Wild cat issues

Update: i discovered my hour meter quit working (it was replaced last season).
The coolent temp gauge quit working.
And after replacing the rectifier and the battery, the charging issue still exists.
Cant find any broken wires or bad fuses.
My buddy mentioned the ignition switch could be the issue.
Anybody any more recommendations?
 
I have about 8 batteries in my shop that are installed in various mowers and motorcycles. I have two float battery charger/tenders on two batteries at all times. I rotate the tender between vehicles with quick disconnects. My batteries last forever by maintaining a full charge at all times.

I use to have a mower with a bad charging system and I could easily mow for several hours with a fully charged battery. I mowed with the bad charging unit for a couple of years before finally getting rid of it.

Seems nothing gets dirtier or dustier than our mowers. This is a challenge with electrical wiring and switches. This is one reason I only blow off my mowers with a blower instead of washing them with a hose. I also park my units inside the shop out of the rain and dew when not in use.

I would likely clean all the connections in hopes I stumbled upon the problem. I would focus on ground wire connections. Next I would do like your doing and search the web. Surely yours is not the only one to have had this problem.

I wish I could help me more but I cant. Maybe someone will read your thread and chime in.
 
Mack told you what to do.
You check the output from the rectifier to ground then follow this back down the loom.
Somewhere there will be a bad connection.
Or you can just keep on replacing parts at random in the hope you eventually stumble upon the culprit, unless it is a bad connection.

You should be reading 13V to 15V at the battery with the engine at full throttle and the blade engaged.
 
bertsmobile1 said:
Mack told you what to do.
You check the output from the rectifier to ground then follow this back down the loom.
Somewhere there will be a bad connection.
Or you can just keep on replacing parts at random in the hope you eventually stumble upon the culprit, unless it is a bad connection.

You should be reading 13V to 15V at the battery with the engine at full throttle and the blade engaged.
Click to expand...

I did check at full throttle but not with the pto engaged.
The battery went from 11.50v to 11.15v in about 10 minutes.
And didnt increase volts in that time.
 
I repeat.
Mackie told you that the output from the alternator should be 30V AC if the alternator is working.
You have just replaced the rectifier without checking if the rectifier was working.
Checking the battery voltage is a good place to START.
If it is too low then the next place to check is the rectifier voltage.
You check for DC output from the middle terminal to earth.
It must be 13V to 15V
If not then you check the AC output from the stator.
They will be the 2 wires that are the same colour measure between them 26V AC to 40V AC
And from each one to earth , must be the same voltage AC.
If the AC readings re not within spec then the stator is the problem
If the AC measured good then the rectifier is the problem.
IF the AC & DC measured good then the problem is in the wiring.
So you check the voltage from the rectifier all the way back through the loom.
If for instance the wire is broken just at the terminal plug on the ignition switch, replacing the switch will not do you much good.

The mower shop near hear has a thing for cutting the rectifier wire and connecting it directly to the battery via the hot terminal on the starter solenoid.
As you have no idea what your shop did, you will have to check everything.
This applies particularly if they decided to use insulated crimp terminals in a place where they should never be used - in an exposed position.
 
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