HELP PLEASE possible stator problems?

[rspector]

still having problems with the charging system,
I went for a ride and my bike went dead so I replaced the r/r and it was charging well again, dash lights still comming on and off. I have been riding for a week and I checked the charging system again today and its only charging at about 12.5-12.8 after it is good and warmed up. I just can't stop thinking that this problem has something to do with my dash lights comming on and off but i cant seem to find the problem, I double and tripled checked all the wireing, I checked the dyna coils I put on and they seem to be fine, now the 1980 gs1100 e takes 3 ohm coils right? I am really comming to my whits end here any suggestions would be appreciated
Thanks
Rob

[Redman]

- About dash lights: That would seem to be a separate sitiuation from the charging problem. Seems more like a problem with the wiring to the instrument panel, or with the ground for the instruiment panel lights. This assuming problem is only the instrument panel lights, and not all running lights. If problem is all running lights, then need to look for probelm in that entire light circuit, not just the instrument panel circuits.

- About charging. Yah, 12.5v is too low, as in not charging at all (assuming the battery itself is at the 12.5v). I'd say you need to start with the checks as stated in stator papers to see if probelm is stator or R/R or bad connections. Dont think probelm is related to the coils. SOunds like you have a meter, and have used it, so check out the stator first before replacing things. You say you replaced the R/R previously, perhaps while it was bad it put a strain on stator and degraded the stator.

Lets us know what more you find.

[rspector]

I guess i am having a hardtime following which wires are which to test, the three out of the stator? with my meter on ohms, I put the positive into one wire and the neg into another and continue to check between the pairs? Or is the easiet way to take the stator right out of the bike and theck those, also when ohming the r/r what whires to i connect my positve and neg meter leads too?
Thanks
Rob

[Redman]

Threee wires from stator: there are two test to do.

1) with bike not running, and stator wires disconnected, meter on OHM (resistance) scale, measure Ohms between each two pairs of the 3 wires. That would be between 1st-2nd, 2nd-3rd, and 3rd-1st. Polarity of which meter lead doesnt matter. Should be something like a small number of ohms (specifics in stator papers) like 2 ohms or little less, this indicates that the stator windings are intact and not burnt apart/open. TO see that meter is working right, touch the two meter leads together to see that it reads 0 ohms. Also measures ohms between the 1st & ground, 2nd & ground, 3rd & ground. SHould be lots and lots of ohms, like almost when meter leads not connected to anything. This indicates that the stator windings have not burnt thru the insullation and windings not shorted to the ground.

2) with bike running at mid rpm, with stator wires disconnected, check voltage (AC volts) between each two of the 3 wires (3 readings again,polarity of leads not important). SHould be producing something like 70-80 volts (stator papers are more specific). This checks to see that stator is producing the voltage, that is that it is acting as a generator.

As for checking the R/R. That is more involved and there have been some other positngs about that in recent months.

[rspector]

the thing that confuses me the most is why would the new r/r bring the voltage up for a little while but then go bad? Because the stator is shorting it out somewhere , but if it was the stator the whole time i would think that replacing just the r/r wouldn't make it perfect?

[Redman]

- You say you replaced the R/R previously, perhaps while it was bad it put a strain on stator and degraded the stator.

Others, that are more knlodgeable than me, here have said that a bad R/R will cause the stator to fail after a while. I just ment that if your R/R was bad (you replaced it and things improved), that while it was bad it likley overloaded/overheated the stator and may have weakend it (heated up the insulation that can fail), maybe the stator didnt completley fail then, but may have been close to failing, and maybe has failed more recently. This is just a guess.

I'd say start over, without trying to anylise what happend in past, and start out with the stator test.

Stator papers that have been mentioned are in the "garage"section of the GSR.

[my98xplorer]

I had this problem also, it bugged me for about 6 months! Make sure you have a very good ground on your r/r, i put mine on the neg battery terminal.