Kawasaki Forums - Mule 4010 Trans Diesel Alternator Has Stopped Charging

Hi All,
Here's one for the memory bank.

I discovered that my alternator stopped charging the battery. I jumped on the Mule and she wouldn't start.

I charged the battery and load tested it and the battery was fine.

I placed my multi-meter across the battery terminals whilst the engine was running and there was no charge. I checked whilst revving the engine and there was still no charge.

I checked the 50 amp fusible link and it was fine.

I checked all of the fuses and they were all fine.

I went to the wiring diagram and had a read.

On the alternator, there is the main red battery wire. There is also a small single wire that plugs into the back of the alternator. This smaller wire is protected and insulated by a plastic boot and a plastic sleeve. According to the wiring diagram, this smaller wire should be energised once the ignition is turned on. I unplugged this wire from the back of the alternator, turned on the ignition and placed a test light onto it and this wire wasn't energised.

It was by pure luck that I went to look at the plug that attaches the wire to the back of the alternator on the end of this single wire whilst it was unplugged from the alternator.

This wire had broken, and the plug and 2 inches of the wire came out of the insulating sleeve in my hand. The break was inside the plastic sleeve and about 2 inches from the alternator.

I soldered it back together, better insulated it and now the battery is charging again.

From the factory, this single wire in it's insulation was cable tied to the larger main battery wire. It was cable tied between the alternator, and where the wires go through the frame. The wires go through the frame just below the back rest on the seat. It had this "crazy bend" in the wire as a result of where it was cable tied. This bend would not have helped.

I improved where the wire runs through the frame and removed this bend. I guess it was a result of heat and vibration that broke the wire, but my point is that I was so lucky that I found where the break was.

It happened to my diesel Mule..........so why shouldn't it happen to yours too?

I would imagine that this wire would also be fuse protected - another item to check should your alternator stop charging.

I discovered that the Nippon Denso alternators as used on my Mule are a quality product that seldom fail, and are worth rebuilding. There is no requirement to go through Kawasaki to procure any parts for these alternators and the same alternators are used worldwide on cars, mini-tractors and mowers.

Hope this helps.