pt425 not starting, lights won't turn on either, thinking it's electrical

[NC1]

My pt425, with the Robin, decided not to start the other day. Battery is fully charged, also tried my jump starter as well as jumper cables.
I think I can hear a click coming from the starter, and occasionally it will make some louder clicks like it want to try and turn over, but that seems to have nothing to do with whether I have it hooked to the jump starter or not. I am getting 12.58v at the battery and the same when I check from the positive to the frame where the negative is grounded but sometimes only getting 10.5v on the back of the starter and other times 12.3ish there. Checked the 30amp fuse on the cable near the starter, it's fine. The headlights will not come on 95% of the time either. I was able to flip them on once today and it seemed like the starter clicked a little more when they were on. Once I turned them off, I was not able to get them back on.

Anybody run into anything like this or have any pointers?

 

[MossRoad]

Aside from the usual:
- Remove the battery cables from the battery, clean the posts and cable ends, reinstall and try.
- Remove and reinstall the cables from the starter and clean the starter terminals (with the positive disconnected at the battery, of course).
- Make sure the PTO switch is not in the ON position.
- Check the wiring on the ignition switch, too.

It sounds like you may have a flaky battery.

 

[5030]

12.5 volts is a dead battery.

 

[NC1]

it's my understanding that 12.6v is considered fully charged so we are not that far off at 12.58v

 

[NC1]

I took the ignition switch off and tested continuity and it appears to be working fine.
Took the battery terminals off and cleaned them.
I'll try a few more things tomorrow.

 

[BobRip]

check voltages while cranking. If you get more than a half of a volt drop on a cable, Then something is wrong with that cable. Battery voltage should not drop more than 2 volts while cranking.


This is harder for me to describe than to do.

Since the lights are not working you need to check wiring to the lighting circuit. Could be a bad fuse holder. Check voltage with lights turned on at many points on the circuit. Should be a large voltage drop across some component. .

 

[5030]

it's my understanding that 12.6v is considered fully charged so we are not that far off at 12.58v

13 is charged, not 12.6. Better recheck your specs. How old is the battery anyway and have you ever cleaned the terminals?

 

[NC1]

Battery terminals cleaned today. Battery checked out fine at the place I purchased it from(2 years old).
Even with a brand new heavy duty jumpncarry diesel rated lead acid jump starter I am getting nothing, no lights, and just a click at the starter.

 

[m5040]

You test for battery voltage at the battery post itself (and recheck as needed), then put a load on the circuit (lights on) and check each connection progressively until you find one with a major difference-even know they are connected together. When troubleshooting, recheck your battery voltage to maintain a baseline. 13volts on a battery is a surface charge and will diminish quickly with a light load. But it should hold steady above 12 for a long time with just the lights as a load. After you find your bad connection and it starts again, you can check battery voltage at the battery terminals to judge how weak your bat is. It should maintain over 10 volts when cranking at a normal RPM. It your battery voltage is not dropping below 12 now, your battery is not your primary problem

 

[BobRip]

Fining a voltage drop on a component under load will tell you a lot. I wish I was there to help.