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Reversed Battery Polarity and burned wires LT155

2778 Views 12 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  Frogmore, 
GBdeere
Hello All,
As a new owner of a handed down John Deere LT155 Mower, I have been getting to know this machine. After the winter, I have had issues starting her up so decided to grab a new battery. What I thought would be a 5 minute project has now turned into a bit of a mess.

Unknowingly, I picked up a new lawn and tractor battery at Advance Auto and looked to be the same layout. So just took out and dropped in. Connected and noticed smoke coming from a wiring harness. After quick research, I realized the new battery - although having the terminals in the same position, were reversed from my original !!!

What I now see after removing some of the wire sleeve, there seems to be a Diode of some kind on the Black Wire that gets Joined to a Yellow Wire and then back together onto a Black wire that goes into the Stator.

I suppose my first question is : Can I simply solder this back together and see if it will work? How do I know if the Diode is fired ? ( I am guessing it is since it burned itself off from the other end )

Could there have been any other damage that I do not see ? ( I noticed the smoking right away and immediately disconnected the new battery - so it was not connected more than a few seconds )

Could really use some help to recover from what was supposed to be a 5 minute project and is now turning into a two day ordeal while my grass is getting taller by the minute !

Thanks everyone for any help here...

GB
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T
You will need a replacement diode and I'm not sure what kind to tell you that you need. I don't think there is anything else on that tractor that can be damaged by reverse polarity.

So, worst case scenario - you have to buy another whole stator and pull the flywheel to swap it.


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GBdeere
Trentofdestiny said:
You will need a replacement diode and I'm not sure what kind to tell you that you need. I don't think there is anything else on that tractor that can be damaged by reverse polarity.

So, worst case scenario - you have to buy another whole stator and pull the flywheel to swap it.


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Click to expand...
Thanks so much for the quick reply ! Much appreciated...

I checked out some vids about replacing the Stator ( and would hope to not have to go that route if possible )

Do you think that Diode is fried ? Would there be any negative affect if I simply re-soldered what is there and tried to start the tractor ? Would a fried diode prevent it from working or would it just not let the battery charge the way it is supposed to ?

Sorry for sounding like such a newbie , but unfortunately I am when it comes to the electrical part of things... ( and unfortunately there was not much I could find out about it online )

Thanks again for the help !! Appreciate it ! GB
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JD-285
Using a ohm meter you can test the diode.
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T
I believe the diode is fried since it physical blew apart. Putting it back together could cause a AC to enter the system (if the diode is shorted) or no charging (if the diode is open) but I doubt that it is still okay.


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T
If you bought another stator you wouldn't necessarily have to install it. You could cut the diode off and attach it to yours...


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Cannon51
You can see if the stator is good by checking the AC output before it goes into the diode. Google "Kohler CV11-16 manual PDF" and download it. In the electrical section it will tell you what the AC output should be, I don't remember. If the AC output is good you will need to replace the diode. I have used these RadioShack 276-1661 Rectifier Diodes 6a Diode 6 Amp for sale online | eBay successfully on 2 mowers. That's a lot more than I paid for mine, shop around or cut a diode off a bad engine.
Cannon
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A
Isn't a diode a one way conductor used in conversion of AC to DC? As I recall from high school, used in tandem, they grab the alternating waves of AC so it becomes DC. Sorry, I'm a little simple minded when it comes to electronics.

Seems like without replacing it, there's gonna be trouble. Hope nothing upstream or downstream from it got fried.
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A
Diode only allows current to flow one way. But if it got cooked it is an obvious replacement.
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F
The diode is likely fried. Diodes are cheap. The specs of what you need for the CV15S are pretty simple. Here is a good thread on them.
www.lawnsite.com

Kohler Command engine harness diode

Just wondering if anyone has a good source for the engine harness diode on Kohler Engines.. The newer engines with the DSAI ignition seem to eat a lot of these diodes.. Most blow out..(open)...some short and fuse..all you have to do is touch 12 pos to the engine and it will blow... Heres the #'s...
www.lawnsite.com www.lawnsite.com
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GBdeere
Thanks everyone for the help ! I will check the specs on the Diode and see how I make out... Thanks again !
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RRdeere
Hi GB. I have the exact same problem. How did you fix it?
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F
Umm, replace the diode is the generally accepted cure for a blown diode, which is what OP has/had. So, if you actually have the exact same issue, it would probably work for you too. That, of course, assumes that no additional damage was caused by sending AC current to things not designed to handle it.

And, welcome to MTF.
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