How to Test the Charging System on Small Engine Equipment - Battery not Charging Fix

[@randalllunger6351]

Aside from the ace-mechanic content, this is the most excellent videography I think I've ever found on KZbin. Steady hand, sufficient time to see what you're describing (without babbling endlessly), clarity in speech (even over the sound of a mower), centered and focused camera work and even picture in picture to see both contact locations! And on top of that, the cleanest battery and surrounding vicinity on any mower alive. You, sir, deserve a medal. I also like that you are not ashamed to praise the Lord when he grants you success. Awesome! I "Liked" and "Subscribed". I'll be back regularly.

[@helpinguonline]

Thanks for your feedback and sub. No greater hope in this world or eternity than what Jesus did for us... I am thankful!

[@sunnyrussell6896]

One of the most helpful charging system troubleshooting videos for zero turns hands down! I’ve come back to this video a few times over the years.

[@helpinguonline]

Glad to hear that and happy I could help you

[@vesiwiw6]

Outstanding video. Clear and well done. I will save this video and recommend to others who may have charging problems on a Kawasaki engine. Thank you so much.

[@789295]

Your video is a nice addition for young fellers that are learning WHY things are happening electrically. It's a very good tutorial! My first check is just to put the leads on the battery before and after it is started to see if there is a couple of volts difference. If not then I do exactly as you are tracing it down. Mowers are always dirty and subject to corroded or broken wiring :) Store them inside folks if you can at all. It will save you some troubles and last a few years longer kept out of the weather.

[@docriordan7787]

This is what I did a search for this morning and I can now find my charging problem because of this #1 " how to" video. THANK YOU! for saving me a repair bill.

[@helpinguonline]

All the best to you

[@adolforosado]

Your video is like going to school brother. Thank you for this great lesson!

[@helpinguonline]

Glad I could help

[@paulfalcone4115]

Good video my friend, especially liked the thank you Lord comment.

[@helpinguonline]

Every gift in my life comes from God and I am thankful! Thanks for your visit

[@darthvaper4632]

Great video! It is very detailed and will help anyone who watches it understand how the charging system works and how to diagnose it. Keep up the great work!

[@helpinguonline]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks

[@JamesSeabolt-t6t]

I want to keep it simple this video was a great help for me to figure out why my lawnmower was not charging thanks so much.Big help

[@helpinguonline]

Glad it helped

[@mhamrin5906]

Wow, such a fantastic step by step. Clearly walked us through great process of elimination. You are very knowledgeable and thank you for blessing us with your skills. Bless you back sir!

[@helpinguonline]

Thank you and glad it was helpful!

[@kennyward4674]

👍 That's the most clear and concise tutorial on this subject I've ever seen. Thanks for posting.

[@helpinguonline]

Thanks for your feedback

[@Andrewjam937]

I took my hat off and bow This is the most useful video on the Internet. I thank you so very much for your help.😊

[@helpinguonline]

Glad it was helpful!

[@WarPoet-In-Training]

I bought a used JD z445 two years ago and im just getting around to addressing the battery charging issue. Ive just kept it on a trickle charger full time when not mowing. This video appears to be a great tutorial for trouble shooting the issue. Ill do it when i get home! Thank you sir.

[@helpinguonline]

Just a heads up... If your battery charging system is not working you can limit the life of your PTO clutch. Wishing you the best in fixing your mower

[@kenhealey1994]

Thank you so much for such a detailed diagnosis.

[@dennyb7214]

Thank you ! You are very helpful. You take your time to explain and show what you are doing and results of the test. Thanks again !!

[@samjohnson466]

Thank you great video. You can check those fuses without removing them. Top of the fuse there's small openings either side, with power on place probes on these, sys voltage=open, 0 volts= closed. Thanks again, I've never gave much thought as to how my mower charging system works.

[@gregatkinson7276]

Very helpful video and thank you. When I first seen the state of the fuse bank I figured that would be it. It looks like it must sit outside in the rain? It even looked like dried mud in it. In any case thanks again and now I am anxious to check mine out, tired of the trickle charger deal.

[@helpinguonline]

Glad it helped. Be careful if your charging system isn't working...it is very hard on your PTO Clutch

[@jonlambshead5115]

Good Video, Back in the Day U didn't have You tube, You would have to work this out yourself or Ask some one who knew about electrics. Mechanics Wouldn't tell You Much because then they ain't making money. It's Much Better Now with You tube . Good on Ya For Sharing These Types of Videos .

