Hi - after slow charging my battery over the winter it had no problem turning over the backhoe (580K) in the spring. I then left it for 2 weeks and when i went to start up the machine again it would not turn over - just a clicking sound. I jump started the hoe and over the weekend it would start no problem. So i have 2 questions.. 1) How does one tell if their alternator is charging their battery? 2) If i have to replace the battery, what kind to i nee? Could i just buy one that would work well in a pickup truck or do i need to buy a bigger one. The one in there now is much larger than any car or truck battery Thx in advance Ron
Easiest way to check charging is to use a voltmeter on the battery. Typically, the battery should measure 12v - 12.5v with engine stopped & 13.5v & 14v when running - if all is good. Re the battery: use a tape measure & get the biggest one you can buy/afford that will fit in the carrier
Assuming the voltage is good when running, after it's charged up and shut off, you can disconnect the battery ground cable wait a couple days and hook it back up and see if it starts. This will tell you if the battery is losing it's charge on it's own (most likely), or if it was drained by the machine (possibly the alternator).
It's probably a class 31, 1000 cca This is what I bought. http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/SSB5/315/N2493.oap?ck=Search_N2493_-1_-1&pt=N2493&ppt=C2389 If the battery is over 4 years old it's bad. They have a timer inside that kills a cell when the warranty is out..:drinkup
LOL Now thats funny A timer in side:falldownlaugh
If you don’t have a voltmeter just disconnect the neg cable when its running if it dies you will need an alternator if it don’t change the battery. If you are working on new equipment newer then 95 please don’t use this method. We all sometimes forget not everyone has a tool box full of tools if you do then skip and use the meter it the best way. DO NOT LET THE CABLES TOUCH each other Good luck
My 2 AC-Delco originals must be defects then.Bastards forgot those timers. 2002 Chevy 7500---11 years and still going strong--NO BS!!!!
WOW I thought cold weather was hard on batteries. Original Equipment batteries must not have the timers... I have a friend that owns a Toyota Prius that has like 225000 miles on it. Last week he told me that it still has the original brake pads on it.... :beatsme
Cold weather is only bad for batteries if they're dead, then they freeze, and the timers break... If you disconnect a fully charged battery in the late fall, it should still have plenty of charge 3-4 months later, if you leave a battery over the summer it will lose more charge. Heat drains, and kills batteries. Cold just makes them lose power while they're cold. Yeah, original equipment batteries last much longer. How much of that is because they're in vehicles where everything works?
Disconnecting the battery while running is really not a good thing to do with an alternator of any age. We used to do this with generators and it was no problem. With an alternator there will be a momentary voltage spike when you disconnect which can do some damage. You will get away with it some of the time but risky. If the engine is at higher than idle the chances of getting away with it are much less. I've seen this cause damage twice, once with a pick up and once with a Cat loader where it took out some accessories and radios, not to mention the alternator which was probably good to begin with as the battery turned out to be bad.
Volt meter is probably your best bet, cells can get damaged and seem to be okay but just won't hold the charge. I have a battery now that the timer must have kicked( ) it's a little over 4yrs old and worthless.
A decent VOM meter is not that expensive and every mechanic should invest in one. I would not advise spending less than $50 on one, but I use one for my work so I have several that are way more expensive. For stuff under 24V a cheap one is OK. My favorite is a Fluke 77, but they no longer make these. Fluke is a good brand. You can use them for checking AA batteries if nothing else. With the engine running you can see real fast if the alternator is working.
This is all good information..an in-expensive volt meter and an in-expensive "load tester" from Northern tool or Harbor freight can sometimes be your best friend.. probably save you hundreds in batterys and alternators.
I personally have never had a problem with disconnect the neg cable when it’s running if you don’t reconnect the cable when its running and don’t touch the other cable or anything charged you will not have any problems with this way. Also you can’t have everything on that uses power just start the engine everything should be off. Then after you started the vehicle and disconnected the neg cable and you know the cable will not touch anything turn everything on the alternator should be able to run everything off the alternator. I have checked alternators hundreds of times this way and never had any problems. Turn off the vehicle to reconnect the cables just like your installing a battery.
I agree w/ the pump guy, even a $4 voltmeter from Harbor Freight will save you a lot of "manual hair removal" but I really like the line of meters from Sears Craftsman. They are $15-40 depending on features. I have checked them against Flukes and they are fine for the things they measure. In my case, I have 5 or 6 so there is one around everywhere I need it, and it is hard to do that w/ a Fluke ($125-1000). On the question of pulling cables: I have done it. It is reliable and okay for non computerized gasoline engines. For non-computerized diesels w/ a cable shut off, it will tell you nothing, since they require no electricity to run. For non-computerized diesels that shut off w/ the key, if you have a bad diode or regulator in the alternator, it may well continue to run since some of them need less than an amp at 8 or so volts to keep that little coil energized in the fuel line, which is the only thing that uses electricity. For computerized engines, there is no way that I would risk the voltage spike that DOES occur with this method . One thing I haven't seen anybody mention is with a digital voltmeter, pull a cable off while the engine isn't running. Put one lead on the cable and one on the battery post. Any reading indicates a parasitic drain, the higher the voltage, the more the drain.
I have never tried this but I do know to look for an arc when removing a cable. If you have a dad diode or something that is draining the battery, you may see a small arc as the cable is pulled off. If the switch and everything is off it should be generally no load. Further to your note. With the meter you could set it to dc amps, (move the meter lead) and read what the amp draw actually is. But, if the load happened to be over 10A you might blow a fuse in your meter.
What's the update on YOUR problem?
mitch504 you are right I wasnt thinking about diesel lol i was thinking about gas engines thanks for bring that to light. That was my mistake I assumed it was a gas engine tractor and its a 580k not 580ck sorry all.