1641 amp light on-Pto disengage

[mgerecke]

I just picked up a 1641 for my brother-in-law and it has an amp light on only when you engage the electric PTO. Today was the first run since we got it and it ran fine cutting grass for an hour or so then the PTO disengaged itself. Correct me if I am wrong, if the amp light is on the whole time while cutting and drains the battery enough it will turn the PTO off. Also when we try to start it after this hour of cutting, the starter only clicks. This tells me the battery is drained. You can jump start it and it runs fine-no amp light until the PTO is engaged. Battery is new also.
Do any of you more experienced guys have any suggestions on what may be wrong as to why the amp light is on? Also any explainer on the PTO?

Thanks,

Mark

 

[klejeune]

Sounds like a dead short when the PTO is engaged. Check all the wiring insulation for breaks, cuts or melted spots.

 

[sblunier]

It's the voltage regulator or the stator. Your engine is not charging the battery, so when the electric PTO is engaged it is drawing current from the battery, eventually draining it and kicking out the PTO...then it won't start because the battery is dead....the jump start gets it running, but the PTO drains the jump charge right back down.

You need to check the stator for shorts to ground and check the voltage regulator for correct operation. If you are not getting ~14 volts off of the VR with the engine at full throttle, you definately have a charging problem.

The Briggs engine manual for the 16hp in that tractor should have a full charging system trouble shooting section, with tests you can perform with a meter.

With the stator wires unplugged from the VR you should have continuity between the wires, but not between either of the wires and the block (shorted stator - stator bad). If I recall correctly the stator should put out 28+ volts AC between the stator wires (unplugged from the VR) at 3000+ rpm, if it does, but the VR won't put out 13.8-14 volts DC, then the VR is bad. If the stator puts out less then 28 V AC there is a problem with it.