[@broncogirl8232]

Great video, I’m working on a Kohler, your detailed video is AWESOME, saving me from hauling my mower 50 miles to the dealership. THANK YOU!

[@JeffAMay]

What a great video! You've helped me diagnose my voltage regulator going out on my 27hp Kaw.Guys like you really help normal everyday people save Alot of $.Thanks again!

[@helpinguonline]

Glad to hear that

[@WhatisthisLife....]

Outstanding video! Just what i needed to solve my non-charging issues. Serious thanks.🤩

[@helpinguonline]

Glad it helped!

[@NKadi2]

Thank you for taking the time to make this great informative and “micro” explanatory video. It looks like my issue is with the wiring and I was wondering if I could make a direct connection from the lead positive of the regulator and the battery (which made the battery begin charging) and keep it like this instead of digging in the wire harness to figure out where the problem is.

[@mattbash5372]

Working on my gt3100 cub cadet. This will help me immensely after I replace the hydraulic charge pump I'm going to try and get the battery charging system back in order. Been jumping it for the last few months. Thanks!

[@helpinguonline]

It’s good to get that fixed because if the charging system isn’t working properly it can be hard on the PTO

[@mattbash5372]

@helpinguonline Good to know! 🤙🏽🤙🏽

[@brucer1220]

Thanks.... Best mower battery charging video out there.

[@helpinguonline]

Thanks 👍

[@jasonmatamoros1939]

You sir have saved me money and time down . Thank you very much . 👍 from Lakeland FL

[@helpinguonline]

Great to hear!

[@lmalino695]

Clear. Concise. Competent.

[@josephlarosa6730]

you were a big help fixed my mower for 20 dollars if i would went to the shop well over 250 thank you

[@helpinguonline]

Glad I could help

[@53Poot]

So where is the "click to claim book" link because I'm not seeing it. However, I was here for the mower charging issue and that video is excellent, clearly explained and to the point. Thank you!!!!

[@LeviHardin28]

Thank you for this great video…. You allowed me to diagnose my whole machine and learn to use a meter

[@helpinguonline]

Great to hear!… And glad I could help

[@chrisa1125]

I really appreciate your help on this and your generosity for taking the time to explain this. Subscribed!!

[@helpinguonline]

Thanks for the visit and sub!

[@CHITO-ob8ej]

My god! Brother thank you I operate a landscape business and we own over 20 mowers it is frustrating when our mowers go down and we have to wait a 3 week turn around to get it back from the shop. I fix over 80% of mechanical problems on them so I can avoid taking them in. This is one of the most common issues I run into and usually ends up at shop, from now on I’ll know how to diagnose this thanks my guy!

[@helpinguonline]

Glad I could help. Low voltage will burn out PTO's so it's good to keep up with it.

[@rrwoodworksmore9239]

How many yards you have to need that many mowers?, I also run a lawn service with 2 mowers and 113 yards, I fix my own also after warranty goes out til I upgrade, are you a commercial client with your repair shop, we come first here and most time back going in hours... just curious

[@kenhealey1994]

I came here because of my z trak 737, and this just is the school I needed; thank you so much.

[@helpinguonline]

You are welcome and thanks for your visit

[@mr.stephens8980]

The video was very thorough. Thank you

[@javierdomenech8221]

Great Im learning a lot on video I have a small problem in put 28v and out 7v I wonder the regulator is bad thanks

[@EyeOnEgremont]

Excellent video! found that my stator and regulator were fine, and it was the wiring. It was too complicated to rewire or check further so I just bypassed the wire and went from the regulator to the battery and it's charging perfectly. I don't know if this will damage anything else but it seems to be a good fix. Thanks for the info.

[@helpinguonline]

That should work

[@artramirez3506]

Very informative video! Thanks! Going to use this information to try and figure out why my battery isn't charging. Thanks again.

[@helpinguonline]

Glad it was helpful!…And good to make sure your battery is charging properly. Non-charging, low voltage situation can damage your PTO clutch of the mower

[@extremelawncare9062]

Was very helpful. Thank you. After going through the steps I got to my panel with my ignition and pto and my display. Found that after changing my pto last week I some how loosened the wire harness to my ignition. It was starting but not charging pushed it back on all the way and charging again. Thank for the help!

