R/R problem

[Hermit]

That was fun! My bike died on labor day, then my car had a number of issues that I don't need to go into...

From the way the bike died, I was able to (correctly, it turns out) diagnose it as a charging problem.

Borrowed a friend at work's fancy-pants Fluke multimeter and tore into it today.

Thanks to the Clymer manual and the stator papers, I now know it's the regulator/rectifier that is kaput.

Not a bad problem at all, easy to diagnose and fix. I wish they were all this easy!

[JMHJ]

I think I've got problems too, as the water keeps boiling out of my battery. So far, checking that periodically and keeping it filled up has kept anything major from happening, and I've been doing that with the same batt for a year and a half or so. I haven't taken time to go through the electrical system checks yet, but have it in the back of my mind.

[BassCliff]

Got meter?

Mr. JMHJ,

Water boiling out of your battery is a sign of overcharging. Overcharging also means overheating of the stator (alternator) or regulator/rectifier or both. Heat will kill both of these components. It's fairly easy to replace the r/r, but it's a little more involved procedure ( and more $$$) to replace the stator. It's best you do your troubleshooting and order the necessary parts as soon as practical.

My testing shows that my stock r/r is suspect. I just ordered an "upgrade" Honda r/r for a good price from Mr. duaneage, a member right here in this forum. I imagine someday I'll be upgrading the stator too.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[JMHJ]

Bass,

Thanks. I guess I need to move that up on the list. Wish I had more time, or more energy. I'd hate to ruin anything, and cause unnecessary expense. Bike's got close to 17k on it, and nothing like that replaced yet as far as I know.

Mike