[smillers]

Hi guys. First post. Searched here and on google and could not re-create my issue. Hope to find some insight to a question about my charging system. I have a 1987 jd 332. 1160 hours on the ticker. The mower was my wife's grandfathers and I inherited it. I've been the primary operator for 6 years and until it became mine it ran like a dream. Onto the fun stuff.

While mowing last week my battery light came on. I shut down the pto and gave it a full charge. Later that night it fired right back up and ran fine. Finished mowing without a light on or issue. Today i went out to pick up some leaves. Battery was dead right off the get go and needed a charge. Gave it 4 hours at 2 amps. Started up but light was on. Shut down to re assess. Fan/alternator belt was a little loose so I tightened it and restarted. Also cleaned terminals.

A this point pto engages fine. While "raking" light comes back on and with more throttle it went out. Eventually the light came on while at wot and gently dies. Recharging now. Went over all wires and they look good. Mower is now a 2 owner with annual service at the dealership and battery less than 3 years old.

I'm thinking alternator but can't find much info. Has anyone dealt with similar situation?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

For the record I do not have an ohmmeter to check voltages. My best case scenario is to remove each part of mower and take to an electrical shop for testing. Can't get there til next week.

 

[hankvc]

May I suggest that your first order of business is to acquire at least a basic VOM multimeter? There are some inexpensive Fluke digital meters available, and last time I was in a Radio Shack store, they had some inexpensive analog VOMs.

While it sounds as though your alternator system is not operating properly, all of the tests to trouble-shoot the system are electrical measurements. You'll also need to check battery voltage.

Fully half the problems we encounter with older electrical systems on these machines are related to wiring and connectors. And even if there is a defective component, using electrical tests to identify the failure will pinpoint the problem and the appropriate fix.

Hank

 

[smillers]

Hank,

Thanks for the reply. I was in a bit of a panic when it happened because the mower was in the yard and charging on an extension cord. I've double checked all connectors an the seem fine. I was able to limp it into my garage and pull the alternator, battery, and resistor out. The local electrical shop will check them all for me free of charge and they have all replacements in stock.

I will be sure to look at an ohmmeter while I'm there. Unfortunately I am a new home owner and trying to stock my garage/house and that is low on the list.

 

[wyogreen]

Hanks right, you really need a voltmeter to check out your charging system. I use my meter almost every day to check out something on my tractors or in the house. They are mighty handy on trouble shooting all kinds of things, and they don't cost a lot. Just today I was checking out an electric baseboard heater to see if it was any good, and I used my Volt/Ohm meter to make sure the resistance coil was good.

Good luck, Steve

 

[shivelyt]

Steve, welcome to wfm. I would recommend purchasing a tm1591 service manual for troubleshooting. Just an FYI, the battery light on a 332 indicates the ac voltage from the alternator is low. It has nothing to do with battery voltage. I think you're on the right track by checking out the alternator.
Tom

 

[smillers]

so after tearing into her I found that the wires from the alternator are extremely brittle and what I thought was a good connector was in fact a little beat up as well. Also, I see now I could've related my issue with other threads on this subject.

I'm torn on whether to have the repair shop do their best to do a better job than the factory or just replace wires/connectors with JD parts?

My rectifier posts also show slight wear on the connections from the alternator. Should I just replace it while I'm in there or try to get my money's worth?

Let me know what you guys thinks. Once again, I thank you in advance for any insight.