smoking stator

[Guest]

1983 gs1100es

I was having charging issues and pulled stator cover. The wires looked pretty beat but at the same time I pulled the connector to the rectifier it was melted through. I hard wired it thinking that was the problem then reassembled. When I started it up I check voltage on battery and was still not charging so I brought rpm up over 4k. When I did that I started to see smoke coming from starter cover but it looked like it was coming from inside stator cover. I'm guessing that whatever is wrong caused connector to fail as weakest link but when I hard wired that the root problem cooked the stator. can anyone shed some light on this and which way I might go next? Thanks

[tom203]

Those "wires looked pretty beat " meant trouble-always best to suspect either faulty R/R or a stator heading to BBQ land and do some thorough testing rather than just redoing connections.
Pull stator cover off and look for more fried wiring. Maybe your stator survived, but sounds like your R/R was (or is now) faulty - consider getting a series R/R, like a SH-775 (Polaris part #4012941 ). I'd avoid most aftermarket and suzuki shunt R/R's. Whatever you do, inspect your wiring real carefully and test

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/storagecliff/images/electrical_odd-n-ends.html#A20

[last337]

Can you explain what I would be looking for when you say fried wiring on the stator? I do see some black crusty stuff on some of the coil legs. Also, how do you run new wires from the stator itself? I cant find any connections into the stator from the 3 wires that are running to it.

[trippivot]

grounds are especially important to GS bikes

get a new stator !! clean up your engine ground AND the frame ground and you'll probably need a reg/rct.

this is how these systems work -- your stator makes as much electricity as possible at all times --

the regulator/rectifier does it's job and changes AC into DC and covers the loads of your bike

all the excessive electricity is gated off to ground - there is a LOT of heat involved in this process. And it is worse if there corrosion resistance in the path to ground

you already had a stator problem. by hard wiring the main AC plug you just changed where the heat concentrated from the plug into the stator....because power could not follow the proper path to ground easily.

charred varnish on the windings of a stator is sure sign of a FRIED stator

[Nessism]

Look up the Stator Papers (updated version) as linked in your mega welcome, delivered in your introduction thread. Follow the detailed procedures to figure out what's going on with the system.

If the stator looks black and crusty it's most likely toast. You can't easily replace the wires coming from the stator either. Don't assume too much though, test.

Also check the newbie mistakes thread linked in the megawelcome, and my signature. This will help you understand some of the common issues affecting these bikes.

Rewiring the charging system is one of the most important things every new GS owner should do. Wish more guys would do this maintenance before they damage their bike. For example, it's extremely common for the harness to melt down do to poor connections and the crazy stator loop going though the hand control switch.

Good luck

[Steve]

Can you explain what I would be looking for when you say fried wiring on the stator?

For the answer to your question, look at your very next sentence:

I do see some black crusty stuff on some of the coil legs.

.

[last337]

Okay well I have decided after troubleshooting to go ahead and replace everything. Should I buy everything from electro sport or should I get the polaris r/r and an electro sport stator? What are my options? I know the stator papers say those are throw options but what's you guys opinions?

[tom203]

....or should I get the polaris r/r and an electro sport stator? What are my options? I know the stator papers say those are throw options but what's you guys opinions?

Yes to SH-775 and E/S stator, but inspect/test AFTER replacing stuff. Honestly review the stator papers and understand the need to redo/clean connections rather than just putting new stuff on.

[last337]

Yes to SH-775 and E/S stator, but inspect/test AFTER replacing stuff. Honestly review the stator papers and understand the need to redo/clean connections rather than just putting new stuff on.

Why wouldnt you go with the E/S r/r instead of the polaris one? Are they both the same? I was under the impression that the E/S was the better upgrade.

[Steve]

Why wouldnt you go with the E/S r/r instead of the polaris one? Are they both the same? I was under the impression that the E/S was the better upgrade.

The suggestion in the Stator Papers that the ElectroSport was a better stator was because ElectroSport was pretty much a sponsor and they were writing the paper.

And, ... that paper was written MANY years ago. We have had a couple other "favorite" R/Rs come through here in the meantime.

The current favorites are of the "series-regulating" style, rather than "shunt-style". The E/S is a shunt-style, the Polaris is a series-style.

If you don't want to go with the Polaris unit for some reason, there is one model of a CompuFire R/R that will also work, but it's over twice the price.

There is already a bunch of information in other threads on why the series is better than the shunt, so I am not going to repeat them here.
Suffice it to say that the series R/R will let your stator (whatever brand) run cooler and last longer.

.

[Toasty]

The compufire is a bit cheaper on Amazon and if you wanna put a lot of trouble free miles on your GS I would highly recommend one. That plus a quality stator and you should never have to worry about it again (as long as the wiring and connectors are good).

[Steve]

The compufire is a bit cheaper on Amazon and if you wanna put a lot of trouble free miles on your GS I would highly recommend one. That plus a quality stator and you should never have to worry about it again (as long as the wiring and connectors are good).

Cheaper than what???

Certainly not a Polaris unit.

OK, yes, it's cheaper on Amazon than on other sites.

Last time there was a price comparison here, the CompuFire was just over $150, the Polaris can be had for about $70.

.

[last337]

Great thanks for the info! I will go with the Polaris R/R and the E/S stator. Any good spots you guys would recommend for the Polaris R/R? I see it on bikebandit for about $78. That plus the $120 for the stator from E/S and I get a new charging system for $200. Not too shabby!

After that it is on to tires since I will actually be able to ride it. I am thinking about Michelin Pilots. I would like something that I could do laps at the local track with on very rare occasions (I am not a racer just want to learn more at the track) but something that would function primarily as street tires.

[Toasty]

Cheaper than what???

Certainly not a Polaris unit.

OK, yes, it's cheaper on Amazon than on other sites.

Last time there was a price comparison here, the CompuFire was just over $150, the Polaris can be had for about $70.

.

When I picked up my compufire from amazon it was ~$120 plus shipping . Still expensive but worth it imo.

[Steve]

When I picked up my compufire from amazon it was ~$120 plus shipping . Still expensive but worth it imo.

Compufire makes several different models, did you get the right one? Model 55402 is the one you should have gotten.
Not all of the CompuFire units are series-style, not all are for three-phase systems, not all are rated to handle the output of a GS.

I just did a search, THIS is the only one I found, and it's $163.81 (with free shipping).

.