'82 GS300L Restore & Timing Adjustment - Complete Noob

[hjacobmiller]

Runs!!!!

Threw a set of jumper cables and started right up!

Fixed the wiring in the signal generator line with new splices and heat-shrink wrapped up the joints. Looks great. Wrapped the whole area with tape and shrink wrap.

Now here's my problem. As soon as I take the jumper cables off it dies. I'm guessing a charging issue?

Thoughts?

[Mekanix]

Yup.

Could be stator, Regulator, or wires.


All you need is in here:

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/storagecliff/images/stator_check.pdf

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/images/GS850stator.pdf

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/storagecliff/images/r-r_replacement.pdf

Glad to see it running.

[hjacobmiller]

Thanks! I did a couple preliminary tests to start off.

1. Battery was precharged gel so I know it was in good condition when I bought it. I checked it and made sure it was charged and it was.

2. The starter was loud and sounded like it was grinding something terrible. Well, it was... I pulled it off because I wanted to check the brush length. What I found was worse. One small part of the corner of a magnet was busted from what looked like it had been dropped at some point because the body was scratched on that side. So, I cleaned out all the ground up magnet with air and wiped the whole thing down with a dry rag. Then I did the resistance testing per the supplemental service manual (thanks BikeCliff!) and everything was OK. However, I did notice a couple very tiny knicks in the coating of the coils from the magnet shreds. Wasn't bad at all and for the time being I'm not worried about it because it was cranking even with all that ground up magnetic chunkiness in there.

3. I did the continuity and resistance tests on the AC generator outputs but since it (I should really get a name for "it") won't run I can't do all of the tests. The resistance was in spec between each and there was no ground error in any of them. So, for the time being I will not focus on it.

4. When I tried to test the r/r I was really disappointed. Failed all of the resistance tests. Infinite resistance between all lines. I tried the prongs coming out of the r/r and with the prong harness attached. The battery was off now that I think about it but since it was only a resistance test that shouldn't matter...?

My thought is that I should invest in a new r/r and see what happens from there. Sound good?

The ac generator output wires show no signs of overheating and I didn't notice any on the stator coil itself when I glanced at it while I was poking (figuratively) around in there. I'll double check though to make sure.

Valve clearance tomorrow night...!

[Mekanix]

Awesome work.

Usually the stock RR fails and sometimes it takes the stator with it.
Other tines it just withers and eventually dies.

There are many alternatives for a good replacement that wont give the same problems as the stock one.

The "new" type are called "Series" RR's They help by using only the power needed and not shunting the excess to ground.

Here's the discussion on RR's:

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=134690&highlight=mosfet&page=8

Do you have an On/Off switch for your lights ?

If so there are two wires that go to that switch and come back to the RR.

Its designed to disconnect one of the 3 yellow wires when the lights are off.

You don't need this extra bit of wiring and you could connect the 3 wires from the stator directly to the 3 wires for your new RR.

[hjacobmiller]

I tried reading that post. Waaaay over my head ha ha ha. So you're saying that there might be alternatives to replacing the stock one? I have googled "1982 suzuki gs300 regulator and a few products from RMstator and other suppliers come up. All around $80-$90. Are there ones that may be cheaper and better? I am trying to do this project as low cost as possible, but I don't want to skimp on the important parts either...

[Mekanix]

Well the charging system is the Achilles Heel for the GS.

Its the one thing you want to fix right from the start.

It doesn't have to be for a gsx300 either. The charging system is the same design for most motorcycles.

Its known as a 3 phase Regulated and Rectified charging system.

Rectified to turn the AC power coming out of the stator into DC voltage and then Regulated down to 13-15 volts.

At the begining of that post you can find a list of all RR's that will work. Thats the most important one to understand.

FH-014AA 12V Is a common one that you can find on E-bay.

http://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_nkw=honda+cbr+1000+rectifier&_sacat=0&Model=CBR1000&_dmpt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&_odkw=honda+cbr+1000&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

Browse around E-bay for the ones in the list. The blue highlighted ones are the most common.

[hjacobmiller]

A few update pics...

Adjusting the valve clearance & checking timing:



Shiny goodness:



Anybody know what these are on the carbs? Someone mentioned EPA plugs that need to be removed in order to access the air/fuel mixtures screws? Does anyone know of a place that creates carb rebuild kits because I can't seem to find one for my bike...?



Going to start looking for a r/r now...

[7981GS]

Yes those are the plugs to remove that you circled in red.
I just screw in a wood screw or similar and extract.
Spray some penetrating oil in there after you remove the plugs.

Eric

[hjacobmiller]

After cleaning do I replace them? I'm guessing they are destroyed when I extract them?

[FLHGSRay]

They are destroyed when you remove them. They're there to keep you from doing exactly what you're planning to do. It's a smog thing, supposed to keep Joe Public from fiddling with his carbs, thereby destroying the ozone and life as we know it. You don't replace them.

[hjacobmiller]

Didn't think so. Thanks for the quick response!

[hjacobmiller]

There is a place near by that is sort of a salvage yard for bikes and I called them asking about a r/r. He said he doesn't have any GS300s but does have several Suzukis from the 80's that I may be able to grab a good one off of for around $45. Are there any specific Suzuki models that I should be looking for that would have compatible r/rs? There are also a lot of other bikes there so I am thinking about bringing the list from the r/r thread to see if he has any of those models.

Also, what tests can I do to make sure the r/r is good? Just the resistance tests? Are there any more conclusive tests that I could do to make sure I don't buy a non-working one?

[tom203]

Best advice I can give is.... buy a used Shindengen (honda style) R/R off ebay- Maybe $25 bucks- the chances of it being no good are mightly slim according to member Duaneage who used to sell them. A used suzuki R/R is a crap shoot.

try these ebay item#
180869019728 or 250772745689... first item is my favorite, I got one installed and another as backup. might be slightly big for your 300. the ninja 250 R/R's are slightly smaller but still good.

[hjacobmiller]

Thoughts?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/85-86-Honda-TRX125-TRX-125-Fourtrax-Regulator-Rectifier-Assembly-31600-VM6-000-/170784995375?pt=Motors_ATV_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27c394382f&vxp=mtr#ht_673wt_1163

[tom203]

Thoughts?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/85-86-Honda-...#ht_673wt_1163

Looks like chinese knockoff to me- fails my sniff test.