HDS2135 12HP Kohler-Battery Charging light indicator on panel comes on when mower ON

[greynold99]

Hi again,
Well after getting my 2 year saga of fuel delivery straightened out, I rolled the Cub out to mow last evening, turned the key and NOTHING, not even a 'Click'.
Now I know batteries die but this is only the 2nd year on this battery and I've been getting the full 3 years fairly consistently with any replacement battery.

I was able to get 'er running with my handy 12 volt charger, but the thing I noticed that leads me to post a question is: Whenever I would engage the mower pull-switch the Battery Charge fault light on the front panel would come ON. As soon as I disengaged the mower, it would go OFF...
So, I'm wondering now, if instead of a dead battery, am I actually dealing with a faulty charging system. I can't say I've every noticed the Battery Charge fault light come on before when I would jump a dead battery.

So my questions are (and Packardv8, I sure hope your stopping in occasionally and see this post...)
1. What do I need to do before buying a new battery?
2. I thought I could test the charging output to the battery with a voltmeter but what kind do you need and what scales do you use besides 12v DC?
I have one of those little Radio Shack pocket voltmeters, if that would work
3. Also thought about pulling the battery and having Advance Auto do a load test on it to see if it was bad or not - at this point I'm suspecting the battery is not bad but that whatever charging electronic-gizmo Cub Cadet uses between the flywheel voltage regulator and the battery might need replaced.

Thanks for your help
greynold99

 

[mechanic mark]

772-4232 click on full manual at top and go to section 4.1

 

[greynold99]

mechanic mark,

Reference doc for the Series 2000 Cub tractors you pointed me to was helpful and identified no intermediate voltage regulator component between coil and battery.
I got a new battery, charged it up overnight on 2amp trickle, swapped out the old battery the next day and mowed last night for a couple of hours to test.
New fuel pump and bypass flexible fuel line for the 'OEM steel tube' fuel line still working great, though it does take a little more cranking to get the fuel through the extra foot or so of flexible line routed on the inside of the inner firewall. I don't know if that's going to be a problem when plowing this winter

I suspect the symptom of the panel charge/fault indicator light comes on when the battery fails with a dead short in the battery.
Thanks for the help,
greynold99

 

[motoman]

Unless the battery is sealed the best tool (cheapest) is a bat hydrometer . With it you can check the electrolyte at any time. VDC output may not be significant as current is what does the work. The load test is good. Poor man's load test: Voltmeter on bat terminals. Crank bat (without starting) for 10-15 revs while monitoring voltage on meter. VDC should not drop. Also a smart bat charger is a great investment, one with a desulfide function. I pimp up my tractor bat often during winter and they last about 3 years.:smile:

 

[packardv8]

Hi again,
Whenever I would engage the mower pull-switch the Battery Charge fault light on the front panel would come ON. As soon as I disengaged the mower, it would go OFF...
Thanks for your help
greynold99

The above is significant. There are two possibilities. One is the charging system cannot handle the load of the PTO. Since you have a meter with a VDC, why not check the battery voltage before, during and after starting and again after engaging the PTO.

Second is a possibility the problem is in the PTO switch and or wiring. I had so many reoccurring and ultimately unsolvable wiring problems with the OEM PTO switch and the new replacement PTO switch, I threw it all out and put in everything with new industrial quality single-throw switch, wires and connectors and no more PTO problems.

jack vines

 

[greynold99]

Jack,

Thanks for your reply and glad that your back... I always learn something from your answers but after checking the reference manual from the link mechanic mark posted, I realized there was nothing between the battery and the coil to go bad, so I went out and got a new battery. That seemed to get 'er back in business with no additional Charging Light issues. I had just never seen that where the light stayed on continuously when the PTO switch was pulled and just wanted to double check before getting a new battery.

On another area in the forum, New Tractor Purchase I posted a question about what the best all around lawn tractors are for dual-duty mowing and snow plowing. I like the Cub Cadet ease of attachments and the manual height control for the mower and snow blade - but not sure those are commonly available nowadays. Do you have any brands you could recommnend that meet those requirements - although 'belt-drive' may no longer be available from any manufacturer...?

Thanks,
greynold99