682 Charging Question
 

Was cruising on the 682 last night and decided I better turn the headlights on. I did, and the ammeter went from positive to discharging. Got the volt meter out and found that the battery was running about 12.6 volts (at about 1/2 to 3/4 throttle). Last time I checked it only days ago, it would be up around 13.6+. Opened the hood and checked the 3 wire connection under the intake; didn't seem loose. So I'm trying to decide if it's the battery or somewhere else in the charging system. The battery for some reason doesn't have any kind of date on it but I know it's at least 2 years old. I plan on having it stress tested this weekend but am wondering; what else can I check in the mean time?

I've wondered about the battery and/or charging system since I got it because at first the PTO wouldn't always turn on after I first started it, figured the battery wasn't strong enough or charged enough after sitting for so long but it seemed to clear up after I ran it for a while but now this. I'm hoping it's the battery. I plan on making sure all my grounds and electrical connections are good but I guess want to know if there's anything else I can test/check while I'm in there.

Per the service manual, you should have 13.7VDC with the engine at 3600 RPM's or WOT.

That much I know but like I said, when I first got it and I would run it at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle I was getting 13.6ish VDC even just a couple days ago so something has come loose or isn't working the way it should. Just looking for ideas on things to check.

Check with a VOM or DVM and make sure you have zero ohms resistance between the V/R case and the battery negative ( - ) terminal.

If you don't find anything wrong with the charging system, wiggle the plug on the ign switch. I've seen that cause that issue like a million times. The switch and connector gets rusty and loses connection.