[@helpinguonline]

Excellent!

[@tlbx57]

Very nice and concise troubleshooting tutorial.

[@albertosanchez3350]

Great video! I'm going to try this tomorrow. Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge.

[@helpinguonline]

thanks for the visit

[@ryangood6037]

Awesome video. Very helpful. Thank you sir for being so thorough and explaining it well.

[@helpinguonline]

Glad to hear it was helpful for you

[@Rein_Ciarfella]

This is a great video to learn how to check the wiring after checking stator and regulator outputs. Thanks! If I came upon a fuse block that dirty I’d do something to protect it in the future, even if it was only cleaning up the surrounding area and covering with duct tape and using a sharpie to write “FUSES!” on the tape. Bad design - should have had a removable cover built in from the factory.

[@jameswalker5427]

Thanks for the video my fuse was actually blown working now I’ll have to keep an eye on it to see if it blows again

[@robertovermier6200]

Excellent video with all the details as to how to diagnose issues regarding battery not charging. Hopefully this will allow me to remedy issue with JD zero turn battery drain.

[@helpinguonline]

I hope so too! not good to run the pto with not enough volts... burns then out.

[@munter10]

If you have a battery drain, perform the current draw test between the ground terminal and the negative battery pole with your amp meter, should be less than 0.03 amps with the ignition off.

[@JeffCopfer]

Awesome video saved me so much guess work and learned a lot. Figured out my stator good voltage regulator bad. Woohoo. Thank you for this great video.

[@helpinguonline]

Great to hear!

[@jayalo7882]

Hi very good video goshhh it was so helpful I followed your instructions but everything on mine mower cheap out good up to spec I have checked my fuses and still no charge can you give me some tips on what to check now

[@helpinguonline]

Is your stater and flywheel OK? Is your voltage regulator grounded? If it’s not screwed into metal on the engine you need a ground wire to go from voltage regulator to a grounding bolt or nut… Hard to say without looking at it and knowing what you’ve done but hope you find the problem soon. Let us know what you discover

[@ScottThiel-h4v]

Great video. You are a great teacher. Helped me repair mine. Thank You

[@helpinguonline]

Glad it helped

[@aficionadoranchero747]

Thanks you your video helps me to identify my charging system problems nice helpful video

[@helpinguonline]

Glad to hear it

[@mattreynolds9558]

I'm also having this same issue on my scagw a kawasaki motor. I'm glad I searched for this issue because I'm hoping that this will help me find my problem. Thanks for a great detailed information

[@helpinguonline]

You can do it!

[@rex-bb6nb]

You ever find the issue?

[@hunekechris]

Well done Sir! Well done!

[@helpinguonline]

thanks for your visit

[@nealrstevens]

Very good and concise video, well done.

[@Weezulguy]

How's the mower treating you? I'm going to be in the market again one of these days, I like the way everything looks laid out on that mechanically

[@helpinguonline]

I got it Used and other than maintenance and small issues it has been good. Now has over 3000 hours

[@davelevin-l8f]

Question , should the red battery wire going into the voltage regulator plug be hot with the key off ?

[@helpinguonline]

Yes all the time

[@gwrace]

I have a brand new china mini skid steer. The unit worked great except for one issue. It would not keep the battery charged. Followed these instructions and found the red lead from the voltage regulator had not been connected at the factory. Had to undo every wire bundle to find it. Had 45-50 volts at the stator. Thank you.

[@helpinguonline]

Way to go!

[@haidaiphan2557]

My exmark zero turn 60 won’t charge , I have some wire looking bad , can you teach me how to fix that

[@InfoNotWars]

this was great. slow and to the point. VR is bad and new one ordered

[@helpinguonline]

Glad to hear it was a help to you

[@yardtherapyllc4012]

Excellent video. Thanks for taking the time in making it so detailed and informative.

[@jeffreywilkinson2679]

Thank you. Excellent video. Very useful. Best wishes.

[@helpinguonline]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Joseph-fn3tg]

Thanks for posting

[@mikerequa820]

Great video! Thanks for sharing be safe have fun

[@helpinguonline]

thanks

[@DarylBoshears]

PERFECT ....Thanks for this video

[@helpinguonline]

thanks for the visit

[@outboardfixer]

Good vid for testing the charging system.....

