Battery light stays on

[pewinsett]

I have an 1988 John Deere 180. After starting my mower,the battery light stays on. I have taken loose and sprayed almost every connector. I have noticed that when I take the wires off of the little black 1"x 1-1/2" terminal block (with 2 screw studs for wires to slide on) that feeds the lights, the battery light will go out. I put the wires back on the block and disconnected the lights and the battery light stayed on. Can that terminal block somehow be draining my battery?

 

[weedpharma]

It appears that your charging system is faulty. If you have a volt meter you can easily test this system. If you have a meter, measure the battery voltage after sitting for a day or so, if less than 12 - 12.5volts it is low. Start the motor and the voltage should rise. If you don't have a meter, look at the headlights when you rev the engine, they should glow brighter at higher revs.

Weedpharma

 

[mitch becton]

the john deere 180 series tractor is equipped with what is called a permanent magnet alternator at best they will only charge at 20 amps tops just enough the keep battery charged. it could be bad or possibly the rectifier/regulator is bad. the permanent magnet alternator can only be repaired if it needs bearings most of the time this will not stop it from charging. with the tester check power output at the connector plug at the alternator voltage should be about 12.5 to 13.0 it this is correct it probably will be rectifier/regulator which can be purchased from your local alternator rebuild shop and napa may be able to get them. to find the regulator/rectifer follow wiring harness most of them are metal box with 3 to 5 plug hook ups from wiring harness in the dash area if it has not been replaced it will have a number on it this will let your supplier know which one you have.

mitch becton

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I have an 1988 John Deere 180. After starting my mower,the battery light stays on. I have taken loose and sprayed almost every connector. I have noticed that when I take the wires off of the little black 1"x 1-1/2" terminal block (with 2 screw studs for wires to slide on) that feeds the lights, the battery light will go out. I put the wires back on the block and disconnected the lights and the battery light stayed on. Can that terminal block somehow be draining my battery?

The battery light is nothing more than a voltmeter. Your lights are draining more than the alternator is producing dropping the voltage low enough that the light comes on. With the lights off, the alternator can keep up. I had a similar problem in a Toro mower and it ended up being a bad connection in the fuse block.

Good luck on your repair. I hate chasing gremlins in electrical systems.