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An old farmer said when troubleshooting electrical issues the 3 most important things are to:
Check your grounds
Check your grounds
Check your grounds
I think he sold real estate on the side. 😉
So, check all connections, meaning take them apart and clean them. If all good there, next step is to check the battery.
Cheap and easy way is to remove the solar charger and check voltage, it better be above 12, closer to 13 is better.
Now with the voltmeter still connected, hit the starter and watch the voltage. If it drops below 10 you have a battery problem. Try jumping with another vehicle.
If battery voltage is good, check again with the voltmeter connected at the starter. If OK, time to remove the starter and have a look inside. If voltage drops off at starter but is OK at the battery, you have a cable/connection problem.
Let us know what you find.
You have done a very good job investigating and troubleshooting so far. The details of the voltages is the key.
In normal operation the voltage regulator controls the voltage going to the field connection at the alternator. If battery voltage is low (usually less than about 14.5v), the regulator sends battery voltage to the field winding of the alternator (rotor), which causes a voltage output in the stator coil. This is tapped at various locations and rectified through the diodes to put a steady DC voltage out on the Battery connection at the alternator. If this voltage is greater than the battery voltage, it will charge the battery.
One way to test an alternator is to “full field” it by temporarily applying battery voltage to the field terminal. This will cause the alternator to go to maximum output (if it is working properly).
Since your alternator is getting battery voltage from the regulator, that indicates the regulator is doing its job and that the wiring is sound.
Conclusion is that your alternator has failed.
I would remove it and take it to an automotive parts store (NAPA, Pep Boys, etc.) and see if they can bench test if for you.
If your alternator is bad, you will have a decision or two to make. I am not sure if internal parts are available or not. If not, you will be looking at a replacement of some kind.
For me personally when my regulator failed, I replaced the alternator with a re-manufactured Delco 10si model for about $65. I had to do a little re-wiring and make an extension for the adjuster bracket. The Jinma regulator was $30 and some of the wiring was bad anyway.
There are pros and cons of doing so, but the results are a better charging system than came from the factory.
The Sense wire on my alternator was labeled “I”. It was used to activate the light on the dash which was redundant because my 284 had an ammeter too. The 10si I bought did not have the sense wire output so the light on the dash is non-functioning. If I felt the need a voltmeter could be added easily enough.
Let us know if you have any more questions.
Stuart
In the case of my Jinma 284, the OEM was not a TEFC unit. In fact it had a fan and airflow identical to the 10Si that replaced it. I went from a 14 amp to a 63 amp alternator.
If I did field work or extremely dirty work, that would be a consideration along with probably not having a 284.
John’s problem remains, what is causing the alternator to not charge? We know the alternator works when “full fielded”, so for some reason the field circuit is not getting the voltage it needs. It very well could be the regulator but the fact that gauges don’t work may be a clue (or completely unrelated). At least it is “cause to pause” on the condemnation of the regulator.
If you have a known good regulator, the test is a simple swap. Bear in mind that new out of the box is no guarantee of a working unit. Known good unit means having proved itself on another tractor.
After that, it comes down to tracing the circuits and testing connections/continuity as you go.
John, do you have a schematic?
Also, just curious, what is the output rating of you alternator?
If you have part numbers for the regulator and alternator, please post them. We may be able to scare up some more information for you.
Sounds like you may have more going on than a regulator/alternator issue.
Things that come to mind are bad switch, bad wiring, bad connections, bad ground (same thing really).
I would start by checking the fuses and the battery. Remove and test it. Clean connections.
Start testing with a test light to see where there is power.
Make some jumper wires so you can by-pass questionable items like switches.
A wiring diagram is going to be a big help. Start tracing circuits. What works and what doesn’t? What do they have in common?
Yeah, the biggest worry is the undersized wiring. The Delco puts out way more amps than the original alternator and can easily burn up the wires. However, the battery can put out more than the alternator, so…
In my case I have a new aftermarket fuse block on hand and I can rewire the tractor all at once if I have to, or more likely, a bit at a time as things fail. So far, no problems and the Delco is not overcharging.
