Cooked Rectifier/Regulator

[corporalagarn]

i ordered a honda r/r from duaneage. i think it cost $40 shipped, and it is a nice and clean product.

i haven't put it in yet, waiting for the winter, but hopefully it won't be too hard to do. i too struggle with all things electric, but i'm confident this board will talk me through it, especially how to tap into the brake wire.

not to hijack, but will i have to take out the battery box to get in there??

 

[cowboyup3371]

I've checked all the bullet connectors, fuses and fuse box, etc.. and all looks good to me. Judging by the brown burn mark on the back of the R/R, it looks to be done for sure and a replacement is required in any case.

With the battery not charging while running I am hesitant to start the bike, let it warm up and then proceed to do electrical tests. Won't this just do more damage and possibly hurt the stator?

I don't really think so. Remember though, one of the stator tests is while the bike is not running. In fact, the very first test is of the bike not running (see below).

Stop the engine. Disconnect the wires emerging from the stator. Switch the multimeter to Ohms, the lowest range on the meter. Connect the multimeter leads BETWEEN two of the three yellow wires. Check the reading on the meter. Switch one of the multimeter leads to another of the three wires and check the reading again. Switch the other multimeter lead to another of the three wires, and check the reading again. So, you need to take three readings.​

One of the readings is lower than 0.5 Ohms or higher than 2 Ohms

Bad News. Stator is at fault. Replace the stator and return to START




Run that test. Had I done so in the very beginning, I would have found my bad stator a lot faster than I did and probably would have saved myself a little money as well.

 

[tom203]

Yeah, I agree- the brown burn mark is telling.
Checking the bullet connectors is a guessing game. They don't make real good contact (unless you crush them in place). The stator needs to deliver thru low resistance connectors to ensure a decent output especially at low rpms. Spade type connectors have more contact area- you could solder these connections but I think you're better off getting insulated male/ female spades. Put the female side on wires coming from stator- makes it safer to do open circuit stator test
The stator won't be hurt during these tests. Reread the stator papers again.
Does no harm to run bike without functioning charging system, plenty of us have done this already, though not always intentionally.

 

[posplayr]

Chronicly burning stators can be solved by switching to a SERIES r/r like COMPUFIRE see GS CHARGING SYSTEM HEALTH in my signature

 

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. SteveM,

It looks like the "magic smoke" has been let out of that r/r unit. Electronics don't work too well after they lose their magic smoke. You should still perform the passive and active tests on the stator before you call it "done". With a fully charged battery, the bike will run without the stator or r/r unit connected, plenty long enough to test the output of the stator. Also, clean all the charging system connections, including the fuse box and grounds. There are guides with pictures on my website that should help you test your stator. Like Lynn said, a cheap multimeter is good enough for testing purposes on these bikes. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[SteveM]

I will have to go out and buy a digital volt meter.

 

[tom203]

It's not that bad- You can use it on lots of electronic stuff too!

 

[SteveM]

Any recomendations on brand and model?

 

[tkent02]

Any recomendations on brand and model?

It doesn't matter, you don't need any fancy features and you don't need extreme accuracy. Any cheapo meter will work fine for this bike stuff. Even the $3 meter at Harbor Fright worked fine at first. It did fail within a week, so maybe it's not a very good choice. Dunno about their $9 meter. Under $20 should get a usable one at Target or someplace.

 

[Planecrazy]

This Harbour Freight Multimeter has been great!

This Harbour Freight Multimeter has been great!

Bought this copy of a FLUKE multimeter five or six years ago and it's worked perfectly - no problems at all! List price is $25 but is listed on the website right now for $17.99 ... great deal!

Here is the direct link to the H-F page... http://www.harborfreight.com/ac-dc-digital-multimeter-37772.html

Regards,

 

[SteveM]

Looks like a great price and I've heard of that name before. HF doesn't seem to ship to Canada though.

 

[tom203]

Sears, walmart, etc. all sell units under $20. I saw a name brand new unit fail to sell on ebay for $2.99 recently. I would avoid "autoranging" models ( these select the range for you once hooked up ) as they can be confusing at first, but that's a personal view. The unit pictured in previous reply would be a good choice.

 

[SVSooke]

Looks like a great price and I've heard of that name before. HF doesn't sem to ship to Canada though.

Yeah Steve I never heard of Harbor Freight till i sighed up at my previous haunt of SVrider.Just get a cheap multimeter at Canadian Tire,Sears or Walmart.I made the mistake of getting a fancy one when all I really need is a cheap one.This thread reminds me that I got to check my stator connectors.

 

[SteveM]

Sears or Crappy Tire will have to do then. I guess there's no point in getting a Fluke or something like that as it's likely over kill.

 

[Steve]

I would avoid "autoranging" models ( these select the range for you once hooked up ) as they can be confusing at first, but that's a personal view.

On the other hand, I PREFER an autoranging model.

Yeah, it only takes a few minutes to learn to read the display for either one, but with the manual-select models, there can be 20 places you can turn the dial to and it can be very frustrating, as 18 of them won't give you any kind of reading. Simply knowing what you are checking (amps, volt, ohms) and connecting the leads, then reading the display is SO much easier.

.

 

[Planecrazy]

On the other hand, I PREFER an autoranging model.

Yeah, it only takes a few minutes to learn to read the display for either one, but with the manual-select models, there can be 20 places you can turn the dial to and it can be very frustrating, as 18 of them won't give you any kind of reading. Simply knowing what you are checking (amps, volt, ohms) and connecting the leads, then reading the display is SO much easier.

.

+1 Steve ... I totally agree, plus with a manual unit if you accidentally switch to the wrong range you could "blow up" the meter. Autoranging units are typically more forgiving...

Regards,

 

[SteveM]

Thanks guys. I'll look for an auto ranging meter.

I ordered a replacement rectifier/regulator this morning from RM Stator as they are in Canada and delivery will be through UPS tomorrow. No issues with cross border shopping this way. I ordered their part no. RM30306 which is supposed to be plug and play.

 

[tom203]

On the other hand, I PREFER an autoranging model.



.

Well, I did say it was personal choice!!
I have both types. I like to have a rough idea of range - before I plunge my probes in - as I've done lots of work on 3-phase ac stuff.

 

[tkent02]

Well, I did say it was personal choice!!
I have both types. I like to have a rough idea of range - before I plunge my probes in - as I've done lots of work on 3-phase ac stuff.

I have a few of each type, they both have their advantages.
Usually I use an autoranging digital meter, but to see changing voltages the old analog meter lets you see the needle movement, where a digital one just has a bunch of numbers jumping around, can't read them.

For the bike stuff, a digital one is fine. Either type is fine, actually.

It is very basic electrical stuff we are checking.

 

[raistian77]

Lots of good advise here Steve. Yes, its obvious the R/R is bad but, you must make sure the wiring connections or stator are not its killer. If not you get to play the musical R/R game replacing 'em every time you turn around.

Also, get the Honda R/R, you will be glad you did. Sheds heat better and have a cleaner waveform than the Suzuki ones.

Since I run mine about 100 miles a day, I check the charging system out about once a week. Maybe someday I will stop being lazy and order a indicator.


Suzuki did alot of things great however, electronics was not one of 'em.