TO30 runs, then dies, battery seems to be weak

dcburn · May 16, 2016

Hey everyone. My 1952 TO30 finally is running and runs well then dies. Try to restart but will have a weak battery. Starter is good, ignition block and coil seem good. Brand new Interstate battery and new voltage regulator. Seems like only culprit left us the generator? Also I have a bearing noise in the generator area whereas I was wondering if it was the water pump or generator? Any ideas on the tractor dying would be appreciated

ericlb · May 16, 2016

it sounds like it is running off the battery, and the charging system is not working,when a weak battery gets weaker, no spark can be produced , could be many reasons but pull the generator off and take it to an auto parts store and have it checked,to start with, thats the usual guilty item, but by far not the only thing that can cause the tractor to not charge up its battery

Brent Zappe · May 16, 2016

You say runs well then dies? Question have you looked at a fuel pump, fuel lines, bowl float sticking in carburator (if Gasoline). If diesel fuel injectors could be sticking. It might be staveing for fuel. What it could be doing is this has enough fuel to run to one point then runs out and stops. You restart up and it run fine then dies. To me it sounds like the fuel is not flowing fast enough to keep it runiing. Good luck.

Brent Zappe · May 16, 2016

To test a generator is simple. Take the battery cable on the hot side off while engine is running. The engine should still run if the generator is good. Generators system does just that it can supply volts not like an altenator it regulates the voltage that requires a battery hook up to keep the voltage for the engine to run.Both system up and working right should show a voltage for these batteries system. 12 volts 13.5 volts ,6 volts should show 7.5 volts if chargeing right. ( I think).

old · May 16, 2016

I'm guessing it is a 6 volt system still. That said a full charged battery can run an engine for hours. My 841 ford had a bad charging system and it was bad for years and I ran it all the time off the battery.
Runs and then dies could be a weak battery and not enough power to keep it running but as I said that should take hours unless the battery is bad or you have a big power draw. A bad generator can be a big power draw if it has a short in it. As for the noise pull the fan belt off and spin the water pump and generator by hand and feel for rough bearing and noise. Also charge the battery and disconnect the generator and see if it will run for a longer time that way to narrow thing down as to what is wrong

Steve@Advance · May 16, 2016

Sounds like it's running on the battery and not charging. Did you polarize the generator when the regulator was replaced? If not, try polarizing it. With the engine off, run a jumper wire from the NON GROUNDED battery terminal and spark it to the "A" post of the generator. Just touch it long enough to see a spark, don't leave it connected. Then try it to see if it charges. If you have a volt meter, with the engine revved up, a 6v system will run around 7v, a 12 v will run around 14v. If you don't have a volt meter, try disconnecting a battery post, see if it keeps running.

To test the generator, after polarizing it, disconnect the "F" terminal wire. With the engine running, ground the F post of the generator. The generator should begin to charge.

The growling noise, you can remove the belt, feel for slack, looseness, roughness in the water pump and generator. Start the engine with the belt off, listen for the noise to go away. Also, you can use the "screw driver stethoscope", take a long screw driver, put the handle to your ear, carefully touch the blade to the generator, water pump, timing cover, where ever you suspect the noise is coming from, and give it a listen.

John T · May 16, 2016

dc, if the battery has enough capacity to START the engine, if you're not using lights etc., it should run for HOURSSSSSSS EVEN IF NOT CHARGING WHATSOEVER (coil only draws 4 amps) so I don't see it dying shortly thereafter as caused by non charging.

If its hard to crank after its warmed up, that could be a carboned or loose or resistive cable or ground or connection or a starter motor problem and NOT the battery. After it dies and is hard to crank, will it start okay once it cools down??????????? ORRRRRRRRRR is it necessary to charge the battery before it cranks good?????????????? I would remove, clean and wire brush shiny, then re attach each and every battery and starter and solenoid or switch and ground connection and see if that helps.

Take the battery and have a shop do a free LOAD TEST.

If you want to test the charging system use my Charging Troubleshooting Procedure linked below for a complete and thorough test. Be sure the genny is polarized correct, belt is good n tight, and VR has a good ground.

Try the above and check and clean connections and run my troubleshooting then post back what you find or questions

John T
John Ts Troubleshooting

Leroy · May 16, 2016

Even if brand new battery get it tested, new can be bad.

Leroy · May 16, 2016

That tractor was only made as a gas tractor and it does not have a fuel pump, gravity only.

2underage · May 16, 2016

I have seen this problem before. It is caused either by the timing being to far advanced or the valve clearance is wrong or a combination of both. Try turning the distributor slightly in the opposite direction of it's normal operation. Do this after the engine has been running and then quit. If the starter now spins it faster you have solved part of the problem. You should check the valve clearance as they can also cause a similar problem. Happy farming.

dcburn · May 16, 2016

It will start after it has sat for a few minutes or so. I did polorize after I replaced the voltage regulator. I took off my generator and that is the bearing that is going bad for sure. I took it to a trusted shop and after talking to the owner he described to a tee what the tractor was doing and seems to think the coil is going bad. The coil will get to hot to touch. He thinks that's why it will start up shortly after it has quit. I replaced the coil for $25 but won't be able to start until I get the generator back. I hope it's not a valve issue. I spent good money having the head rebuilt, new calves and guides. What's your take on the coil theory? It was the original as far as I know...

(quoted from post at 12:18:02 05/16/16) dc, if the battery has enough capacity to START the engine, if you're not using lights etc., it should run for HOURSSSSSSS EVEN IF NOT CHARGING WHATSOEVER (coil only draws 4 amps) so I don't see it dying shortly thereafter as caused by non charging.

If its hard to crank after its warmed up, that could be a carboned or loose or resistive cable or ground or connection or a starter motor problem and NOT the battery. After it dies and is hard to crank, will it start okay once it cools down??????????? ORRRRRRRRRR is it necessary to charge the battery before it cranks good?????????????? I would remove, clean and wire brush shiny, then re attach each and every battery and starter and solenoid or switch and ground connection and see if that helps.

Take the battery and have a shop do a free LOAD TEST.

If you want to test the charging system use my Charging Troubleshooting Procedure linked below for a complete and thorough test. Be sure the genny is polarized correct, belt is good n tight, and VR has a good ground.

Try the above and check and clean connections and run my troubleshooting then post back what you find or questions

John T
John Ts Troubleshooting

Steve@Advance · May 16, 2016

A bad coil is a possibility. It should not get that hot running. Check the point gap, closed points will overheat the coil.

Is this a 6 volt system? If so, a 6v coil won't need a resistor. If it is a 12v, the coil needs to have around 3 ohms resistance across the terminals, including the resistor. Some 12v coils require a resistor, some don't. The specs should tell the resistance.

dcburn · May 17, 2016

I'll check the points gap, I know there is a specific gap that I read I the book. I did check when I installed new points but ill definitely check again

(quoted from post at 20:22:15 05/16/16) A bad coil is a possibility. It should not get that hot running. Check the point gap, closed points will overheat the coil.

Is this a 6 volt system? If so, a 6v coil won't need a resistor. If it is a 12v, the coil needs to have around 3 ohms resistance across the terminals, including the resistor. Some 12v coils require a resistor, some don't. The specs should tell the resistance.

TO30 runs, then dies, battery seems to be weak

dcburn

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ericlb

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Brent Zappe

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Brent Zappe

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old

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Steve@Advance

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John T

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Leroy

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2underage

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