Some time ago (year, maybe two!) I replaced the alternator on my L1500DT (very similar to L175) because it was not charging the battery, and there was zilch coming out of the B terminal even with the field voltage present.
However after replacing it the new alternator was boiling (and killing) batteries. It was pumping out over 18V just at idle! So I figured the regulator was knackered. You can still get a regulator for these machines, but they are over $110 plus shipping...
Anyway... time passed and other things were wrong with the tractor. The wiring is so old and brittle that it just falls apart when you touch it. I decided to re-wire the whole thing.
I found a WSM online, with a wiring diagram. I took the wiring diagram and re-drew it to amke it a bit clearer for me to follow and started stripping out the existing wiring.
When I removed the dash cowl it was a mess under there! Most of the wires were broken and corroded, and the regulator looked beyond repair - rusty and mucky and corroded. Anyway I stripped it out had a look inside. It had been half full of water at some point, with the rust line clearly visible. (Sorry I didn't think to take e pic). With nothing to lose I chucked it into my ultrasonic cleaner and to my surprise it cleaned up really well. I gave the contacts a good clean with switch cleaner too.
The WSM has a full test procedure for the regulator, so I followed it and the thing is actually working well!
So I marked all the terminals as per the wiring diagram.
(Note I have transposed F and IG terminals... I fix this later)
So I replaced all the wires with new wires (not using the same colours).
And then potted it to keep water away from the terminals in future.
And just for completeness here's my re-drawn wiring diagram - again not a professional job, but enough to kleep me right!
However after replacing it the new alternator was boiling (and killing) batteries. It was pumping out over 18V just at idle! So I figured the regulator was knackered. You can still get a regulator for these machines, but they are over $110 plus shipping...
Anyway... time passed and other things were wrong with the tractor. The wiring is so old and brittle that it just falls apart when you touch it. I decided to re-wire the whole thing.
I found a WSM online, with a wiring diagram. I took the wiring diagram and re-drew it to amke it a bit clearer for me to follow and started stripping out the existing wiring.
When I removed the dash cowl it was a mess under there! Most of the wires were broken and corroded, and the regulator looked beyond repair - rusty and mucky and corroded. Anyway I stripped it out had a look inside. It had been half full of water at some point, with the rust line clearly visible. (Sorry I didn't think to take e pic). With nothing to lose I chucked it into my ultrasonic cleaner and to my surprise it cleaned up really well. I gave the contacts a good clean with switch cleaner too.
The WSM has a full test procedure for the regulator, so I followed it and the thing is actually working well!
So I marked all the terminals as per the wiring diagram.
(Note I have transposed F and IG terminals... I fix this later)
So I replaced all the wires with new wires (not using the same colours).
And then potted it to keep water away from the terminals in future.
And just for completeness here's my re-drawn wiring diagram - again not a professional job, but enough to kleep me right!
