Tractor battery going flat overnight

[Mur Huwcun]

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.

Normal Dorados and R2s, Sprints etc had battery at front. I’d still go after the alternator or diode in loom though. Where does the feed from alternator go? Starter solenoid or back to the battery or even to the fuse panel?

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

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

How much parasitic draw are you measuring with your ammeter?

You’ve then pulled the fuses out one by one, watching the draw - is there any draw left at that point? Are there any other sub fuses located anywhere else that you can check?

Is there anything else directly connected to battery positive / bypassing the main fuses?

 

[Kidds]

I’ve blown the fuse on my meter so can’t check properly. It registers 0.01 on the 10 amp setting.
Haven’t had time to look at it for a few days.

Thanks for all the replies and help.

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

I’ve blown the fuse on my meter so can’t check properly. It registers 0.01 on the 10 amp setting.
Haven’t had time to look at it for a few days.

Thanks for all the replies and help.

I’d expect the draw to be much higher than 10mA (0.01 amps) to drain the battery overnight.

That doesn’t stack up.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

You can connect a bulb in series with the lead to act as a crude ammeter; a driving light or something similar can show you a glowing filament, if any current draw?

Any of the relays warm?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I’d expect the draw to be much higher than 10mA (0.01 amps) to drain the battery overnight.

That doesn’t stack up.

Yes, you'd think it would be something reasonably obvious to be draining a battery.
The fact that it's still charging well almost discounts the alternator/VR being on it's way out, doesn't it?

 

[Netherfield]

Yes, you'd think it would be something reasonably obvious to be draining a battery.
The fact that it's still charging well almost discounts the alternator/VR being on it's way out, doesn't it?

No, I had a JCB 3CX which was loosing just 500Ma through an alternator, although it charged well, doesn't sound a lot, but leave it 3 days unused it's 36 amps and struggling to turn the engine over, a battery isolater was a lot cheaper than another alternator.

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

1/2 amp draw is quite a lot and will flatten a good battery as you say in a few days.

If the OP is flattening his battery overnight then the draw will be in several whole amps, rather than milliamps though. It’s gotta be a chunky draw and/or in combination with a very weak/f**ked battery.

That’s what makes the reading of 10mA nigh on impossible. Just can’t empty a battery at that rate.

 

[Kidds]

The battery is brand new, replaced old one thinking it would cure it.
I will see if I can get a fuse or new meter and put pic up.

If it can't be the battery draining maybe the starter is seizing or summat and just giving impression of flat battery.

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

The battery is brand new, replaced old one thinking it would cure it.
I will see if I can get a fuse or new meter and put pic up.

If it can't be the battery draining maybe the starter is seizing or summat and just giving impression of flat battery.

Battery Condition Check:
Take the battery out and give it a solid charge overnight. Measure the voltage after you’ve charged it (should be near enough 12.9 or over 13v). Leave it 6 hours and measure the voltage again (should have lost barely 0.1v).

Ideally drop/load test it (if you’ve got one) to see if it’s holding more than surface charge. Good battery should settle out around 12.8 v fully charged.

What voltage is the battery then reading when you leave it all connected overnight?

After all that, I’d be doing a charging system check, then look at the starter.

 

[Tubbylew]

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.

Spoke to soon, back to square 1 for me

 

[Kidds]

Put a new fuse in my meter and blew it almost straight away.
The reason the fuse blew is because the ECU on the tractor senses the power has been connected (via the meter) and does what I would describe as a self check. This draws just enough power to blow the fuse in the meter. Hmm.

I had enough time with the meter working to see an erratic reading suggesting the alternator does charge but not all the time. I will be taking it off and getting it checked properly as my next step.
For now I have been disconnecting the battery overnight. This has not entirely cured the problem which to me confirms the alternator is at fault, assuming the brand new battery is not faulty.

Thank you for your help

 

[topcat2006]

Put a new fuse in my meter and blew it almost straight away.
The reason the fuse blew is because the ECU on the tractor senses the power has been connected (via the meter) and does what I would describe as a self check. This draws just enough power to blow the fuse in the meter. Hmm.

I had enough time with the meter working to see an erratic reading suggesting the alternator does charge but not all the time. I will be taking it off and getting it checked properly as my next step.
For now I have been disconnecting the battery overnight. This has not entirely cured the problem which to me confirms the alternator is at fault, assuming the brand new battery is not faulty.

Thank you for your help

Something doesn't sound right.

If the ammeter will measure max 10 amps then the fuse should be bigger than that. Say around 15 amps.

15 amps (even 10 amps) seems a huge draw for an ECU, the ones we use don't draw that much even on a self check.

 

[Kidds]

Something doesn't sound right.

If the ammeter will measure max 10 amps then the fuse should be bigger than that. Say around 15 amps.

15 amps (even 10 amps) seems a huge draw for an ECU, the ones we use don't draw that much even on a self check.

Sorry I may not have been clear.
When on the 10 amp setting it read 0.01 (IIRC) and didn't blow any fuses but the next setting down is where it should read 1-200 milliamps is where it blew the fuse.
I think I blew the fuse for the 10 amp setting too but that was because I should have put the leads on the meter in different holes and forgot.

 

[Landy Nick]

Have you disconnected all wires from the alternator to see if the draw goes. Although be careful not to short the main charge or battery wires whilst doing this.

 

[Tubbylew]

Not really relevent but made me chuckle

 

[Kidds]

Got fed up of it, used my smart charger to recondition the old battery and refitted it. Been fine ever since.
Took new battery back and they tested it as knackered. I think @Kiwi Pete said somewhere new battery might be dud.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Cracker, glad you got it sorted.

Was just thinking of you, pretty much every day for the last fortnight, as I go around the yard each morning jump-starting all the trucks

How big a battery does your Same have, I put a spare car-battery in mine over 3 years ago to drive it here, still haven't put a proper tractor battery in her!
Now that I've hexed it....

 

[Kidds]

Cracker, glad you got it sorted.

Was just thinking of you, pretty much every day for the last fortnight, as I go around the yard each morning jump-starting all the trucks

How big a battery does your Same have, I put a spare car-battery in mine over 3 years ago to drive it here, still haven't put a proper tractor battery in her!
Now that I've hexed it....

Having spent a lifetime of scrapyard challenge farming I have vowed to have tractors that start as they should for ever more. It doesn’t even cost much and way less than the loss of time arseing about with jumpleads. Plus the fact I have moved to a flat farm.