Tractor battery going flat overnight

Kidds

Member

Horticulture

Location

Near Beeston Castle

• Jul 1, 2019

• #1

Fitted new battery as first step but not cured it.
Voltmeter reads 14. something when running so appears to be charging.
Everything is switched off but still goes flat.

Any tips on where to look and how to test?

 

Kidds

Member

Horticulture

Location

Near Beeston Castle

• Jul 1, 2019

• #2

Sorry, Same Dorado F100 orchard tractor 09 plate.

 

hendrebc

Member

Livestock Farmer

Location

Denbighshire but not the vale of clwyd

• Jul 1, 2019

• #3

I know nothing about wiring and electrical stuff but my tractor does the same thing. I figured out it's leaking current from the radio somehow i can hear the cd player spinning when every now and again when the tractor is off and the light on the little screen comes on by itself and doesn't go off. Cured it by disconnecting the battery when I stop it for more than a few hours and it's been fine since. I keep meaning to order another radio for it but have never got round to it. Anyway not sure if that helps you but I'm bored waiting for something so err leaking current from somewhere?

 

H

hoggs

Member

• Jul 1, 2019

• #4

Kidds said:

Fitted new battery as first step but not cured it.
Voltmeter reads 14. something when running so appears to be charging.
Everything is switched off but still goes flat.

Any tips on where to look and how to test?

Click to expand...

the altenator will run the battery down overnight if faulty and it wont show on dash lights

 

Kidds

Member

Horticulture

Location

Near Beeston Castle

• Jul 1, 2019

• #5

I will unplug the radio and see what happens.

If I just put an isolators with on the battery does that harm the ECU, computer, brain or whatever it is called by repeatedly disconnecting it.
Apart from losing radio channels which I’m not bothered about or resetting the clock that never says the right time

 

Kidds

Member

Horticulture

Location

Near Beeston Castle

• Jul 1, 2019

• #6

hoggs said:

the altenator will run the battery down overnight if faulty and it wont show on dash lights

Click to expand...

Will get it checked. Thanks

 

hendrebc

Member

Livestock Farmer

Location

Denbighshire but not the vale of clwyd

• Jul 1, 2019

• #7

hoggs said:

the altenator will run the battery down overnight if faulty and it wont show on dash lights

Click to expand...

More likely than the radio thing. I could see and hear mine come on when the tractor was off that's the only reason I knew it was the problem. If it was leaking current from somewhere else I'd never have found it

 

Netherfield

Member

Location

West Yorkshire

• Jul 1, 2019

• #8

Sometimes a cheap little meter like this can be useful https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-mas830b-digital-multimeter-600v/75337 set for dc current and remove one battery cable and connect the meter between the two, it should tell of any current draw.
If you're getting a reading try disconnecting the alternator wires first and see if that stops it, if not try removing each fuse in the fuse box until one stops the draw, then you'll have an idea what is causing the problem.

 

Kidds

Member

Horticulture

Location

Near Beeston Castle

• Jul 1, 2019

• #9

Did that, disconnected everything one by one but still registered a draw.
A bit stumped now.

 

milkloss

Member

Livestock Farmer

Location

East Sussex

• Jul 1, 2019

• #10

Kidds said:

Did that, disconnected everything one by one but still registered a draw.
A bit stumped now.

Click to expand...

Leaky solenoid on the starter?

 

Kiwi Pete

Member

Livestock Farmer

Location

Owaka, New Zealand

• Jul 1, 2019

• #11

Maybe if it's difficult to trace, you could use an isolator switch at the battery, you could also run a switched line to the radio (etc) to keep memories and presets, but also have the ability to kill that if you're going to be parked for a while?

It could also be resistance within the battery itself, a particular brand of battery available here has a tendency to fail due to the post itself twisting in the case, which can either mean the connection breaks or the battery flattens itself.

(For what it's worth).

but, disconnecting the battery with a switch won't harm anything, to answer that question. A switch is generally much kinder than taking the terminal off the post all the time.

 

Tubbylew

Member

Location

Herefordshire

• Jul 2, 2019

• #12

Just had this problem here traced to a faulty bcu (john deere), you'll need to start unplugging stuff that has any kind of memory or non standard stuff maybe ecu etc.

 

Dave645

Member

Arable Farmer

Location

N Lincs

• Jul 2, 2019

• #13

Kidds said:

Did that, disconnected everything one by one but still registered a draw.
A bit stumped now.

Click to expand...

Sounds like it may end up being a chaffed wire in your loom somewhere.
If you cannot find it an isolator switch is a good addition and extra security .
Look for tight corners and places where the wires may have rubbed, its likely rubbed on metal of the tractor, So look at places wires sit in contact with metal. if it has a fuse box, take a picture and do the draw test again but pull fuses one by one see if any stop the draw. You can put them back as you go, if non stop it, check the feed wire to the fuse box. Looking at any point the wire sits on metal. And any wires that don’t go to the fuse box, but come directly from the battery.

Good luck, if all else fails put an isolator in the large positive just after the battery. Get the red removable key type.

 

Mur Huwcun

Member

Livestock Farmer

Location

North West Wales

• Jul 2, 2019

• #14

Disconnect the heavy wire off the alternator and wrap the end in some tape overnight to see what happens, nothing else really bar worklamps or fan can discharge a new battery fully overnight

 

milkloss

Member

Livestock Farmer

Location

East Sussex

• Jul 2, 2019

• #15

Could you put a bulb in between the battery terminal? If there’s enough current it will light up and you’ll see it flicker as you jiggle round finding the problem.

 

S

startinghandle

Member

• Jul 2, 2019

• #16

milkloss said:

Leaky solenoid on the starter?

Click to expand...

A faulty solenoid was the reason the battery was going flat on our JD 2040 some years ago

 

ajcc

Member

Livestock Farmer

Location

N.Devon 45 miles (most) by boat from Walter.

• Jul 2, 2019

• #17

Make sure it’s insured and park it outside away from combustibles at night would be sound advice! Been there done that!

 

Lazy Sod

Member

Location

Warminster Wiltshire

• Jul 2, 2019

• #18

It sounds like that you should have, but didn't!

 

Last edited: Jul 2, 2019

Mur Huwcun

Member

Livestock Farmer

Location

North West Wales

• Jul 2, 2019

• #19

Though of this today, Dorado if battery is at the front will have heavy inline fuses and some diodes above the air cleaner. Something reminds me of replacing a diode there once but can’t remember what the actual problem was.

 

Kidds

Member

Horticulture

Location

Near Beeston Castle

• Jul 2, 2019

• #20

Mur Huwcun said:

Though of this today, Dorado if battery is at the front will have heavy inline fuses and some diodes above the air cleaner. Something reminds me of replacing a diode there once but can’t remember what the actual problem was.

Click to expand...

Battery is behind the seat.
Explorer had battery at front and often had problem with poor earth connection.
Mine is an orchard tractor, very small profile and so compact that everything is hidden and inaccessible. Frutetto is even worse, have to take back wheel off to remove battery on that one.