[Mad Max]

I took a low hour Kohler 17.5 out of a JD-L110 lawn tractor and mounted it to a JD-111 that had a bad motor.
The engine starts and runs as it should, however I am getting 16+ amps charging. I have a yellow pigtailed wire that I do not know where it goes (see picture). This may be part of the problem, unfortunately I do not know where it or what it connects too.
If anyone can help with where this wire goes, much appreciated. I tried to find something similar on-line schematic but it (schematic) was vague. I am more of a visual person, so if you could attach a picture or better schematic, I would very much appreciate it.

 

[rayjay]

On the LH rear of the motor cooling shroud is the voltage regulator. The center terminal of this can be hooked directly to the positive terminal of the battery. This should be a black wire on the motor's wiring harness. This totally isolates the charging system from the chassis wiring harness. Make sure you have good grounds from the batt negative terminal to the motor and also from the batt to the chassis.

If you still have too much voltage your first check is to disconnect the 2 white leads from the VR and check the AC voltage from the stator. [ AC AC AC set your meter to AC ]. I will go check my manual and see what this value should be.

 

[rayjay]

28AC volts. Disconnect the connector from the VR. Hook the test leads to the 2 wires from the stator. Run the motor at WOT. Should get 28 volts. If not the first thing to check is the magnets on the flywheel. If all are magnetic [ no dead or missing ones ] then the stator is bad.

If you DO have 28V then the VR must be bad.

 

[Mad Max]

28AC volts. Disconnect the connector from the VR. Hook the test leads to the 2 wires from the stator. Run the motor at WOT. Should get 28 volts. If not the first thing to check is the magnets on the flywheel. If all are magnetic [ no dead or missing ones ] then the stator is bad.

If you DO have 28V then the VR must be bad.

Thanks ray jay. I was afraid that I was going to damage something by running 28 volts through the system. Why would the stator be putting out that high of a voltage?

 

[rayjay]

To charge the battery and run the other electrical stuff the 28 VOLT ALTERNATING CURRENT is rectified by the voltage regulator into 14 VOLTS DIRECT CURRENT . The rectifier does this by electronically chopping off one direction of the alternating current. Instead of <> alternating you have ]> direct . This loses half the AC voltage.

How did you measure the 16 amps ? If you have a voltmeter, with everything hooked up normally and the engine at full throttle what is the DC voltage reading at the batt terminals ? If it's more than 13.5 and less than 15 you are fine.

 

[Mad Max]

To charge the battery and run the other electrical stuff the 28 VOLT ALTERNATING CURRENT is rectified by the voltage regulator into 14 VOLTS DIRECT CURRENT . The rectifier does this by electronically chopping off one direction of the alternating current. Instead of <> alternating you have ]> direct . This loses half the AC voltage.

How did you measure the 16 amps ? If you have a voltmeter, with everything hooked up normally and the engine at full throttle what is the DC voltage reading at the batt terminals ? If it's more than 13.5 and less than 15 you are fine.

Ray jay, I measured the voltage at the battery terminals. I measured 19.5v. With tractor running. I have two batteries, as heavy duty 750cca. And my battery I use for starting 250 cca. The larger battery is hooked to the charging system to run my 2K lb. winch. Both batteries are in series. The smaller of the two had a charge registering 17v. My amp reading was from the amp gauge on the tractor. I ordered a new voltage rectifier/regulator and will be getting it this week.