PTO Clutch Voltage

[Ian181]

I have a 1993 CC 1440. I have replaced the PTO clutch with a new one and also got a new battery. I checked the voltage coming from the alternator and it reads 37. Before I even hooked up the new clutch to the harness I checked the voltage going in (per clutch manufacturers suggestion) and got a voltage reading starting at 16.6 and climbed to 17.3 before I shut off the PTO switch. I have also replaced the voltage regulator but it made no difference, what is going on here? I can't hook up my new clutch with that much voltage going to it because it won't last long before it burns up with that much juice running through it. Anybody else ever see this?

[J-Mech]

Did you replace the regulator with one from Cub Cadet or B&S? In other words, the "correct" one? Or an aftermarket?

Is the engine block and the regulator grounded good?

[Sam Mac]

I'm wondering if your meter is accurate, 37 volts from the stator sounds high. Usually they only put out around 30.

For what it's worth I've seen a bunch of bad B&S regulators lately. I've replaced a couple with Kohler regulators with good results. This is a pic of one on a 1641

[Ian181]

Regulator was replaced with an aftermarket one. My original regulator had the same readings. Where does the block ground? How do I tell if the regulator is grounded properly? I will double-check my alternator reading with a different meter and let you know. Thanks.

[Sam Mac]

Looking at the pic on parts tree the Neg battery cable goes to the blower housing on the engine (I ground them to the starter). The regulator is bolted to the side of the engine with 2 bolts, make sure it's nice and clean because it grounds through the case. You could have some corrosion.

[Ian181]

Thanks Sam i'll check that out. When you say you ground it to the starter are you referring to grounding it to the bolt marked #3 in the schematic below from partstree? Can I assume from all of this that a bad ground could cause this over-voltage situation to the clutch? I was always under the impression that if you had a bad ground you wouldn't get enough voltage and the battery would run down? What is the maximum voltage the regulator will allow to charge up a low battery?

http://www.partstree.com/parts/?lc=c...&dn=0024700034

[Sam Mac]

Number 1 or a good place on the block for the ground. Running WOT you should have 13.5 - 15 volts at the battery. Most of my stuff runs around 14.5.

[Oak]

Here is a pic of my Vandy. It uses the green wires in the harness but this is on a newer machine and you maynot have them but it shows where the grounds go.

DSCN1229.jpg

I would also check your meter on something else to see if its out of calibration. Try your car battery and see what you get.

[FrankF3]

Originally Posted by Oak

Here is a pic of my Vandy. It uses the green wires in the harness but this is on a newer machine and you maynot have them but it shows where the grounds go.

Attachment 58509

I would also check your meter on something else to see if its out of calibration. Try your car battery and see what you get.

I agree on checking your meter against a known source to check and make sure it is reading correctly. On reading the voltage off of the stator windings, wouldn't you be measuring that on an AC setting as this would be an unrectified sinusoidal signal?

[J-Mech]

Originally Posted by FrankF3

On reading the voltage off of the stator windings, wouldn't you be measuring that on an AC setting as this would be an unrectified sinusoidal signal?

Lol. Yes, it's AC current. Sinusoidal.... or "alternating current". Good word.

Do you know what DC looks like on a graph?