Hi, I have a 1983 John Deere 214 that will not charge. Several years ago, it would not turn over, so I tried to bypass the switch, and ran a jumper wire from the positive terminal of the battery directly to the starter, but I got sparks only as I recall. I finally determined that the purple wire that fed into the PTO switch was hot, but had no power coming out, indicating a switch problem. So I unplugged the connector, and made a jumper wire to allow current to flow. The starter worked, and it started, but I noticed that the amp guage was not charging. That wire remains unplugged from the switch with the jumper installed.
I've read some posts on this forum about similar problems, but admittedly, diagnosing electrical issues are my weakness. I tested the two outside leads on the regulator with my multimeter set at 200 AC, and obtained a reading of 37 - 38. Other posts that I read state 24 - 30 is normal, but maybe I am using the wrong setting? I also read to test the middle terminal on DC with a good known ground and look for 12.5 - 14, but do I set my meter on 20, 200, or 300?
Sorry for the amateurish questions on how to set the multimeter, but what seems easy for most, always provides a challenge for me. Or, is there some other test that I should conduct? Perhaps the sparked jumper burnt or broke a circuit?
Any help is greatly appreciated!
I've read some posts on this forum about similar problems, but admittedly, diagnosing electrical issues are my weakness. I tested the two outside leads on the regulator with my multimeter set at 200 AC, and obtained a reading of 37 - 38. Other posts that I read state 24 - 30 is normal, but maybe I am using the wrong setting? I also read to test the middle terminal on DC with a good known ground and look for 12.5 - 14, but do I set my meter on 20, 200, or 300?
Sorry for the amateurish questions on how to set the multimeter, but what seems easy for most, always provides a challenge for me. Or, is there some other test that I should conduct? Perhaps the sparked jumper burnt or broke a circuit?
Any help is greatly appreciated!