The other weak point of the 285 series was the ignition switch. Going on 10 years and 500 hours with lots of cold (below 0) starts and all is well after I replaced the glow plug fuse and got it out of the cheap fuse block that melted.
Not familiar with the key on light. The 284 had an idiot light that was wired through the regulator that turned on when the battery was discharging and it also had an ammeter. When I removed the original regulator the idiot light stays on all the time. I just ignore it because I can see the ammeter working. Some day I may either figure out a way to make the idiot light work, or maybe a way to replace it with a digital voltmeter.
BTW, I had heard about the regulators with the indicator LED. Mine did not have that feature so it was down to troubleshooting with a multi-meter.
In my case the regulator shipped to me was $30. The reman alternator from NAPA was $60 with a new regulator and more output. My old alternator (14A)is just fine and laying on a shelf as a spare. I got lucky on the bracket as all I had to do was flip it over and add a 2″ bolt on extension made from some flat iron. Easily reversible if needed.
YMMV
Best of luck and let us know what you do to fix it.
Oh, one last thing, on the 284 the connections to the back of the regulator had a habit of coming loose. I would have to pull them out of the block and squeeze the tabs down a little to get a good connection. After a few hours they would shake loose again. Another reason for me to eliminate the regulator in the fuse block.
If you can get 18v out of the alternator by shorting battery to field, the alternator is good. Sounds like you have a bad regulator.
With the key on, check the battery voltage and field output at the regulator.
If you don’t see battery voltage at the regulator, you have a problem in the wiring/ignition switch.
If you don’t see field output voltage, the regulator is bad. The engine may need to be running for this to work, so check that too. If still no voltage on the field connection, bad regulator.
If you have field output voltage at the regulator but not at the alternator there is a wiring problem.
Without seeing a wiring diagram I don’t know if there are any fuses or other switches in the circuits.
I just went through this kind of thing with my Jinma 284. Regulator was bad. For a little more $ I was able to install a reman Delco 10si with only a slight modification to the mounting bracket. This is a “one wire” alternator so I sacrificed the charging system “idiot” light, which is now always on. The amp meter still works and now I can run all the lights and charge the battery at the same time!
Could Teflon tape or pipe sealant on the treads of the sending unit be messing with the connectivity of the ground?
Try an ohmmeter between the case of the sender and a good clean ground on the engine. There should be next to no resistance.
On my 284 (2006) tractor the oil sender had two connections. I got them reversed one time and boy did that cause goofy readings on the dash! I thought the two were power and ground, turns out one was for the oil light and one was for the gauge. (one was a switch and the other was a variable resistor) Swapped them back and all was well. They both ground through the body of the sender to the engine block.
Did you get a manual with the machine?
Is there a number on the current filter? If so, post it and we may be able to come up with something for you.
Milky appearance usually indicates water in the oil. For tractors parked outside water usually gets into the transmission because the shift lever boot has cracked. It could also be a bad gasket or just condensation. In any case the fluid should be changed and if you can get a look at the insides, especially near the bottom to see if there has been any rust damage.
Does your transmission share fluid with the hydraulic system? If so, that is another source of contaminants.
Do you know for sure that the current oil is the proper product for your application? If not, that is another good reason to change it out.
Hey thanks for posting the photos. I never would have guessed that there was only a lowly “O” ring between the lube oil and the fuel. Mine has been overflowing the lube oil for a couple of years but I figured it was the injector pump, not the lift pump. I just changed it often and lived with it.
Because of your post, I took mine apart and even though the “O” ring made contact with the plunger shaft, it felt like it was none too tight. I found a replacement in my assortment. It was a little thicker cross section which made it a bugger to get pushed into the groove. There is now a much better seal between the lift pump body and the plunger shaft.
Like you, only time will tell if this is the fix or not.
Another option would be to install an electric lift pump and remove this one all together. It should be easy enough to manufacture a cover plate shaped like the gasket.
Thanks again.
