Battery not holding charge.

J

Jimole

Forum Newbie
What is the most likely cause of my battery losing it's charge over a short period of time? It seems like it does not charge while the mower is being used.
 
Maybe a draw from something pulling juice from the battery when turned off, a weak battery, or as mentioned the charging system inop.
 
Jimole said:
What is the most likely cause of my battery losing it's charge over a short period of time? It seems like it does not charge while the mower is being used.
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We can't give very good advise on information that " seems like ".

If you've never cleaned the battery terminals or both cable ends of both battery cables that would be a good place to start trouble shooting. A battery brush or sand paper will remove any oxide down to bare metal. A common steel brush won't hack it.

After they are clean, check the battery Voltage with the engine dead then start the engine, run to 2/3 to full throttle and check Voltage at the battery terminals again. This will take away the "seems like " factor. Report the readings back to the forum and we can give better advise from that point.
 
If the bat is not sealed use a battery hydrometer to check electrolyte (water/acid). These things are cheap. Make sure the tip of the hydrometer (turkey baster) will go down into the fluid to withdraw it. If the battery will not accept trickle charge and the hydromter says "bad" it may need replacement.The cells should register "good." IMO this check is better than a voltage check because sulfated batteries can develop a voltage on the surface of the plates which will give you an erroneous reading. Look up the VOM battery drain check procedure in this forum.here. If you have an ammeter on the dash which is not indicating + most of the time there may be a charging problem. Batteries (lead acid type)need TLC. They cannot sit for months and be expected to spring to life.
 
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