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Battery drain

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Colin
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Battery drain

Postby Colin » Sun Jul 03, 2005 12:45 am

I would like to start off saying a few things about myself and my tractor. I am Colin I live in a suburb of Detroit Mi. I am also 16 years old. My father just recently purchased a 1949 cub for us to tinker on. So far it has been great. We started off with some routine things, such as changing all the fluids (oil steering box, rear axel housings, ect) changing the belts, changing the plugs, ect. Well after a short time we came to the conclusion that the starter was bad and had that rebuilt. Now there seems to be a drain on the battery. After a few days of sitting it goes dead. Now mind you this is a brand new battery. Any help on where to start looking or how to check for a drain would be appreciated. Thank you in advance and I hope to be around here alot more :D

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Mac from NS
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Postby Mac from NS » Sun Jul 03, 2005 6:24 am

Colin and dad: welcome to the best cub forum. You will find some very
nice and smart people on this forum that can help you out. If you ask
an easy one maybe I can help you out.Have fun with your new cub.
Take a little time to play,you don't grow old as fast that way.

Mac

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Bigdog
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Postby Bigdog » Sun Jul 03, 2005 7:31 am

Colin, welcome aboard! Electrical problems like this are always a bear to track down. But, some organized troubleshooting will help you find and fix your problem. I assume your cub's wiring is original 6 volt rather than a 12 volt conversion with an alternator.
First, check out the wiring diagrams at this link. Yours will be the early cub diagram:
http://www.antique-tractor.com/CubFAQ/cub_faq_2.html#q3

If you have a load or drain being caused by something in the circuits you should be able to see a slight spark when you attach the last battery cable to the battery. You might want to do this at night or at least in a dark garage so you can see the spark easier.
I really don't think your rebuilt starter is the problem since it is only connected to the battery when the starter rod is pulled to close the switch.
The most common problem with the older circuit that uses a cut-out instead of a voltage regulator is the cut-out sticking and not dropping out when you shut the engine down. This leaves the generator attached to the battery instead of opening up the connection to prevent a current drain.
The first thing I would do is to remove the wire marked Batt. from the cut-out and see if the problem goes away. As you can see from the diagram, there isn't a lot in there to go wrong. If this stops the battery drain, replace or repair your cut-out. Most of the time, a sticking cut-out or regulator is due to burned contact points and cleaning and dressing them down will solve the problem. If the drain continues, check out the rest of the circuit, thru the light switch. If the wiring is original, the insulation can be bad and some leakage current can occur. If you need more help, just yell.
Bigdog
If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem.

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Dale51
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Postby Dale51 » Sun Jul 03, 2005 7:52 am

Bigdog wrote:
If you have a load or drain being caused by something in the circuits you should be able to see a slight spark when you attach the last battery cable to the battery. You might want to do this at night or at least in a dark garage so you can see the spark easier.


If you have a test light just hook it between the battery an the battery cable if it lights you have got a problem.

I really hate to say this but your battery might be bad also as there is little call for 6 volt batterys only god & where you bought it knows how old it really is.( sad to say but new in this day & age means nothing).
A battery setting on a shelf with acid in it for a few years will not be
very strong nor will it hold a charge like it should.
If you don't find any leak on the system take the battery back to where you purched it & have it tested.
If it's been broken I did it.
If its not broken wait till I touch it.

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Postby cowboy » Sun Jul 03, 2005 8:19 am

Hi Colin

Welcome to the board. I grew up in Taylor and now I live out by Cabelas in Dundee. You and your dad should have lots of fun with your cub its a great tractor.

Billy
Take care of your equipment and it will take care of you. 1964 cub. Farmall 100 and 130.

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Postby Scott » Sun Jul 03, 2005 8:32 am

Hey Colin,
I'm also 16. My dad got me a cub for christmas last year. At the end of April it was finished. Theys guys are so helpful. Your question is sometimes answered in minutes. My cub is a '48 and I love it to death and we just a 63 lo-boy that is gonna need a little bit more work.
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John *.?-!.* cub owner
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Postby John *.?-!.* cub owner » Sun Jul 03, 2005 9:25 am

Colin, welcome to the best board in the world, at least in my opinion. We have people ranging from old geezers (like me), to kids (like Scotty), to kids at hear (like me).

