Burned out voltage regulator John Deere LX172

[GBertolet]

I an repairing a John Deere LX172 14 HP Kawasaki FC420. There is no charging, so the battery keeps going dead. The owner just keeps putting a battery charger on it to get it started, to mow the lawn. Alternator is putting out 33 Volts AC. No DC volts going to battery. I found a burned connection at the voltage regulator plug. I replaced the regulator, and made up a new plug for it. This fixed the charging issue. 14.25 volts now.

My question is, the wires connected to the regulator plug, are quite warm, with the engine running. Not enough to burn your fingers, but really warm. Are they supposed to be this temperature? I am concerned, the burned out regulator is a result of a problem, not the cause, and will fail again.

 

[cus_deluxe]

make sure ground connections are good and clean all the way back to the battery is where i would start for sure.

 

[Likesaws]

Also make sure battery is fully charged. Small engine alternators are not designed to charge dead batteries.

 

[EFSM]

Does this have an electric PTO clutch? A failing clutch will draw excessively.

 

[GBertolet]

The mower has an electric PTO clutch, and I charged the battery before completing the repair. Thanks for your replies.