Stator Papors not helping? 82 GS1100GL

[GS1100GLMLA]

I installed a new stator & regulator/rectifier and battery and I'm only getting 12.4 volts when running at any rpm. It was charging fine then all of a sudden it stop charging. I thought it was the battery since the stator and R/R was new so I installed a new battery and still same. I just purchased a used honda R/R and still same thing. I went through the stator papers IV and these are the results as you go through each one:

Stator Paper IV
1. 12.4 volts on fully charged battery at any RPM. 12.8 volts berfore started.
2. Engine idling = -135.0 mV
3. -2.0 mV
Test Phase B - Stopped engine.
4. 0.0 ohms, 0.0 ohms, 0.0 ohms
5. OL, OL, OL
Started Engine - 5000 RPMs.
6. 75, 75, 75
Turned off Engine & removed R/R from Bike and tested on bench.
7. OL, OL, OL
8. .426 volts, .425 volts, .439 volts
9. OL, OL, OL
10. .336 volts, .345 volts, .338 volts

I don't know what to do next. I went through all the connections and cleaned the contacts a while back and I have a second ground wire from the R/R to the negative battery post. Please help.

[Redman]

GLMLA,

I havent followed your measurements step by step allong with the stator papers, but you seem to be saying that the stator itself seems good (the 75vac you listed), and the R/R itself seems good, but no charging volts at battery.

Try measuring the charging volts at the red wire comming out of the R/R. If its like my 82 1100GK, that would be the red wire at the connector to the R/R. (I dont know if stator papers has you measure charging volts at the R/R connector or at the battery). Then you will know weiter the R/R isnt putting out or if it is but just not getting to the battery.

[GS1100GLMLA]

Thanks Redman,

Yes, basically I'm saying I've gone through the stator papers and don't see whats causing it to not charge. I will check across the red wire at the R/R as you suggested to see how much voltage is coming out of the R/R.

[Redman]

Something else that you can check on the 82 and later that have the connector (that can get meter leads into while still connected) rather than the individulal bullet connectors:
- With bike running, and connector connected: check the 3 voltages abetween the three different stator phases. Will be much less (under load, loaded down) than the 70-80-90 volts that was measured with connector disconnected (open circuit, no load). Will be lower, dont recall what, but like 20vac, but all three should be the about the same. IF all the same then know the stator is good under load and that at least the rectifyer portion of the rectifyer/regulator is good under load, and then can stop suspecting the stator anyway. If not the same or if any real low, then cant really tell if probelm is stator or R/R. And that puts you back to checking the stator volts disconnected and the ohm check of the R/R (as in stator paper checks), but those do not check the functionality under load, so thats kinda where there can be something that is hard to detect, may check okay disconnected but not function under load.

Tell us more about "was charging fine then all of a sudden it stop charging". This before or after or during all this replacing stuff and the Honda regulator. ..?

[GS1100GLMLA]

Thanks for the info. I will give you some history about what I have done then I will go outside and test according to your recommendations.

I bought the GS1100GL back in August and rode it for week and then the battery was dead and would not hold a charge while driving it. I test everything according to the stator papers and found that the R/R was bad. I bought a Electex R/R and installed it and everything was fine for about a week and then the battery died and it would not hold a charge during driving. I did the stator papers test again and found the stator was not putting out the full amount of voltage. I then bought a Electrex stator and installed it and everything was fine once again. I drove it for another few weeks and then the battery would not hold a charge during driving and seemed not to want to recharge properly on the trickle charger. I then replaced the battery with a new one and it still wouldn't charge during driving. I blamed it on a bad new battery and replaced it with a new one and same results. The stator papers showed 75 volts at the stator at 5000 RPMs and the R/R seemed to test ok. I then ordered a Honda R/R off ebay and installed that and it had same results. I tested the Honda R/R and it tested the same as the Electex R/R which seemed ok according to the Stator papers.

[Boondocks]

The test results seem to indicate that the stator and R/R are within expected limits. Corroded and/or bad connectors are a major cause of charging problems. Since you have already checked and cleaned them, it might be be an internally broken wire or some other fault that escapes attention. Wiring faults can be intermittent, working for a while and then failing again. This seems similar to your experience. Try connecting the red wire from the R/R directly to the positive battery terminal to see if it will charge properly. If it does, the wiring between the R/R and the battery is broken or has bad connections and may have been the problem all along.

If you are using a Honda R/R with a sense wire, I assume that you already have the sense wire connected to a circuit which is hot only when the ignition is on. If you have a new Electrex R/R with a warranty, I would use it first.

[GS1100GLMLA]

Thanks to your advice I solved the problem. I put the Electrex R/R back on and tested the voltage from the R/R red wire and to battery ground and got 14.4 volts. I then tested the red wire on the other side of the connector which goes to the fuse box and got 12.1 volts which is the same as the battery. I looked at the Electrex R/R connector and saw that the red wire was coming out of the connector. I took it off, cleaned it and soldered it back on and everything works as it should. Thanks guys, thats exactly what I needed to look for. Now I can sleep at night again.

[Boondocks]

You're very welcome, GS1100GLMLA.