Late A starter drain

WHY would he need to have the starter "rebuilt"?

If the starter actually IS the source of the battery drain, it would have to be dirt in debris in the mechanical starter switch attached to the outside of the stater.

WHY would a "starter rebuild" be necessary to correct that?
 
I would unhook the wire from the voltage regulator and see if the batteries still go dead. The drain may not be in the starter.
 
he needs to find the source of drainage when mine drag I take it to get rebuilt and fixes my problem. But I'm saying find source of why battery is going dead. could even be voltage regulator. or could be bad battery?????
 
If it is a bottom mounted starter look really close at the battery cable and connection behind the flywheel. Not a lot of clearance in there and it can also contact the push rod and short out.
 
Bottom mount and the only wires are battery cable and the wire to the switch . I had the starter apart out all looked ok .
 
For the "starter" to drain the battery, it must have an electrical connection TO THE BATTERY and that's only present (if all is well) when the starter switch is engaged.

Its possible copper dust or carbon or moisture or debris inside the switch may have a path to ground and if so THAT, NOT THE
STARTER is the drain.

Its possible other wires attached to the starter switch (if any exist, as a hot voltage source to loads) N0T THE STARTER are
the drain???

If you remove the big battery cable at the starter switch (use caution that's hot) see if it still discharges ????

You might also remove the wire attached to the BAT terminal on the VR (which can feed loads) to see if that's that drain

If you have a good volt meter it can help can seek out the cause of the battery drain (but that's a whole other thread)

Remove the battery cable right at the battery to see if a drain causes the discharge orrrrrrrr its a bad battery

I suspect the drain is NOTTTTTTTTTTTTTT the starter but from your question this is enough for now until we have more info


John T
 
when i to hook up the battery cable i saw small arking . With a test light between bat post and frame it'll light up and stepping on the peddal nothing changed . The starter spins the motor fine .
 
When you unhook the battery wire from the voltage regulator do you have any arcing there?
 
I'd start looking for shorted wires (mice like to chew insulation). You said there's a wire going to the switch so I'm guessing it's distributor ignition? If so then I'd also check to make sure the key switch is actually turning "off."
 
Nothing else is hooked up . Battery to starter and wire to the switch . Wire to coil to distributor . The wire from starter to switch looks good . Have not started to wire the rest of the tractor yet . Better figure this much first .
 
Frist thing I would check is for a dead cell in the battery if it has one that will drain the battery. Also check the voltage regulator points for being stuck together for charging because they will do that. If it has an alternator on it them sometimes the diode in them that gos bad and will drain the battery. You can tell if it has an alternator that if the battery is hooked up and it gets warm or hot just sitting there tractor not running.
 
The ONLY way to check a battery drain is to unhook the ground cable and put a voltmeter or test light between the unhooked cable and the ground terminal of the battery. If you have a drain the light will light or the voltmeter will have a reading. The next step is to start unhooking things until the light goes out. You not only have a way to solve a wiring problem, but this test will will show whether you have a drain or a bad battery.
 
I would connect that "meter" as an ammeter, not a voltmeter. By reading the actual number of leakage mA, you may get a better understanding of WHAT is causing the leakage.
 
An ammeter would be ok, however with an ammeter all circuits are powered unlike a test light or voltmeter. Unhooking wires and switches on a "live" circuit is scary because a screwdriver or wrench or a dangling wire that accidentally touches ground can destroy switches and wires. On computer vehicles you must use an ammeter because the computer has keep alive memory. You must use a milli-ammeter and you are allowed about 50 milli-amps. In order to protect the milli-ammeter I start wit a larger ammeter in case there is a high amperage drain.
 
(quoted from post at 18:38:31 04/17/18) What to look for when the starter is draining the battery ?

36 A You have so many questions and your comments are all scattered below its hard to keep up lol

The ONLY way to answer your initial question "What to look for when the starter is draining the battery ?" is to do this step by step in an orderly systematic fashion. I took considerable time to copy and paste all your questions and responses so we can work through all this one step at a time IN ONE COMMON QUESTION AND ANSWER ALL IN ONE PLACE


1) When you first asked the question my response was basically IT MAY NOT BE THE STARTER THATS CAUSING THE DRAIN and I posted this response and follow up questions:


For the "starter" to drain the battery, it must have an electrical connection TO THE BATTERY and that's only present (if all is well) when the starter switch is engaged.

Its possible copper dust or carbon or moisture or debris inside the switch may have a path to ground and if so THAT, NOT THE STARTER is the drain.

Its possible other wires attached to the starter switch (if any exist, as a hot voltage source to loads) N0T THE STARTER are the drain???



2) NOW after your initial post you have made these additional remarks:

a) "the only wires are battery cable and the wire to the switch"

MY RESPONSE AND QUESTION Is that "wire to the switch" a smaller wire attached where the big battery cable connects to
the starter switch orrrrrrrrrrrrrr do you mean a smaller wire attached to the battery post??????????

IFFFFFFFFFF any smaller wire to the starter switch (besides the big cable) is attached where the big battery cable attaches THAT MAY BE THE DRAIN NOTTTTTTTTTTTT THE STARTER and even if attached to the battery maybe that's still the drain versus the starter as you initially asked

You have to unhook any other wires besides the big battery cable on the switch to see if the starter switch or starter is actually the drain orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr if the drain is via that other small wire


3 You stated "With a test light between bat post and frame it'll light up"

MY RESPONSE WELL DUH IT SHOULD A test light to the hot ungrounded battery post and frame ground sees battery voltage


4. You stated "Nothing else is hooked up . Battery to starter and wire to the switch . Wire to coil to distributor . The wire from starter to switch looks good . "

MY RESPONSE When you say battery to starter and wire to the switch .........I ask "WHAT WIRE TO WHAT SWITCH"


LISTEN you first asked "what to look for when the starter is draining the battery"

FIRST you have to find if the starter is draining the battery (which I doubt because it only draws current if the starter switch is engaged) orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr if its a wire to the ignition switch or light switch or the starter switch is faulty or the drain is elsewhere.

Unhook allllllllllllllllll except the big battery cable to the starter switch and see if its drawing current when switch isn't engaged ????????? Then see if the small wire to ign switch or light switch or any small wire direct to the battery is drawing current even with all turned off ???????????

GET A multi meter and know how to use it should find the problem

You need to check one wire at a time by hooking and unhooking to see what wire allows the drain !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A test light and/or a multi meter can do that soooooooooooo easily

John T Retired Electrical Engineer
 

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