First, because the battery is new,don't assume it is good. Try disconnecting the cable and see if it still goes down. If it does, bad battery. If not, start breaking it down in stages. Remove the fuse (htat disables the lights. Keep trying this in steps. Most anything on a cub will drain a battery in a few hours not days, so this is unuusl. the only thing that would take a fes days would be the ignition, and if htat is the problem it would not turn off. Also check the headlight switch. It has a dim position, that is hard to see if the lights are even on in daylight. It will take it several hours to drain a good battery in that position.
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Postby Rudi » Sun Jul 03, 2005 12:12 pm

Colin and Your Dad:

First, welcome to the greatest forum on the internet, and to the Cub Family. You will find that all the folks on this forum are kind, helpful and just full of Cub info and knowledge. They also happen to be the finest folks I have ever met :!: :D

BigDog and the guys have really given you some good info on trying to figure out the source of the drain. It probably is something real simple. One of the best resources and one of the funniest is the HL Chauvin articles. Read them a few times. Especially when you start pullin hair.... :roll: :oops: :lol: :lol:

Ok, so here is the spiel.

I would suggest that you read this thread: New Members and Visitors, Please READ. There are many great links to informative pages such as the ATIS FAQ's #1 and ATIS FAQ's #2 , The Best of H.L. Chauvin who has written very interesting articles on troubleshooting common problems with your Cub.

Also, you might want to visit the Cub Manual Server as there is tons of info on servicing, maintaining and re-building your Cub.

I would also recommend that you visit Binder Books and purchase the Owner's Manual, the GSS-1411 Service Manual and the TC-37F Parts Manual. Although they are available on the server, it is better is you also have your own paper copy. Binder Books is the only licensed IH publication reprint shop and they have the best quality.

I truly hope that you enjoy your Cub and that you will be a frequent contributor to the forum. Again, welcome to the Cub Family :D
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Postby Patbretagne » Thu Jul 14, 2005 1:21 am

Dale51 wrote: I really hate to say this but your battery might be bad also as there is little call for 6 volt batterys only god & where you bought it knows how old it really is.( sad to say but new in this day & age means nothing).
A battery setting on a shelf with acid in it for a few years will not be
very strong nor will it hold a charge like it should.
If you don't find any leak on the system take the battery back to where you purched it & have it tested.


I wondered about this shelf life problem, as you say, the battery might have been there for 4 years gently wearing itself out.
In the end found someone who sells batteries dry with the acid separate.
I have not yet added the acid, so the battery will be NEW on the first day I start Baby up, I will then be looking forward to a long life from it.
Pat

Colin
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Postby Colin » Thu Jul 14, 2005 1:58 am

Well after a few trial and erros me and my dad have found out it was just a dead battery. We charged it up and now it starts like a champ every time. We greatly appreciate the help and hope to be around here alot more often. :lol:

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Postby Kodiak » Thu Jul 14, 2005 7:00 am

Glad you guys found the problem and welcome to the forum. Super people here and all kinds of help from tractors to cooking! Visit often and have fun working on that Cub with your Dad :D
I bought an old tractor all dusty and worn,
knew nothing about her just the year she was born
I washed her and greased her and painted her red
Now she lives happily right here in my shed.

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Postby 'Country' Elliott » Thu Jul 14, 2005 10:33 am

Hey Colin...WELCOME to you & your Dad! :D Just a though about 6 volt systems:

REMEMBER...POSATIVE battery lead is ALWAYS to GROUND :wink: . NEGATIVE lead is always HOT. :wink:

It is also important to remember that 6 volt systems need CLEAN connections to make a ground 8) . Be SURE your terminals and wires are CLEAN and FREE OF CORROSION & RUST. :D NEW battery cables make a world of difference hooked to a NEW battery :D .

WELCOME...and HAPPY CUBBIN' !!! :wink:
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Colin
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Postby Colin » Thu Jul 14, 2005 2:51 pm

One of the very first things we changed was the Negative battery cable. The one that was on there was in real bad shape. We did it as more of a safty thing then anything else. We really do like how this fourm is so helpful and it is one of if not the best fourms I am on. :D

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Postby Buzzard Wing » Sat Jul 16, 2005 2:01 pm

Welcome Colin,

I am originally from Plymouth, Mi.

Glad your problem is solved.... but I would like to add something to look at. If your ammeter is not showing it charging at RPM's above an idle then you may need to 'polarize' you generator. Forget the names on the terminals, but on MINE (a 12V Cub) it is done by jumping the center terminal on regulator (the side with 3) to the terminal on the other side of the regulator. I know it needs to be done if you disconnect regulator/generator and other electrical 'stuff' but also think (not sure!) it needs to be done if you disconnect the battery.

Cubs earlier than my #2 Cub a 50' (not sure about 49) have the regulator mounted on top of the generator, so it could be tough to get at..... it will make a little spark when you do it.

Great thing for your dad to get you, I bet Scotty will tell you he has learned a lot from his Cub!
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Colin
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Postby Colin » Sat Jul 16, 2005 3:40 pm

After reading around here a bit we did relize we had to polarize the generator. My dad made up some nice leads the tuck up under the hood and are real easy to get to. So all I have to do is take them down and run them by each other and it should be all good. :D


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