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electrical drain on H ?

R

riverbend

Well-known Member
The story (questions come later): I went to use my H yesterday and the battery was dead (4.5V). The tractor had been standing for a week.

This tractor has a 6V generator, voltage regulator system. After charging the battery all the cells were 1.225 - 1.250 s.g., 6.3 volts.

After running it all day today the battery is at 6.4V. The ammeter usually showed about +5 amps.

Trying to find the problem I disconnected the negative battery cable and measured the voltage between the neg. battery terminal and the cable. It was 2.8-3.0V. I was kind of hoping for zero.

Disconnected everything from the ammeter and still had 0.7V. Replaced the wire between the ammeter and the VR (and reconnected all the wires to the ammeter)and the reading dropped to 1.7V. Current measures 0.4 microamps (I'm not sure this meter is that good).

So to the questions: 1) Shouldn't the voltage between the neg. terminal and the cable be zero with the ignition and lights off ? 2) What do you think is causing the draw ?

Thanks

Greg
 
If your meter has ohms scale--RX1--unhook the neg cable from the battery & measure resistance between neg cable & ground [tractor frame]. What resistance is present? If resistance is less than 100 ohms, start unhooking wires 1 at a time from the ammeter until the reading is near infinity [high resistance]. Bear in mind that the starter switch may be causing some trouble here, so check that out also. Look for bare or garfed wires/ insulation bad. Could also disconnect wires 1 at a time from the regulator to isolate a problem there.
 
I have infinite ohms across the starter switch. 0.45V from the neg. battery terminal to the batt. terminal on the VR with the neg. battery cable disconnected. Battery cables look good and they are not up tight against anything. No rats.
 
.4 micro amps is near as a whisper to nothing.
.4 milliamps is .0004 amps (also nothing)
400 ma is a drain. Jim
 

That's what's got me puzzled.

Last night when I shut it off I had 5.8V and 250mA. I just checked it and it is still 5.8V but back to 0.4uA. Shouldn't the voltage between the negative terminal and the negative battery cable be zero when the tractor is off ?

Greg
 
Use an analog volt meter. Your digital one is so sensitive that even dust on connections could be causing the readings you are getting.

1 microamp = 1/1,000,000 of an amp
0.4 microamps = 2,500,000 hours for one amp hour.
50 amp hour battery = 125,000,000 hours to discharge.
125,000,000 hours = 5,208,330 days.
5,208,330 days = 14,260 years.

I think you will have other problems before that draw drains your battery.
 
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