Cub Cadet 1440 Amp Light On

kgrant · Sep 2, 2006

I have a Cub Cadet 1440 Garden Tractor serial 000877203 that I purchased new in 1995.

Yesterday, I noticed the amp indicator light flickered at idle speed. How much? It was a slight flicker for just a split second and then would flicker again in several seconds. The light never came on at full speed when mowing. With the tractor running and I turn the headlights on, at idle speed the amp light is bright red and as I increase the engine speed the amp light gradually dims but never goes fully off. At no time did the tractor ever run differently from before or ever act like the engine was going to cut off.

Do you think I'm likely looking for a failed/failing part or a short circuit somewhere that is drawing power?

Information:

1. The battery negative goes to an engine housing ground.
2. The battery positive goes to the starter as well as the following components in the circuit:

solenoid
relay
voltage indicator
main harness
amp indicator light

This tractor has an engine stator, regulator, and armature.

Other electrical item information:

Seat safety switch
Reverse safety switch
electric PTO

Thanks for your comments and advice as to how I should proceed to troubleshoot and what you think is the likely issue.

Keith Grant

bmoore · Sep 3, 2006

Keith,

I am not familiar with any Cub Cadet newer than my 129, but here's my try. If I present something that seems too simple, I am not trying to insult you, I'm just trying to cover basics without knowing your abilities, knowledge level, etc. Remember, I am not familiar with this machine, but some basics apply to all electrical systems.

Did you get a manual with your purchase, or can you get one, to find out what the amp light is supposed to be telling you? My guess is that it would come on if the tractor is requiring more amps than the alternator (the combination of your engine stator and armature) is producing.

Automotive/Small Engine Electrical System Basics 101:

The alternator needs to be able to put out more than 12 volts (pressure), usually between 12.5 and 14 volts, in order to charge a 12 volt battery, and enough amps (current flow) to overcome the designed resistance (restrictions/obstacles to flow, measured in ohms) of all parts in the circuits. The regulator limits the maximum voltage available to the rest of the system from the alternator, and the alternator itself is designed and constructed to be able to put out a maximum number of amps, which in this case, I would guess is around 30 or less. If the resistance increases anywhere along the stream, more amps are required to run the device (load). Resistance can be caused by wiring (conductor) that is too small, and by poor connections (insulator). It all has to work together, kind of like a recipe. If you mix grain, yeast, water, and some other things in one way, you get bread. Mixed another way in different proportions, you get beer.

Resistance causes heat. That's why toasters work. Try not to make your tractor into a toaster. It will probably take up too much space on the kitchen counter. If you can feel heat in the wiring anywhere on the tractor, there's probably too much resistance there.

I would look for poor connections, starting at the battery, and working out from there, on both positive and ground, including connections to your amp light. If anything is loose, dull, corroded, or oily, clean it and make sure it's tight when it connects. Start the tractor and see if the light still flickers. I'm guessing that it won't. If it does, since you say it happens when the lights are on, check those connections, including the ones at the switch. If you suspect the switch, you could bypass it with a jumper wire from the feed to another terminal going directly to the lighting, and see if the amp light still blinks. If it doesn't, the switch could have internal corrosion or other poor contacts, causing too much resistance. Same for a switch to a PTO, starter/ignition, blower fan, landing gear, etc. Connections are much cheaper than other parts, and any new parts won't work right if the connections are bad. It's kind of like buying new pants because your old ones fall down, when the real problem is a broken buckle on your belt.

With the exception of the coil and spark plug wire(s), which are part of a secondary circuit that probably isn't affecting your tractor (unless the coil itself has too much resistance, which I kind of doubt in this case), there should be very little resistance in any wire on the tractor. You'll need a meter if you want to measure actual resistance (always with the power disconnected). Without a meter, if you find any brittle, cracked, or otherwise lumpy-looking wires, I would suspect corrosion or strand breakage on the conductor inside the wire. If that's the case, replace that entire wire with the correct size (gauge), don't try to patch it together with a section of wire and a couple of cheap (or even expensive) terminals. That just gives you four more possibilities for poor connections later. If you find lots of bad wiring, a new harness may be the best bet.

I assume that there is a separate regulator, mounted away from the alternator, and not contained inside the alternator housing. Yours is probably solid-state, meaning there may not be any way to adjust it. Usually, it's either good or it's bad. Yes, it's possible to repair, but probably not in many home shop settings. If you can measure voltage at the point where the alternator feeds the regulator and find 12 volts or less, I would check out the alternator. There could be an open (broken) winding, bad/dirty/worn/loose/ugly brushes, or simply bad contacts due to an oil leak (oil is an insulator), corrosion, or loosening from vibration.

Let me know what you find.

jmccaffrey · Jun 17, 2012

My PTO on my cub cadet 2164 drains the battey when in operation. What is the problem?

jmccaffrey · Jun 17, 2012

Keith,
My Cub Cadet does not have a 12volt battery. It is a 6 volt battery. Please advise if there is an alternator on this model 2164 and if so wher do I find it to trace the problem. The PTO, when engaged is draining the battery .
Thank you.

jchamberlin · Jun 18, 2012

Joe McCaffrey: (1) The battery for a 1440, P/N 725-3174 is rated for 500 Cold Cranking Amps (CCA), I couldn't find a voltage listed, but that seems like a lot of amps from a 6 volt battery --are you sure that your tractor doesn't have a 12 volt system?

(2) Another culprit may by the alternator-- check to see that you have about 30 volts AC coming out of the alternator (or 15 volts AC if it is a 6 volt system) and either 13-14 volts DC (or 7-8 volts DC for a 6 volt system) available for the battery.

(3) Check and clean all your connections, particularly the battery's ground.

(4) Ohm out the PTO, check the service manual for the proper values. You will need a meter with a low range.

Just some thoughts.

whillmann · Jun 22, 2013

I have a 1440 Cub Cadet. The alternator light comes on when I engage the PTO for the mower. The light never comes on when the PTO is not engaged. Also, My PTO slows way down, when I hit heavy grass, then I have to stop and let the PTO catch up. Do you have any suggestions??

thanks
wayne