't have a draw tester, take it down to the local service station and ask them to draw test the Battery for you. If you have a bad cell, that would cause the dead battery or overcharge problem.

2. Inspect the Battery cables and connections. Make sure the cables are in excellent shape, and the grounding cable to the chassis has a good clean ground. Is it Positive ground or Negative Ground? In most cases, if its an Alternator, it would be Negative ground. Although I've built a few PG Alternators in my 49 years of rebuilding.

3. Inspect the fan belt. Make sure it is tight, so whatever its spinning that's doing the charging chores the belt isn't slipping around the pulley.

As far as the Starter motor is concerned: most 6V Starter motors as long as they are in good condition internally, will handle 12V's okay, BUT running 12V's through 6V field coils can make the Starter engage violently which eventually could lead to cracked, or broken nose cones, internal premature parts failure, or torn up flywheel ring gears.

Find out what the Tractor has exactly, and come on back. Before answering questions, its always good to ask what you have for components and the type of system you have first! If you make a visit to our website, there's plenty to read and learn about 12V conversion systems and the components that make up that system. HTH

Steve@B&B
bb-customcircuits.com