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I'm working on a Husqvarna YTH22v46 96045006100 lawn tractor. The patrts algorithms say it has a Briggs & Stratton <UPDATED> motor 44N677-0005-G1. Where the heck is the voltage regulator?? ~John

The 170808 doesn't mean anything past being a husqvarna part number. We will need the actual model number from the engine which should be located on the OHV cover opposite the fuel pump. And if your mower doesn't have an electric pto clutch it may not have a regulator. It could be the 3 amp battery charge with a 5 amp headlight circuit.

You are right. That was a serial number. I have changed it to say 44N677-0005-G1, tho I have not verified that information with my own eyes.

Not having a VR makes sense, because I couldn't find one. So what keeps the battery from draining when not in use?

Jrybon said:

You are right. That was a serial number. I have changed it to say 44N677-0005-G1, tho I have not verified that information with my own eyes.

Not having a VR makes sense, because I couldn't find one. So what keeps the battery from draining when not in use?

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A picture of the wires coming out from under the flywheel would help us determine which charging system you have. But assuming the 3/5 charging system. The battery is prevented from draining by a diode in the wire coming from under the flywheel that charges the battery. It also acts as a half wave rectifier to convert AC to DC to charge the battery. The headlight circuit is a 5 amp AC system which is fine for the headlights.

I get the funny feeling that the question "where is the voltage regulator" is really an answer to another question like why won't my engine start, or why isn't the battery charging etc.. Is it?

That all sounds right. That's what I am seeing. So is there a way to test the diode?

SGKENT is correct. I am diagnosing a battery drain

With the dual circuit charging system. You should have a red and a black wire with a white connector next to the starter. The red wire will have a shrink tube with a bump in it. that is the diode. You can pierce the wire above the diode with a ohm meter probe and the other probe to the corresponding terminal in the connector. One way will have a low ohm reading and if you reverse the probes should see very high ohm reading like in the megaohm readings or OL on the screen.

You can also unplug the connector and while running the engine at full speed put a meter between the red wire terminal and ground and see what voltage reading you get. in DC output from the black wire will be in AC for the headlights.

Okay. No reading either way. Bad diode.

THE HEDLIGHTS ARE AC?!

Jrybon said:

Okay. No reading either way. Bad diode.

THE HEDLIGHTS ARE AC?!

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No reading either way wouldn't drain the batter but would prevent charging. And the headlights are AC because they use alternating current directly from the stator.

Ok. I was thinking the same. The battery charging was low. But the real problem is drain between uses. So what else could it be?

Jrybon said:

Ok. I was thinking the same. The battery charging was low. But the real problem is drain between uses. So what else could it be?

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Could be the battery itself, but the battery will discharge while being used due to the fuel solenoid on the carb. So that could run the battery down while using. Can also charge the battery and then disconnect the ground wire from the battery and see if it still goes dead. Dead battery means bad battery. If that passes then you can try disconnecting the stator charging wires and see if the battery still drains. Just start isolating the battery and see what caused it to go dead.

Yes. The battery tests good and holds charge when disconnected. Pulling the stator connection is a good idea.
Is the stator or diode a common source of battery drain?

Jrybon said:

Yes. The battery tests good and holds charge when disconnected. Pulling the stator connection is a good idea.
Is the stator or diode a common source of battery drain?

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Faulty diode can cause battery drain as well as prevent charging.

a blown diode as in totally open may indicate a really large hit electrically on that circuit. You might want to have the battery tested before turning the system on with a new diode or you may be doing it again if there is also a short in the battery or it got put in backwards, jumper cables hooked up backwards etc..

Okay. That's entirely possible.

SO, are the aftermarket diodes okay? Or inferior?

Gentlemen: my new diode arrived today And I figured out a different test. The regular Ohms resistance setting on my multimeter seems insufficient (Both the old and new ones show Null both directions. The replacement is no improvement.) However there is another setting on the dial that appears to be for testing diodes "->|-" ). That one gives numbers when connected one direction, but not the other, as we have anticipated. Unfortunately both diodes test functional that way. SO....not the diagnosis I was hoping for, nor an optimistic prospect for ending my battery drain.
A> What should the number be? The old one says .630 the replacement says .550.
B> what Else could be draining the battery? This weekend I reconnected the battery while the generator was removed. Charge held steady, as we expected it would with no stator.
~Thanks, John

diode is exceptionally high resistance in one direction and almost zero in the other. When they are shorted they will read low in both directions. When they are open they will read infinite in both directions. When they are leaky they will read zero to low in one direction and moderately low in the other. I don't know your circuit but sometimes there can be multiple diodes connected in a bridge. This way the current passes as DC in both parts of the cycle instead of clipping 1/2 off. In other words, if the cycle is 28V DC and there is one diode, half the cycle is cut off and one has 14V dc with the other 14V DC lost. If one has a diode bridge then both halves are passed so one has 28V DC. Have to look at the schematic to see what you have.

To look for a drain buy an inductive DC ammeter with a really low scale then up to say at least 20 amps. I bought an inexpensive one on Amazon a few years back to trace a parasitic drain on a Sable wagon we have. Turned out to be the trailer wiring converter that was doing the draining. With an inductive one you can go circuit to circuit looking for the flow. Has to be DC. example of some for sale https://www.amazon.com/Multimeter-Auto-ranging-Temperature-Capacitance-Plusivo/dp/B08MTY51R4/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=376W0T5Q718LH&keywords=inductive+DC+Current+Multi&qid=1662961797&s=industrial&sprefix=inductive+dc+current+multi,industrial,121&sr=1-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzR09LOFAwNUVPNVJPJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTU3NDk0MVlBMFJPR0tSS0pCOCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTY0NTgwM0FMRFRZRDI0NEU5VCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

SK

Hey Guys. I'm back to report my results: success. Changing the diode did the trick. The two parts tested the same, so I had doubts. But the battery life is dramatically improved. Thanks for all the great advice.

Thanks for reporting the final solution and that you git it fixed. It is nice to have thread finally closed out. Just too many never close out the threads.