So I have a bobcat 763 with 2600hours. Battery is a year old has sat for weeks then started right up. Used everyday for past 3 days without issues. It sat all day and when I went to start it this evening and it was dead as dead can be -- nothing. I jumped it after a few minutes and it showed 3/4 on the gauge..... Fluke? Or do I have a problem brewing? Will check status tomorrow night......
alternator voltage should be around 14.3 volts @ idle. if the alt is charging, pull and clean the battery cables and posts on the battery. :drinkup
I would suggest you get one of the newer electronic battery load testers. They can dope out if the battery is good or bad, and also test to see if the alt is charging. Don't forget the basics, too, clean connections, and check the cables for corrosion. Somerimes you can charge the battery slowly, for a long period of time, if it is really far down, and it will come back. Here is the tester(similar, older model) that I have: http://www.tooltopia.com/midtronics...Vsv81jl-8aKDePwfiKEKGfdJVTsfHCLCkAaAvxe8P8HAQ
thanks guys- I don't have the newer style tester but will look into it. terminals and cables looked good, the cables were new when I put the battery in.......... I went out this am and tried and had nothing...... so I think the alternator gave up the ghost........
You can guess or you can know by simply checking voltage with the machine running. Sucks to replace something needlessly especially when it's easy to confirm. Could be a bad battery kr even a draw on the system while the machine is off.
Yep, either something is left on and drawing current, your alternator has a shorted diode, or your battery suddenly went south.
thanks--- I will check it this weekend.
Check your battery, mine was "maintaince free"....NOT. The label covered up what were normal fill caps, it got so low it took the battery out, not quite 2 years old. Ed
So I jumped the machine and got it running. At idle the battery was at 13. Something and the alternator was at 14. Something..... I turned it off and removed the negative cable to see where we are tomorrow night, if it is still good then there is a draw- if it is bad then it's the battery I believe.
It truly was maintenance free then, lol... that's good business yeah? Sorry, not laughing at your misfortune, just the way things are made and sold.
Could be a plate in the battery has shifted. And sometimes it can move back into position. Normally it will cause a hot battery but not always. A battery that has internally shorted, will also kill other batteries tied to it in a series. Some battery cases won't take alot of shock. Load testing is the best method.
How to "load test"
You would need a load tester, specialized bit of battery testing kit, usually with a meter that has colorful segments.
Most dedicated battery sales shops will test it for you free, but then again, they wanna sell you a battery. The tester I linked to will do a load test... On Edit, I see you're in MD, too. Try Pasco in annapolis, MD. If that's not close, they have several shops in eastern shore, southern md, maybe NOVA, by now, too. Howdy, Neighbor!
One important point about battery testers: the new electronic ones ARE NOT load testers. They analyze the conductance inside the battery. If you carefully read the manual for it, you'll find buried in there the statement that it is very important to allow the battery to stand for 30-60 minutes after any charging, before testing. If it's tested immediately, it'll test weaker than it should. Does anybody wonder why the parts stores love them? You drive up, charging the battery all the way, and the tester says your battery is weak. Of course, with a load tester, if it tests bad, it has to be charged and tested again, to be sure. My point is, the conductance testers aren't the panacea they are made out to be; there is no instant test.
How long did you run it? The battery needs to be fully charged at the beginning... If it's half charged now, it won't charge itself overnight. IF the engine was running for hours, and then the battery voltage was 1 volt less than the alternator to ground, then you have too much resistance in the cables somewhere. Even just after starting it, that's too much voltage drop at idle.
Of course, follow directions of the tester. That being said, an old carbon pile load tester is nice to have, as a backup, I have a couple laying around. Around here, I have a battery hierarchy system. Best battery goes into most valuable equipment(most income producing). Old batteries get tested and graded, lowest test ones get the grade, "Good enough to start the junker kubota"...
So I got home and put on the negative cable and tried to start the machine and it started rright up. So I gues now the process starts to locate the draw.
Simple way to check for draw, hook a test light between the ground cable and negative post on battery. If it is lit up there is a draw. Start removing any power supply one by one till light goes out. Start with alternator first.
Look for any accessories that have been added and wired in, lights, fans, radios, fuel pumps, solenoid valve you name it. If they're not on a switched circuit that will do it. I agree with Truck Shop though, start with the alternator main wire.
good news and bad news- good news = I found/fixed the draw problem bad new = I confirmed I am a dumb@ss the draw was from the door wiper being left on. during the storm the wiper broke so I temporarily put an extra one on that was too long- it worked. I guess at sometime the wiper hung up on the door weather stripping and I thought it was off---- I was sitting in the seat thinking about where to start looking and I saw it...... I turned the switch and let it sit a day and tried and she started right up----- problem solved. I am amazed it didn't burn the wiper motor up......... time to get the right length wiper blade
Well, at least you found it. While you're replacing the wiper blade, rewire the switch so it gets it's power from a switched circuit, so it's not powered when the key is off. Don't feel bad, my daily driver for the last five years has been jumpered so the power windows and the heater have power all the time... can't tell you how many times I have failed to get the heater turned off that last notch, LOL. Too lazy to fix it right, not too lazy to drag the charger out and boost it off. :Banghead
Oh well.. seems kinda painful indeed, but once again a 'simple solution' as often is the case.. On the other hand, you have Cleaned and Tightened a lot of connections I bet, and future-proofed some trouble areas most certainly.. Ha!!
while testing and troubleshooting I found the wiper and headlights have power all time- bad set up for sure so I am going to look into rewire for them too......
With that much draw you might want to use relays so it all doesn't go through the key switch, just a thought.
unswitched 12v to the wiper motor is there for the "park" position of the arm/motor. you dont mention what series machine you have, but G series (triangular shaped headlights) have separate circuits for front/rear and rear work lights, each with it's own fuse and relay. :drinkup
Sorry F series machine
ah ok, nevermind what i said about the WS wiper, older machines are either on or off. as far as trying to rewire the wiper and lights, i dont think i'd do it, you'll be adding that load to another curcuit that may or may not be capable of powering it (amp load wise) :drinkup
Bobcats offer a rough ride. Check the ground wire where it bolts to the frame to see if loose or damaged.