Simplicity rider with Kohler command 15 h.p. not charging

[wdowicki]

I have to recharge the battery on my rider every 5-6 hours of run time. The battery is O.K. Initial voltage reading is 14 until the engine warms or the electric PTO is engaged. Then it drops down to 12.75. Is this a good reading? Shouldn't it be higher than 12.75? Where is the alternator on this engine? Is there a voltage regulator somewhere? Simplicity Broadmoor repair manual is pretty much useless for this problem. wdowicki

[dvmcmrhp52]

12.75 is fine,it's a 12 volt battery,it really shouldn't read 14 volts for a prolonged period of time.

Have you had the battery out to recharge?
Are the cables and terminals clean?

[wdowicki]

Yes, I've had the battery out for recharging and I took the cables off the terminals and brushed them with a wire brush. Thanks for your response.

[dvmcmrhp52]

You may be able to get the info you need from kohler's site..........
We run kohlers but I'm not much into the electrics on them.

[grass_cuttin_fool]

Dont know if this helps or not, but if the mower has headlights , and one bulb is shot some wont charge, they use the headlight bulb as a fuse. Some john deere's do this. Maybe something to check out

[dvmcmrhp52]

That's interesting................light bulb as a fuse.................

[Stephen M.]

I had a charging problem on my Exmark 52" turf tracer with a 20 hp Kohler engine and found the problem in the fuses, a bad voltage regulator and a switch.

At full throttle, use a voltage meter, a digital one is best. The inner of the three prongs is direct voltage which should read in the 13 to 15 direct voltage range. The two outer prongs are the alternating volts that should be in the 14 to 28 range. Anything below or above that range is bad.

I replaced the original voltage regulator after 9 1/2 years of use. The new one lasted 2 months. The needle voltage meter didn't register a thing. When I changed to the digital one, my direct volts were in range. The right side of the alternating volts read between 0-1. The left side was 35. I got a new regulator, put in new fuses, and fixed the switch and got my mower back into service after 4 weeks of changing stuff.

I learned how to finally work a voltage meter and now I can say "An ohm/voltage meter is my friend".