Battery/Starter/Generator

[GMUmberger]

Ok, I'm sure this will show my limited knowledge and mechanical ability but I have a question about my 2084 electrical / charging system. My tractor sat for 18 months during a relocation process and I got it running over the weekend by jumpstarting . After all seemed well I started to mow and it ran for a short while (minutes) and shut off. After restarting I noticed the amp light flickering and as I throttled up it dimmed but continued to flicker. I then replaced the battery and the tractor ran wonderfully and no light. Should I be worried that my generator/alternator is not charging sufficantly or was the battery just to far gone ? Before you ask I have no testers to check the output going to the battery. Sorry.

[dag1450]

Your good! Don't worry....Just enjoy that it started and is running great! Start to worry if it starts sluggish after a couple weeks. Having a meter will just cause u more stress....

[Tom Scott]

I'm gonna have to slap dag down on this one and disagree...

Gary - A multi-meter is pretty much a necessity for problems like this. With a simple volt reading you could have verified what the tractor was doing while you were experiencing the flickering light.

The "Amp" light is an insult to the intelligence foisted on us by the marketing people. The engineers at Cub probably hated doing it. The reason... The sensor for the light is a voltage sensor, and is set to light at a low voltage condition. The sensors used by Cub generally fail by lighting/flickering when voltage is really ok. They can also flicker when voltage drops some, but not necessarily out of range. I have also noticed that the flickering tends to happen more when using the tractor for an extended duration due to the heat affecting the sensors reading. Just using the pto (especially with lights) can reduce the voltage some even with a perfectly fine system. The hotter the day and the longer you use the machine heavily, the more likely a borderline sensor is to flicker.

You may very well have replaced a battery that still had good life in it. You may now notice that your light doesn't flicker now, but may the next time you mow and use heavily. Or it may not; they can be erratic. They do rely on a good ground, so remove the sensor, shine up the mounting location and tab on the sensor, check the connections and use a little dielectric silicone grease on any electrical connection you touch anywhere on the machine, including the battery terminals.

Another possibility is that the sensor was operating correctly and that you had something simple like loose/dirty battery connections. The amount of resistance caused by these problems changes with heat. And, of course, you may of really had a battery going bad.

The point is, without a meter, you are relegated to just being a parts replacer with electrical components. A meter allows you to see what is really going on and not waste time and effort on replacing good parts.

I view the "Amp" (low voltage light) simply as a warning that something could be wrong, but only a meter and proper troubleshooting can determine what that something is.

The replacement voltage sensors that I have bought from Cub are of a new style and have worked well without flickering on a good electrical system.

[dag1450]

Ok ...Mr Encyclopedia Britannica

[GMUmberger]

OK Tom, That is more the reply I expected although Dags was what I wanted to hear ! You are correct and I just took a shot on the battery being defunct. Based on the fact of its age, the amount of time it sat without running or charging, and the cable terminals were pretty toasted. So new battery and cable terminals, fingers crossed and any further trouble I will have the advise you provided to fall back on and do things properly.

[Tom Scott]

Gary - Hey, we all pick times to just "buy our way out of the problem"! You have to choose the battles your willing to wage!

Repairing bad battery terminals is always a good thing, but if you didn't use dielectric grease, go back and coat everything with it or the gremlins will return. Best to put it on everything before it is clamped together, the terminals and wire if you are using the clamp on style (factory made cables with terminal ends do tend to stay corrosion free easier). The idea is to fill all the voids and not let air or anything else get to the metal. Electricity flows right through dielectric grease, it just won't conduct beyond the joint.

With the battery's history, it was surely compromised, but might have had another season of use if it was able to take a charge. But, its not like you tossed a brand new one. Peace of mind is worth something.

My main point was that a flickering amp light isn't necessarily an indication of a problem with the tractor. The sensors go bad, and they are set on the sensitive side. With my two Kubota powered tractors, they will glow dimly sometimes with the pto and lights on, but voltage is fine and all is well. I know that is the characteristic, so I am fine. I know there is not a real problem unless the amp light is on steady and bright.

As for dag, he is a wonderful enabler! And there isn''t any part he won't try to whittle out of wood; I think he tried making a wood battery once...

[dag1450]

Yep...Tom walks around all day reading his owners manual and stressing. I walk around all day with my fingers crossed....But calm!
Matter of fact...I'm going out right now to start the 2072.....Cross those fingers...