[@helpinguonline]

thanks

[@Smalltechguy]

Nice trouble shooting skills, just some dirty fuses can cause plenty issues. I've got a Ferris mower in my driveway that is going through the same issue. It has a tender on it but I believe they never use it and the batteries are just going dead. I've wanted to start small so I have already replaced the voltage regulator. I'm fixing to pull the single charge wire and omit the switch and see what I come up with. Even the replacement regulator it still isn't charging. I don't see a ground wire either on this Kawasaki as you had stated in your video. That might be the issue with this one. So after conducting your second test and connecting the hot side to the single tab of the regulator, it was charging. So I am going to make a ground wire and see what that does.

[@helpinguonline]

you can do it!

[@stomper2582]

Very helpful video. Good tutorial. 😮

[@helpinguonline]

Glad to hear that!

[@philliphall5198]

I also run a jumper wire from negative battery terminal to the voltage regulator, then from positive voltage terminal to positive battery terminal 😊

[@19derrick77]

Video was helpful. I do understand electricity and the basics of charging systems, but I did not consider fuses or ignition switches when my Husqvarna PZ72 was not charging. I discovered another tip that you might consider, using your multi meter check the resistance between positive battery terminal and the disconnected charging lead from the voltage regulator. There should be no continuity with the ignition switch off, and very low resistance with it on. Mine was registering around 200 ohms when I started this test, after cleaning the ignition switch, it went down to about 50, but it’s obvious that it’s faulty and needs to be replaced.

[@munter10]

Yes and resistance equals and causes Voltage drop.. not good.

[@brichardson7884]

What a great succinct video, thank you

[@helpinguonline]

Glad it was helpful!

[@rodthomas3050]

Well done sir 😀

[@krispykreamz5337]

So dang helpful!

[@voidvincent]

Kohler 5400 series has 3 prongs but 6 wires coming out. Same thing?

[@danielpadgett2831]

Great video but I'm lost when it comes to electrical problems. Have to leave that stuff to the pros.

[@BeADad2447]

Thank you! Awesome video!

[@helpinguonline]

Our pleasure!

[@ironhead782]

Very good video. Thanks

[@helpinguonline]

My pleasure

[@ironhead782]

@@helpinguonline Can the stator put out too much and blow a fuse?

[@Etiennevisvang]

Good info. Thank you.

[@helpinguonline]

You're welcome!

[@davidrobbinsjr.6019]

Very helpful..❤ it great work!!!

[@helpinguonline]

Glad it was helpful!

[@davidmccormick1290]

Great video but you stopped right where I'm still having a problem yeah I'm getting no signal from the wire coming from the ignition switch so I don't know what to do next lol

[@martyjosephson4937]

The video would be much clearer if you kept the camera at the first point instead of looking down, it just looks like a mess looking down and hard to see what you are doing.

[@carlosovelargaleano1624]

Wow GREAT VIDEO !!

[@cndbrn7975]

I was thinking of taking a small engine repair course. Did you take such a course as well?

[@helpinguonline]

I did many years ago in school. Since then I have tinkered with them and KZbin is also a great place to learn.

[@davidferguson9695]

When checking the voltage regulatory where do you put the neg.

[@davidferguson9695]

Never mind I see it's on the battery sorry

[@grahammaclean1997]

Thank you for the help.

[@helpinguonline]

Happy to help

[@sailme2day]

great video , thank you

[@helpinguonline]

Thank you too!

[@grantseaborn9627]

thank you. top description.

[@helpinguonline]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ranytravis4953]

Great video !!

[@helpinguonline]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@maine8436]

Much appreciated

[@johnnymorrison5795]

Very very helpful

[@lynnebucher6537]

Very interesting. I'm pretty sure my battery is shot because it's ancient (7.5 years, original on a 36hp Vanguard Hustler Hyperdrive) but I never knew a dirty fuse could cause issues like that. Makes sense, just wouldn't have occurred to me to check.

[@munter10]

Yes, this is exactly why you need to understand and visualise the whole charging system front to back… there is a specific order to test components and all components need to be tested until the culprit is found and identified. If you don’t understand the system and how it all works you’ll just start replacing parts and shooting in the dark. Gets expensive and wastes a lot of time and money.

[@chadfield376]

Good charging system check video 😊 I liked the isolating of the wire voltage to the battery check, definitely going to do that. Nice when issue is a simple dirty fuse. My Snapper ZT has a 20 amp circuit breaker only, no fuses to check. First riding mower I have owned that has no fuses and hydraulic lifters only Lol.

