Voltage drop at solenoid - how much is too much?

[Rivets]

Please post your engine numbers please, I don't believe your voltage regulator is hooked up properly. Normally the two outside terminals are AC and have the same color wire hooked to them. ( Black or White ). The center terminal is normally the B+ terminal and will normally have a Re or Yellow wire.

 

[finfan1313]

Please post your engine numbers please, I don't believe your voltage regulator is hooked up properly. Normally the two outside terminals are AC and have the same color wire hooked to them. ( Black or White ). The center terminal is normally the B+ terminal and will normally have a Re or Yellow wire.

My engine is a Kawasaki FH661V (22 hp).

The voltage regulator is 21066-7011. Imagine the red wire is on the left below, and the other two wires are attached together, and on the right two tabs below:

 

[Rivets]

Now that we know which engine we are talking about, your voltage regulator IS HOOKED UP properly. Kaws do things a bit differently. The red wire is the B+ wire. This manual may also help you.

http://www.mymowerparts.com/pdf/Kaw...SAKI-SERVICE-REPAIR-MANUAL--99924-2078-01.pdf

 

[finfan1313]

Now that we know which engine we are talking about, your voltage regulator IS HOOKED UP properly. Kaws do things a bit differently. The red wire is the B+ wire. This manual may also help you.

http://www.mymowerparts.com/pdf/Kaw...SAKI-SERVICE-REPAIR-MANUAL--99924-2078-01.pdf

Thank you sir, I'll try your recommendation now.

 

[finfan1313]

Now that we know which engine we are talking about, your voltage regulator IS HOOKED UP properly. Kaws do things a bit differently. The red wire is the B+ wire. This manual may also help you.

http://www.mymowerparts.com/pdf/Kaw...SAKI-SERVICE-REPAIR-MANUAL--99924-2078-01.pdf

I pulled the B+ wire off, and tested for drain on the battery, and it tested at 0. When I put the b+ wire on, I got a reading of .93 mA. would you say that means it's the regulator? Or would you say it's just 0 because the circuit is incomplete?

I don't have a special tool to test the regulator, only a multimeter.

 

[bertsmobile1]

A multimeter is all you need, you just need to know how to use it.


VOLTAGE is measured BETWEEN two places
AMPERAGE is measured THROUGH an item.
Thus you hook one side of the meter to the B+ wire and the other to the terminal that the B+ wire WAS attached to.
This way you measure what electricity is going through the rectifier .
On most multimeters you also need to move the red test wire to a different plug to read amps otherwise you are reading resistance.

A mower battery is around 60Amp hours ie amps X hours.
Your battery will have this information on the label .
That means it can produce 1 amp for 60 hours
0r
1/2 amp for 120 hours
or
68 milli amps for 590 hours.
Which means that it will drain a fully charged battery in less than a month.

However from what you wrote it does not sound like your readings were correct.

 

[finfan1313]

A multimeter is all you need, you just need to know how to use it.


VOLTAGE is measured BETWEEN two places
AMPERAGE is measured THROUGH an item.
Thus you hook one side of the meter to the B+ wire and the other to the terminal that the B+ wire WAS attached to.
This way you measure what electricity is going through the rectifier .
On most multimeters you also need to move the red test wire to a different plug to read amps otherwise you are reading resistance.

A mower battery is around 60Amp hours ie amps X hours.
Your battery will have this information on the label .
That means it can produce 1 amp for 60 hours
0r
1/2 amp for 120 hours
or
68 milli amps for 590 hours.
Which means that it will drain a fully charged battery in less than a month.

However from what you wrote it does not sound like your readings were correct.

I think you're right, I probably had it on volts instead of amps. Today I mowed, and when finished, checked the battery to ensure it was fully charged. It was. I checked the amps between the b+ wire and the tab when the key was in the start position. It bounced wildly between .03 and .16 amps. any thoughts on that?

 

[bertsmobile1]

I think you're right, I probably had it on volts instead of amps. Today I mowed, and when finished, checked the battery to ensure it was fully charged. It was. I checked the amps between the b+ wire and the tab when the key was in the start position. It bounced wildly between .03 and .16 amps. any thoughts on that?

I told you my thoughts 5 posts back.
Buy the JD manual and stop stuffing around in the dark taking meaningless measurement you have no idea about.

I am more than happy to help those who ask for it but you have gone beyond what I am willing to wast time on.
There are others who actually want & need help.
Enjoy playing with your multimeter.
Good luck & good bye.

 

[finfan1313]

I told you my thoughts 5 posts back.
Buy the JD manual and stop stuffing around in the dark taking meaningless measurement you have no idea about.

I am more than happy to help those who ask for it but you have gone beyond what I am willing to wast time on.
There are others who actually want & need help.
Enjoy playing with your multimeter.
Good luck & good bye.

Thank you for the good luck wishes. Words can't describe how helpful you've been.

 

[motoman]

finfan, If you got a little user pamphlet with your DVM and saved it, look through it for a brief instruction on "current"measurements" If not go to H Frt and read one there. That instruction will show you that you must unplug one lead from the voltage female socket (at the bottom of the DVM) and put into the current female socket. Now, for battery drain test, the DVM must be "strung" (placed) so current runs through the lead attached to the battery, through the meter, and then through the other DMV lead to ground. Another thing is that a DVM cannot usually tolerate current over 10 amps (the small , cheaper DVMs even less) without blowing a fuse inside the DVM. This is a protection for the instrument. It is very easy to blow the fuse depending upon what the DVM is strung between. When the fuse blows it is easy to become frustrated and quit. Instead, learn to simply remove the blown fuse and replace it with the proper value. Although these little fuses may be sometimes difficult to find , you can do it.

Next put in some time reading about the suffixes used in electronics measurement like amp,milliamp, etc and how they are used with the DMV settings. Try not to put in decimal points while using the suffixes unless they are appropriate (you may be right). For instance your .98 milliamp is a very tiny current value, but 98 milliamps, while small, could need some investigation. This electrical adventure may be frustrating, but seems like you may learn by doing and this skill can be used in many ways. motoman