Repairing the Charging System on a John Deere 175 Lawn Tractor

This video show how I fixed a charging system that would not charge the battery on a John Deere 175 Lawn Tractor(160-185 series)
If you enjoy, hit the LIKE button, COMMENT and SUBSCRIBE.

[@stevealsmeyer2555]

My GT275 was not charging so I checked the wiring and found a similar overhead terminal on the connector that plugs into the regulator. A new 1/4” spade crimped onto the wire and problem solved. Thanks for sharing!!

[@BrucesShop]

I am happy you fixed it. Good for you.

[@AlwaysFreeAmerica]

Just to help ya a bit with the "alternator, or generator, or stator, or whatever you want to call it...." When the flywheel and stator are both in place it is an alternator. Many like to call the stator the alternator, but that is technically incorrect because an alternator is a 2 component device, consisting of a rotor and a stator. In these engines, the flywheel is the rotor and the stator is, well, the stator. For your use in this video you were correct with alternator because it is assembled. Thank you for the video. I greatly enjoyed it. Great job on the restoration of your 180.

[@BrucesShop]

+AlwaysFreeAmerica Thanks

[@geojor]

you enjoy your work Bruce, and that's what comes through to your viewers...

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks. somehow I am jumping around and came upon a 2 year old comment from you I missed. Sorry It was about a battery on a yard machine.

[@MrGjcruz]

your video may just have shown me i might have a charging issue on bs 21hp i've been working on. the other day i checked the voltage at the battery with engine on and noticed about 13.6 vdc at about half throttle. going to recheck for any charging issues. great video, sir!

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks. If any of the connections are poor they will read weird. Bruce

[@dickshenk883]

@@BrucesShop 9 9ki8 I

[@thecolburnfarm7613]

Thank you. Thought my starter was bad because I had to hit it with a hammer for my JD 160 to start. Well the blades stopped turning today when the wife was mowing the lawn so I charged the batter and it started right up. I'm going to check voltage tomorrow. I may just send the starter back. It's a new battery so I'm thinking it's not charging. Thanks again great video

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks good luck

[@MiguelGonzalez-me6tz]

Quick question Bruce, on your JD 180, do you mind sending me a picture of the plug to the voltage regulator? My wires melted and I don't know what colors go where? Thank you

[@BrucesShop]

OK hopefully later today.

[@johnclarke6647]

When i use my soldering irons I always dip the tip into liquid flux before I put any solder to it. I used to clean the tip off with soldering paste but you cannot find it, anymore, and the liquid flux works just as good. I had to use mine, yesterday, repairing and cleaning up some connections on my snapper SPX, after I added some rear lights to this tractor. The reason I added rear lights to it is because the idiots that drive on my street have almost hit me several times when I was mowing the ditch. I made my rear lights flash all the time when I have them turned on. I added a switch to the dash and an inline fuse and have them connected straight to the battery. They work fine when I turn them on. I only run them when cutting the ditch or driving on the street to a neighbors house. I will give you a word of caution - never trust chassis grounds on a lawn tractor because they are intermittent, at best. Always run a B+ and a ground wire.

[@BrucesShop]

Yes my training and experience in my working life we call the chassis ground and incidental ground and the extra wire a return ground. We always had a return ground for everything and the chassis ground was used for reference and sensing only.

[@jonathandouglas1854]

hey Bruce, I have a 1989 john deere 285 with the Kawasaki FD590-V motor. Upon startup, my coolant light indictor comes on and stays on. I've changed the oil, filters and checked coolant - all seems well. what would be your next move to get to the bottom of this? I'm considering a possible bad sensor, since it comes on upon startup? Thanks

[@BrucesShop]

Yes I would suspect a sensor. Much like the O2 sensor in a car. I don't know where the sensor is as I have never worked on a JD 285. Good luck and I am sorry I couldn't help you more Bruce

[@marshallborder9089]

Thanks- very informative Bruce!

[@bulletproofpepper2]

nice fix, nice video. i have watch my dad use a old boat trailer tail light connection the same way. the little flat type and cut off the extra fourth leg, i later use that one for some other fix. what type of soldering iron is that and where can i get one? what name brand i mean?

[@BrucesShop]

+sam yeates Sorry I missed this comment. The soldering iron quit working and now I use a small electric.

[@danespey3488]

Nice video Bruce. I have a John Deere 165 Hydro with charging issues. I get 32 volts AC coming off the stator to the rectifer/regulator. But, only 12.4 volts DC at the battery running wide open. How do you determine if the voltage regulator is faulty?

[@BrucesShop]

+Dan Espey Well check all your connections first of course. The 12.4 volts is probably the battery voltage. You should check the resistance (tractor not running) between the battery + terminal and the Regulator +DC. That should read 0 Don't forget to check your grounds to the frame, motor and battery. Quite often it is a missing ground not getting back to the battery. After all this you can change the regulator. Look for fried stuff. Good luck.