[@boydguie8129]

Excellent job. Great instructions!.

[@MrSadis999]

Thank you 🙏🏾

[@helpinguonline]

No problem 😊

[@WilliamBarnett-t7f]

thank you very much

[@helpinguonline]

You are welcome

[@brucepeters508]

good job really good vid thx

[@helpinguonline]

Glad it helped

[@philliphall5198]

Best to check fuse first thing

[@LeviHardin28]

My amps on the voltage regulator was 12.5 and 12.3 with pto engaged Is that too low?. My engine keeps stalling out randomly mowing

[@helpinguonline]

higher would be better but you may be ok but watch that it doesn't go lower than that. What do you get when the pto is not engaged? you have to be careful running your pto at too low volts because that is what burns them out.

[@LeviHardin28]

@@helpinguonline I just upgraded my regulator and battery with clean grounds. Now 13.6 13.2 with PTO engaged

[@munter10]

@@LeviHardin28 amazing how cleaning connections increases Voltage, it’s the resistance in dirty corroded loose connections that causes resistance and in turn causes voltage drop.

[@johnspanos3862]

my simplicity does not read more than 12.65 while running, but i just mowed and it still says 12.65. Could the charging system be working fine?

[@helpinguonline]

If you run it at full throttle you should get at least 13. If you’re charging system is not working properly you can burn out your PTO clutch

[@chrisa1125]

So my Exmark Lazer Z... when I test the charging system by hooking a voltmeter up to the battery... crank it up and go to full idle, the voltage goes up to about 14.1 volts. It starts around 12 and steadily climbs up to 14 with 10-20 seconds. So it seems like my charging system is working as it should. However, almost every time I'm done cutting grass for a couple of hours, it won't start (like the battery is dead)... any ideas?

[@helpinguonline]

It could be that your PTO is starting to go bad and pulling all the volts. Otherwise it could be that you have an intermittent problem and your charging system isn’t working as it should when you’re out mowing. Check it When it is hot and see if you are still getting 14 V. If not check your voltage regulator.

[@helpinguonline]

Also check your wiring and connections to make sure they’re not corroded near the voltage regulator

[@chrisa1125]

@@helpinguonline Nothing is corroded, everything is clean. I ordered a new voltage regulator a couple of days ago. I figured it was cheap enough to buy and swap out. I hope that is the problem. If not I will dive deeper into it. Thanks for responding and thanks for your help and making these videos!!!!

[@19derrick77]

Seems like an easier way to diagnose the wire instead of the alligator clips would be to measure the voltage drop between the positive terminal of the battery and the output of a voltage regulator. Should be minimal, I’m currently troubleshooting a situation where I have 1.5 V between the positive terminal battery and the output of the voltage regulator. I haven’t sold it yet, but that seems high, I’m in the 13+ range at the regulator but less than 12 at the battery.

[@munter10]

My money is on a corroded or bad connection somewhere along the circuit…check all connections and check the wire for fraying etc, process of elimination.

[@LeavEyeDDrum]

At least you can start it to check. Mine died and now my battery tester says its weak but I don't even get a click or anything when I turn the key.

[@kevinsands6769]

So even though you have 13.5 volts at the battery terminal, like at the first of the video, there was still a problem? I figured if you got 13 volts at the battery while it was at full throttle, you were good.

[@helpinguonline]

The beginning of the video is just showing what a proper operating charging system should look like

[@jessiediaz9888]

U THE MAN

[@ElliottLawnService]

So cleaning the fuse box fixed your problem?

[@philliphall5198]

Use electric grease on connectors and fuses

[@helpinguonline]

Yes it did

[@tommiller6580]

@@helpinguonline Please mention that you need a cleaner ( such as CRC) when cleaning out plastic parts, Make sure the can says "SAFE ON ALL PLASTIC " because some cleaners aren't plastic friendly. They will melt the plastic. Thanks for the video, very helpful.

[@munter10]

The fuse was dirty and causing resistance wihich in turn causes voltage drop or in this case, insulating the connected surfaces and stopping voltage flowing at all.

[@JamesSummers-ee2ci]

I have the same problem not charging

[@Jesus-mc2do]

I have a Toro dingo , and I’m thinking this is the issue that it has.