610 skid steer battery won't hold a charge

[steerlady]

Hi All, My 610 bobcat will not hold a charge, if I charge the battery and start it it will run fine until it is shut off or stalls. Any Ideas, is it the alternator or?

 

[BobM610]

How old is the battery? It could have a dead cell, it might hold enough charge to start it once but not after you shut it down and try to start again. You could always pull the alternator and take it to your local auto parts store to have them test it, that would at least eliminate the alternator as the problem, or the fix.

 

[steerlady]

How old is the battery? It could have a dead cell, it might hold enough charge to start it once but not after you shut it down and try to start again. You could always pull the alternator and take it to your local auto parts store to have them test it, that would at least eliminate the alternator as the problem, or the fix.

Thanks, I will probably pull the alternator tomorrow and bring it in, we have a place that tests and rebuilds them if needed. I will let you know if that fixes the problem. Have you ever changed a drive belt on a 610? Just wonder how hard it is and where to start.

 

[donald73d]

Thanks, I will probably pull the alternator tomorrow and bring it in, we have a place that tests and rebuilds them if needed. I will let you know if that fixes the problem. Have you ever changed a drive belt on a 610? Just wonder how hard it is and where to start.

I would first suspect your battery. What is the voltage at the battery with engine off and with engine running medium fast? Charge the battery, wait a day if possible. Have it load tested. Best with a carbon pile tester at 1/2 of the CCA. Or test it with a Midtronics battery tester. Hydrometer if you can pull the caps. What brand battery?

 

[Tazza]

I would first suspect your battery. What is the voltage at the battery with engine off and with engine running medium fast? Charge the battery, wait a day if possible. Have it load tested. Best with a carbon pile tester at 1/2 of the CCA. Or test it with a Midtronics battery tester. Hydrometer if you can pull the caps. What brand battery?

I agree with getting it tested. Charge it over night, take it to a shop and get it load tested. It's generally free, so never hurts to get it checked.

 

[7LBSSMALLIE]

I agree with getting it tested. Charge it over night, take it to a shop and get it load tested. It's generally free, so never hurts to get it checked.

610 remove neg batt cable place test light between neg post and cable if it lights (you got a drain find it)

 

[Flip57]

610 remove neg batt cable place test light between neg post and cable if it lights (you got a drain find it)

I was always told the #1 cause of charging problems is a loose belt. I'd start with that. Alternators are pretty much the same whether machinery or cars. Start the engine, turn on lights and any other current drawing accessory then check the voltage across the battery terminals with a multi-meter. If the voltage is reading 13+ volts then the problem is probably the battery. If the alternator is not working properly, it will read less than 12 volts.