[@danespey3488]

+Bruce Pender Thanks Bruce.

[@billkrause4585]

Good video, good job Bruce. I was wondering if mice were chewing at that wire bundle?? For some reason they like the battery areas or just chewing rubber insulation on wires, they love the taste of rubber. Mice don't like the scent of mint oil, or peppermint scent that you can buy at the grocery store in small jars. Just add some drops (10 drops) to water in a plastic spray bottle and apply. Use it in your engine compartment, under the dash, in your camper or wherever needed. Apply as required.

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks. those little devils get into everything.

[@spiketaterman5181]

I had mice get down into the engine of my LX172...had a hole in the flywheel screen. It was hell getting the smell out! Nasty....had to hydrogen peroxide on the block!

[@SouthpawDavey]

Nice work sir. You know your stuff. Dave

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks Davey

[@geojor]

do all yard machines have a charger on them?....batteries on my yard machine doesn't seem to last very long, I didn't think there was a charger on it like in a car or truck....thank you In advance for your response...

[@BrucesShop]

If they have a battery for starting there should be some sort of charging system to keep the battery charged up. The older units (really old) had a starter generator combo. The newer systems take electricity from the magnets in the flywheel and convert that into 12-14 volts to charge the battery. Bruce

[@geojor]

thanks Bruce ...

[@DamianVines]

Thank you Bruce great video! I have a 185 and my battery is not charging also. Bought a new battery so that's good. wires look pretty good. next I'll look at regulator and alternator. Or fuses, but where the heck are the fuses or fuse? I found a small sealed enclose plastic housing (1/1/4" by 3/4") screwed to the drivers side of the firewall. It's connected to the main wiring harness that come out the ignition switch. it says 12V25AMP S75 on it, what the heck is this? Thank you , great video again. :)

[@BrucesShop]

That would be a fuse link or a breaker. they self heal if there is an issue. There aren't a lot of fuses. Sorry this video was made in 2014. hard to remember back then.

[@DamianVines]

Thank you Bruce :) I appreciate the reply. I''ll be look at the regulator and alternator next. I just keep seeing people say check the fuses and I have no idea where they are at :) Cheers! Stay safe out there :)

[@newsreach]

When charging the battery of a lawn tractor, should I put the setting on 2 amps or 6. How long will it take to charge on 2 amps? Thanks.

[@BrucesShop]

+Mark Schirripa I would think overnight would do it. The amp should drop off as it charges.

[@newsreach]

+Bruce Pender Thanks. The battery is new but I accidentally left it in the ON position for a few days.

[@BrucesShop]

+Mark Schirripa should be ok if charged.

[@newsreach]

+Bruce Pender Thanks. The starter needs to be replaced. I think I'll call the guy.

[@robeftyearian8760]

Mark Schirripa when charging your battery you should always charge the battery at the lowest setting and over nite is better if your in a hurry 6 or 7 even a boost to get it started

[@carlcap14911]

Bruce have you tried using a hot air blower to shrink the tubing? It actually works better than the soldering tool.

[@BrucesShop]

Yes I have one. I used it when i have a lot to do. If it is just a few i use what is there Like a lighter or a soldering iron. Thanks.

[@cherokeefiddler]

I have this Hydro 175 and I don't like it that you have to grab a knob and keep pushed to the side in order to move the tractor when it isn't running. Not easy to do. Is there a hack to this? Thanks.

[@BrucesShop]

I think that is a saftey feature

[@WhiteBr34d]

I just picked up a 175 for parts 2 days ago, the guy had the knob/lever rotated to the "free to roll" position and bungeed it to the mower deck LOL and it rolled just fine for me.

[@rons4302]

I replaced the knob with a nut. Then clamp on a vice grip and attach a bungee cord

[@williamwhitehead8362]

Did you get rid of the mouse from the mouse nest in there?

[@BrucesShop]

I think he jumped out at one point.

[@jeremyhynes3368]

Nicely done

[@BrucesShop]

Thank you Jeremy. This is an older video

[@Wheeler590]

Thank you Sir! I have a 180 and battery was dead, boosted then Run and die. Will take off the cover and check for mouse houses.

[@BrucesShop]

Good luck. Don't forget about the diode block.

[@Wheeler590]

After repairing some "questionable" wiring and removing and cleaning the carb....replaced the key switch and runs like new! Must of been a dead spot in the switch. Thanks again for the vid!

[@alwaysopen7970]

I used butt end crimp connectors and had to get a new regulator. Works great.

[@BrucesShop]

alwaysopen Good for you

[@HondaMechanic1]

Depending on what make of engine and what size engine some have a voltage regulator and some just have a diode , so some engines don't charge at 14.5 volts ...

