# John Deere MT - Battery Slayer



## jd5150 (Jun 8, 2021)

Hi all. I have a John Deere MT (1953, if I recall correctly) that I've recently begun working on for my Dad. I've rebuilt the carb, gone through the ignition, adjusted timing, and replaced all fluids. It now runs very well for having sat unused for over 20 years. The only problem I have is it keeps killing batteries. Fortunately, O'Reilley's keeps warrantying them. But I know they're eventually going to draw a line. It's a 6v system, and I always turn the ignition switch to 'OFF' after shutting it down, so apparently I have some sort of electrical drain. Any thoughts on where to start? I'm not much on the electrical side, unfortunately.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

It does sound like a short or the like, draining the battery. I'd purchase a battery disconnect to eliminate any issues with fire! Perhaps disconnect the battery ground in the mean time when you park it.


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## FredM (Nov 18, 2015)

Have you checked the voltage regulator, one of the windings is a voltage cutout and if this doesn't open when the engine shuts down, then the generator will have continuous battery power and will stay active and drain the battery.


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## Groo (Jan 17, 2020)

a battery disconnect is cheap and easy. If I am shutting down for more than a day, I shut off the fuel flow, then open the battery disconnect, and let it idle until it dies.


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