6volt conversion

I recently converted my Farmall super A from 6 to 12 volts. I followed one of the diagrams on the form with a new alternator and a diode in the wire running from the alternator to the load side of the ignition switch. Everything seems to work as it should except when I don"t run the tractor for a while the battery is dead. Can anyone tell me where I went wrong?

Thanks Russ
 
Delco 10si alternator??? Do you have the 2 wire plug hooked up so the #2 wire goes to the big charge stud on the alternator and the #1 wire with the diode going to the side of the switch that is the ignition side?? If you hooked it up to the always hot side that is your problem and you may have burned out the alternator also
 
I was not sure how to tell was the # 2 wire so I hooked it up like the picture with the #2 wire on the right facing the back of the alternator. The alternator does charge when the engine is running. Thanks for responding. I hoped you would. Russ
 
On the alternator is self there is raised numbers that are #1 and #2. As far as which is which I do not know but if you have the 2 wire plug that you buy at say O'Reilly's I could go out and look and see which wire/color is which
 
Most likely didn't do anything wrong. I put one of those on an Oliver that already had an alternator,because it was cheaper than a new regulator. I had to run that wire through a toggle switch and shut it of to keep it from running the battery down. My brother worked at the auto parts store at the time and said he read in some literature that they would run the battery down after a while if you didn't take a battery terminal off. The guy at the starter repair shop told me there was no way that could happen,but I've had that switch in there for ten or twelve years and the battery never went dead again. It went dead constantly before I put it in.
 
Dave,
Those are the exact directions I used. My problem must be in the on off switch or the coil hook up. Thanks for responding

Russ
 
Might test the diode to be sure it is working. Do you have anything else that could be a drain on the battery? I like to use a switch with an accessory lug and hook to it. That has always worked for me.
 
If it's hooked up to the switched side of the switch and the diode is good then you have another problem and the alternator isn't it. Easy way to trouble shoot something like that is to disconnect the battery and hook a multi meter to the + side between the post and clamp. With everything shout off you should have zero for a reading. If you have a positive reading start disconnecting things one at a time and once the reading goes to zero you know what circuit is drawing down your battery and you can fix it from there.

Rick
 
Could be a bad new alternator seen that many times over the years and seems to be getting worse now days
 
One other possibility, remove the regulator plug and look down the hole into the alternator at the two regulator blades. A few regulators have a little metal web connecting the blades together. If your regulator has this little metal web connecting the two regulator blades, and the #2 blade is connected to the BAT stud, it will keep the field energized and kill the battery in a couple days.

When used with the #2 "sense" wire connected to the battery stud, that connecting web between the blades must be cut away to stop the battery discharge.
 
The diode bridge inside the alternator (not the regulator, which is separate) can be conductive both ways if bad or going bad. The check it take out the two small #2 and #2 terminals. Remove the wire from the big stud and put a volt meter between the stud and the wire terminal. If it reeds less than 1/4 volt it is probably OK. If more it is an indication of a bad rectifier bridge. Jim
 
Not sure what might be wrong but I have the same problem. I converted my Farmall SC to 12 volt but used a light instead of a diode, thought would be nice to be able to see when the power was on or off. If I don't start my tractor for a month at a time the battery will be dead. My dad has a SA converted to 12 volt, he bought it that way, his battery will go dead if not started for awhile. I even put a piece of rubber under the battery so it wasn't sitting on the steel to see if that helped.
I have tested my connection between the battery with the live battery cable off and get no reading. I can't find anything wrong with either tractor so I blame it on cheap batteries not holding a charge for a month, though I am probably wrong.
 
(quoted from post at 00:39:45 09/27/13) Not sure what might be wrong but I have the same problem. I converted my Farmall SC to 12 volt but used a light instead of a diode, thought would be nice to be able to see when the power was on or off. If I don't start my tractor for a month at a time the battery will be dead. My dad has a SA converted to 12 volt, he bought it that way, his battery will go dead if not started for awhile. I even put a piece of rubber under the battery so it wasn't sitting on the steel to see if that helped.
I have tested my connection between the battery with the live battery cable off and get no reading. I can't find anything wrong with either tractor so I blame it on cheap batteries not holding a charge for a month, though I am probably wrong.

If you know you are not going to be using the tractor fro a while, remove one of the battery cables and see if the battery still goes dead.
 

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