[@BrucesShop]

Correct. Some use 1 diode some use a diode bridge wih a zeener diode for a regularor. thanks

[@walterhyder3059]

Good work, but the more common problem is something else (module?). I was hoping that would be addressed.

[@BrucesShop]

Yes, you are right. But I can't fix the module if it is not broken.

[@bobinmissouri]

how many wires is hook to the battery 1 on +an1 or 2 on the - side my battery won't stay charge I have just the pos and neg on battery its a jd 111

[@BrucesShop]

+bobinmissouri gosh Bob The mower-- tractor is put away for the season. but I will look into it I will.

[@BrucesShop]

+bobinmissouri Well I really can't say for the 111. There is most likely only 1 connection as in these tractor batteries. The charging system will also be connected to the starter and that harness will connect to the stator or generator. If you can, look on line for the 111 wiring diagram. Sorry I am not there.

[@bobinmissouri]

Bruce Pender thank you now to fig out how to do the online thing lol

[@BrucesShop]

+bobinmissouri Just type into google wiring diagram for John Deere 111 that may be a start.

[@mrbill32465]

nice bruce ty i enjoy learning pretty sure thats my problem

[@msmeganmole]

will give it a try. Thank you

[@garyemtman]

it would have been nice if you would of showed what color wire went to what color wire.

[@BrucesShop]

OK Thanks

[@mainevilleprepper4885]

In my opinion, instead of hooking up a volt meter to the battery, I would hook it up to a load tester, then check the charging circuit with a volt meter. Thanks

[@calebwatts977]

how do i start a lt133 with a dead battery and no jumper cables

[@BrucesShop]

You need to get a charged up battery from somewhere or someone. You sound frustrated but that is a start.

[@calebwatts977]

Bruce Pender yeah i am.... I've been having trouble starting it after two years of sitting and my battery is dead dead..... this gets aggrivating easily lol

[@calebwatts977]

Bruce Pender thank you though

[@BrucesShop]

Just keep thinking about a solution. You may need a battery charger too as one try may not be enough. Good luck .

[@calebwatts977]

Bruce Pender thank you for the advice.. i hope u have a good night.

[@johnclarke6647]

Use a cigarette lighter to shrink shrink tubing. Since I am politically incorrect, I always have one in my pocket. Also, soldering paste or liquid flux makes it a lot easier to solder big wires together. Robin flux is better for PC TYPE connections but paste or flux is better to solder stranded wire together.

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks. I use whatever heat source I've got. I was a wiring tech for the phone company. There are a lot of ways to "terminate" wires together. Thanks for your comment. When doing bulk terminations we wold do 1000 a day (not solder). (that is if we had a good setup).

[@MrX-hf8ef]

I have a 1991 170 John deer and my battery don’t stay charge

[@BrucesShop]

The charging system should be the same as this video. Does the voltage on the battery go up when the machine is running?

[@MrX-hf8ef]

@@BrucesShop my fault. Someone stole my red and black cable and battery. I was just wondering where I can get that cable

[@lmalino695]

Does something run out at 4:11?

[@BrucesShop]

+L Malino I don't think it is a mouse but it was some VERY small Whew!!! WOW good eye.

[@thersten]

+Bruce Pender that's probably the mouse that chewed up the wiring.

[@BrucesShop]

You may be right.

[@tonto0739]

Awesome I have the same tractor with the same issue! I know where I am going to start looking!

[@BrucesShop]

Great. Thanks a lot!!!

[@michaellohre1470]

Me too! Thanks for this video Bruce!

[@fishbone856]

Looks like mice been livin in it! id pull the flywheel cover and make sure the cooling fins are not packed with shit! Otherwise it might not last long due to overheating!

[@BrucesShop]

Yes you are right. I kept going and found evidence allover. Thanks for the comment.

[@alwaysopen7970]

wish I saw this 5 year ago.

[@BrucesShop]

Yes this video is 5 years old too. lol

[@uawsux]

the diode stripe goes toward the stator...

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks

[@bulletproofpepper2]

i mean he put the trailer connection on the tractor

[@bobbysr22]

thanks

[@randrobinson2232]

check for mouses !!! I see their house

[@BrucesShop]

Yes I found it right after this

[@johnoktavec]

randy:i agree man,the plug isn't burnt,it's chewed. no black marks from fire,lil mouse got hungry lol.

[@spiketaterman5181]

Mice?

[@BrucesShop]

Maybe. This is a 7 year old video. Please tell me can you see the date is was made. Just for my reference on older videos.

[@spiketaterman5181]

@@BrucesShop hi Bruce...it says May 1, 2014.

[@bobdriver6946]

Why not just

[@BrucesShop]

Sorry I missed that Why not just------ I work on what comes in

[@lesstime1678]

wowwwwwwwwwwww

[@BrucesShop]

OK???