JD X380 Charging quits when mower deck engaged

[stada]

The charging circuit on my John Deere X380 works fine at idle and high RPM ... until the mower deck is engaged, at which time the malfunction light starts flashing and the battery stops being charged.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[Deleted member 97405]

Is your machine still under warranty? Assuming you've already verified your battery and cable connections are good, you will need to first verify the AC voltage coming from the stator because that is where the charging system voltage originates, and then test the DC voltage coming from the voltage regulator. If you're handy with a multimeter, I will list instructions tomorrow once I get back to my office where my tech manuals are. 9 times out of 10, the issue is either the voltage regulator, a loose wire, or a weak battery. But occasionally, something happens to the stator or flywheel magnets, so that is why we first test the source voltage from the stator before testing the regulator.

 

[StarTech]

Can even be a partially short electric PTO clutch coil. Either verify it current draw is less 7.5 amps or that the OHM out is 1.7 ohms or greater.

 

[stada]

Is your machine still under warranty? Assuming you've already verified your battery and cable connections are good, you will need to first verify the AC voltage coming from the stator because that is where the charging system voltage originates, and then test the DC voltage coming from the voltage regulator. If you're handy with a multimeter, I will list instructions tomorrow once I get back to my office where my tech manuals are. 9 times out of 10, the issue is either the voltage regulator, a loose wire, or a weak battery. But occasionally, something happens to the stator or flywheel magnets, so that is why we first test the source voltage from the stator before testing the regulator.

My machine is two years old, only 66 hours. Stator and regulator outputs test normal. Charging occurs normally until the mower deck is engaged, at which point it drops off. Thanks for your input.

 

[stada]

Can even be a partially short electric PTO clutch coil. Either verify it current draw is less 7.5 amps or that the OHM out is 1.7 ohms or greater.

Thanks for your advice. I'm not sure of how to do those checks, but will research it. Thanks!

 

[Deleted member 97405]

My machine is two years old, only 66 hours. Stator and regulator outputs test normal. Charging occurs normally until the mower deck is engaged, at which point it drops off. Thanks for your input.

These machines have a 4 year warranty, unless you've met the hour meter restriction. Take it to the dealer, and let JD pay for it!

 

[StarTech]

I hope they don't do the OP like the Dodge tried to do me on my new car. It broke down @ 800 and was told they don't know if it was covered by the warranty and I had a 12,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. I had to get a lawyer involved.

 

[Deleted member 97405]

I hope they don't do the OP like the Dodge tried to do me on my new car. It broke down @ 800 and was told they don't know if it was covered by the warranty and I had a 12,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. I had to get a lawyer involved.

Nope, unless the local dealer is squirrely, in which case Deere has a customer service number for that purpose. They WILL get the territory rep involved if needed, but those cases are usually rare if the dealer does their job. I've been a John Deere dealership employee for 25 years. I've done 20 of those years in the service/warranty department. Deere will not do you dirty unless you've done something stupid and modified the system or something. It's always best to let the dealer handle it if under warranty instead of messing with it yourself. The more you mess with it, the more you increase your chances that they won't cover it. That's just common sense. I've had customers bring in stuff that they've cut switches out and rewired to bypass safety stuff, etc. Those people learn real quickly that they should have left it alone, at least while still under warranty! There are ways to bypass switches without cutting up harnesses! Anyways, I'm getting a little bit off topic. Again, take it to the dealer while under warranty. I won't send any further instructions because I don't want to interfere with a possible warrantable situation....

 

[stada]

Nope, unless the local dealer is squirrely, in which case Deere has a customer service number for that purpose. They WILL get the territory rep involved if needed, but those cases are usually rare if the dealer does their job. I've been a John Deere dealership employee for 25 years. I've done 20 of those years in the service/warranty department. Deere will not do you dirty unless you've done something stupid and modified the system or something. It's always best to let the dealer handle it if under warranty instead of messing with it yourself. The more you mess with it, the more you increase your chances that they won't cover it. That's just common sense. I've had customers bring in stuff that they've cut switches out and rewired to bypass safety stuff, etc. Those people learn real quickly that they should have left it alone, at least while still under warranty! There are ways to bypass switches without cutting up harnesses! Anyways, I'm getting a little bit off topic. Again, take it to the dealer while under warranty. I won't send any further instructions because I don't want to interfere with a possible warrantable situation....

Sound advice, thank you. I surely won't do any alterations that would void my warranty. Unfortunately, in my case, I don't have an easy way to transport my machine 50 miles back to the dealer, and leave it there for who knows how long. I'll just manually recharge my battery as needed, not too inconvenient a task so far.

 

[Deleted member 97405]

Sound advice, thank you. I surely won't do any alterations that would void my warranty. Unfortunately, in my case, I don't have an easy way to transport my machine 50 miles back to the dealer, and leave it there for who knows how long. I'll just manually recharge my battery as needed, not too inconvenient a task so far.

You're welcome. Depending on your area (I'm in Maryland, USA), now is precisely the time to get it fixed before the mowing season. Dealers will get busier as warmer weather gets closer. You do not want to get caught up in the spring rush! Dealers usually have a transportation service available if you can't haul it. Ask them to not haul it in until they're ready to work on it. Usually they will work with you on the hauling charge for warranty issues. At our dealership, we don't charge hauling for warranty issues.