M60 Tank Can't Keep Battery Charged

I have an M60 Tank with the 23 HP Kawasaki engine. It has a little over 500 hrs and the clutch started not wanting to engage so I adjusted the 3 screws on the clutch so it engages most of the time - sometimes have to rev engine. Problem is I just put a new battery in and either the clutch is draining the battery or it isn't charging properly. I have a multi-meter so I guess I need to start checking and see how much voltage it is putting out when running?

The wires that are he same colour going to the rectifier is the AC from the alternator and must be around 30V AC .
The other wire is the + side of the DC output and must measure 13V DC between it and ground with the engine running and no less than battery voltage ( 12.5V ) with the engine running and the PTO running.
Note the body of the rectifier is the ground contact so if you get 0 V check there is continuity with ground to the case.

bertsmobile1 said:

The wires that are he same colour going to the rectifier is the AC from the alternator and must be around 30V AC .
The other wire is the + side of the DC output and must measure 13V DC between it and ground with the engine running and no less than battery voltage ( 12.5V ) with the engine running and the PTO running.
Note the body of the rectifier is the ground contact so if you get 0 V check there is continuity with ground to the case.

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There are 2 red wires that run to the left side of the engine - when standing at the back. Do they also run to the rectifier next to the battery?

I don't even know what the alternator looks like on this mower. I tried to find a picture of one online, but so far haven't found anything. Or is it simply charged from the stator spinning?

The alternator lives under the flywheel which is the alternator rotor by virtue of magnets glued to the inside of it.
Sitting on top of the motor is a stator and it with the flywheel is the alternator.

On kawakasi engines they have 2 wires which come off the stator & go to the rectifier.
So the rectifier will have 2 wire that are the same size & colour + one wire that is generally thicker and a different colour.
The odd wire is the + feed back to the battery and the outer case of the rectifier makes to ground part of the recharging circuit.

I thought you had said the stator had been replaced but I might be mixing you up with another poster.

The quick test for the charging system is to measure the voltage at the battery terminals ( between the + & - ) with the engine off then again with the engine running then again with the engine running and the blades engaged.
The last 2 must be higher than the first one or you will be slowly draining the battery while you mow.
Standing voltage should be 12.5 or better
Running voltage should be 13 V to 15 V
Running voltage with PTO should be around 13 V but must be above battery voltage.

The rectifier input from the two wires that are the same colour should be 28 V to 40 V
Output from the rectifier should be 13 V to 15 V .
measurements from the battery - to the odd wire on the rectifier should be the same as the measurements you got between the battery terminals above
Measurements from a ground point near the rectifier to the odd wire should be the same as between the battery terminals above
If these last two sets of readings are different then the ground path is bad & you need to do some cleaning .

So set to it and post your results.
Tou will of course need a pilot to sit in the seat or the mower will cut out when the blades are engaged so watch where our feet are as it is easy to slip your toes where the blade tips will find them

I had replaced the battery. Thanks for the info. I was also wondering about the electric clutch. When I mow for a while the clutch will not engage again and it makes me wonder if the air gap is so large it is draining the battery to keep it engaged?

toomuchgrass said:

I had replaced the battery. Thanks for the info. I was also wondering about the electric clutch. When I mow for a while the clutch will not engage again and it makes me wonder if the air gap is so large it is draining the battery to keep it engaged?

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Can someone post some instructions on how to adjust the air gap on this M60 Tank?