Forum:
I've had a recurring problem, particularly in cold weather, whereby the battery appeared to be draining. Always put it down to dodgy wiring somewhere.
Well, got round to getting a meter on to check the alternator. No problems there, up to 14.3V under revs.
So, mate puts another meter on the battery lead whilst starting the Trak(i'm not mechanic, so dont know the name!)and finds the starter motor is pulling 370A. I think it should be somewhere around 230A?
I assume this will be enough on a cold morning (along with the glow plugs) to pull enough power out of the battery so as not to turn her over?
Is it worth cleaning the contacts on the leads on the starter motor, or is likely to be knackered and require an overhaul?
I assume also, that removing/refitting is relatively simple?
Thanks in advance
Windy
CCA
The Fourtrak starters are rated at either 2.2kW or 2.5kW - this gives 183A or 208A @ 12v.
You mention "the starter motor is pulling 370A" is this rotating the engine or not? The stall current for a starter motor (series wound) will be significantly higher than the figures above.
The battery will have a CCA (Cold Cranking Amperage) rating - this will be the maximum current the battery can supply for a short duration in cold weather - to give you an example, my Skoda Felicia 1.9 Diesel battery has a CCA of 600A, so going back to your comment, 370A should be EASILY within the capacity of the larger Fourtrak battery.
You should verify that your glow plugs are functioning correctly.
Check to see if any things like a car stereo are draining battery.
Is your battery very old? I always suspect the battery if it's more than a few years old.
Finally it could be that the starter motor brushes need renewing - but I'd suspect the battery first.
1985 Veg oil burning Fourtrak "Rocky".
Cheers for your
Cheers for your thoughts.
Battery is only about a year and a half to two years old. Plus I put it on a maintenance trickle charger now and again (when it gets a bit drained!).
Perhaps I should look at the glow plugs?
The starter motor turned the engine over when it drew 370A.
'94 Fourtrak Independent
Not sure what the issue is...?
I don't understand exactly what the issue is.
So, it cranks ok, but fails to start?
Or does it seem to crank slowly?
How long does the glow plug light illuminate for?
If one or more glow plugs fail, it upsets the glow plug timer, causing the glow plugs to not be turned on for long enough (if I remember correctly).
To give an example, my Fourtak was unused in a field for a year, put a new battery on it, let the glow plug warning light extinguish, and as soon as the starter turns, the engine catches.
I've been unlucky and had a new battery fail within 3 years.
How often does the battery go without being charged? They normally recommend charging every month if not used.
1985 Veg oil burning Fourtrak "Rocky".
The problem is that some
The problem is that some times, particularly when it is very cold, it fails to start, and the battery appears to have then been drained of sufficient power (after one try)to crank the engine a second time.
However, the battery then recharges on the Accumate trickle charger within a few hours, so not apparently completely drained flat.
I thought perhaps, as suggested by my mechanic friend, that the problem lies with the starter motor. He stated it was drawing 370A on start up, which he thought might be quite excessive?
You first post seemed to contradict this, and would welcome any other likely suspects re the problem.....particularly as I am not mechanically trained, but can fix stuff when following a decent guide!
Cheers for your help.
'94 Fourtrak Independent
have you got
access to a good prong battery tester? these are great for telling you exactly what condition your battery is in.
Full of ideas but no time to do them!!
www.bloodredoffroad.com
www.milneroffroad.com
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shall try all those
shall try all those recommendations.
i take it no-one thinks it is obvious the starter motor is fubared?
'94 Fourtrak Independent
If you think you have an
If you think you have an issue there are several things you can do.
Check the earth cable from the battery negative terminal to the engine block, remove and clean the connections. You can replace it with a larger, uprated cable.
Clean the connections on the starter motor cables.
Strip the starter solonoid and clean the surfaces of the contacts.
Remove the brushes and carrier and clean or replace tham, clean the commutator and its grooves thoroughly, this will improve it no end.
If the battery is draining it
If the battery is draining it is usually only one of two things if the wiring is fine.
The prime suspect is the alternator, the second is sticky or excessively burned/arced contacts in the starter solonoid.
Well, I thought it might be
Well, I thought it might be the alternator. However, meter on the battery and engine revving showed the battery voltage rise to 14.4v. So seems the alternator is ok?
'94 Fourtrak Independent
Right, perhaps the next step
Right, perhaps the next step is to check the starter solenoid. Could you tell me where this is, and can it be cleaned/reconditioned?
Ta
'94 Fourtrak Independent
The output voltage is
The output voltage is irrelevant as it could be working fine with the engine running, but a slight defect in the rectifier pack will allow current to run back and discharge the battery over time, usually several hours.
Turns out the main culprit
Turns out the main culprit was the battery....seems a cell was dead!
Also replaced the glow plugs....which needed doing.
'94 Fourtrak Independent