Case 1030- charging system 12V generator

I have a draw on my NEW batteries - after fully charged they seem to be drained in a couple days and tractor wont start; (Key off) its been awhile so do I remove the Negative cable from the battery and put my volt meter inbetween the cable and post to find the draw? Or positive cable? Thanks.

Remove the negative, just for safety purposes.

Put your volt meter between the battery post and the disconnected cable.

A test light or milliamp meter is a better test, but a volt meter will work.

Be sure everything is off. A reading around 4-6 volts is somewhat normal. The alternator will show some drain. If there are any electronic accessories, they may contribute.

Using a test light, a dim glow is normal, it would take months to discharge a healthy battery at that rate.

Using a milliamp meter, the best test, anything below about 20 milliamps is acceptable, the lower the better. Some electronics need a charge period for everything to load up and then the draw drops down, so give it a few seconds to drop back down.

(quoted from post at 18:30:34 08/21/21) I have a draw on my NEW batteries - after fully charged they seem to be drained in a couple days and tractor wont start; (Key off) its been awhile so do I remove the Negative cable from the battery and put my volt meter inbetween the cable and post to find the draw? Or positive cable? Thanks.

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Ground cable, and use a small test light
Here's a reply to a message I made on the Allis Chalmers forum on this thread:

>>There are multiple ways a battery can be discharged when the tractor is off.

>>Key left on will discharge the battery.
If tractor is a gasser, and has a distributor ignition system, it is providing voltage to the coil when the key is on. A voltage measurement at the coil will tell you if the key is on or off. If voltage is left on to the coil and the points happen to be closed, you will eventually burn the points and probably melt the coil.

>>A stuck cutout in a voltage regulator will drain the battery when all is off, as will a bad regulator in an alternator. [b:6246969967]To see if you have a drain when off, disconnect the ground cable from the battery, and insert a small test light between the disconnected cable and the battery post the cable came off of. If there is a current draw the lamp will light.[/b:6246969967]

>>Incorrectly wired instruments can cause a drain. Such as any powered gauge that continues receiving power when the key is off.

>>Imho, the most common drain is a bad voltage regulator. Some folks just disconnect the battery ground when the tractor is off to avoid draining a battery, until the problem can be isolated and fixed.



If you try the test light, and it shows a draw, disconnect one electric Item at a time until the test light goes out. When it does go out, you found the item causing the drain.

Thank you...

I know all this- or most- but still cant get it. So my batteries are new and a trickle charger over night only builds them to 12.9V- which is ok with me. The next day they will be 12.5V.... the next day 11.8V; key off; no alternator; Genny with new regulator. I have no electronics anywhere; I will do the milliamps test tomorrow and see....thanks!

I dont understand this-4-6V is normal for a draw?

(quoted from post at 21:48:36 08/21/21) I know all this- or most- but still cant get it. So my batteries are new and a trickle charger over night only builds them to 12.9V- which is ok with me. The next day they will be 12.5V.... the next day 11.8V; key off; no alternator; Genny with new regulator.

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I have no electronics anywhere......

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banjoman,

Any of the following could be culprits
generator
voltage regulator
starter
key switch
light switch
head lights
tail lights
work lights
flashers
instrument panel lights
ammeter
other gauges, if not mechanical
injection pump shutoff, if not mechanical
batteries
wiring

What is your battery setup? You keep mentioning batteries, as in plural.

Multiple 12 volt batteries in paralell?
Multiple 6 volt batteries in series?
A combination of the above?
Are all batteries the same type, age and condition

Do they drain like this if you disconnect the ground?
Does a test lamp show a drain through the ground terminal as described above?

At 11.8 volts, your battery(s) are only about 30% charged.


Here's some general battery info, for reference



Each cell should hold approx 2.1 to 2.2 volts fully charged, right off the charger.
12 or 24 hours after the charger will be is closer to the 2.1 volts per cell number
That puts a 12 volt battery at approx 12.7 volts
This assumes 100% healthy cells, as older batteries would be a bit lower