15v...too much output from Honda R/R ?

[Dave R]

1982 GS1100E

Got one of Duaneage's replacement R/R 's

-Stator output is 81 volts (all legs). Also passed resistance tests.

- Have direct R/R ground to battery. Have direct R/R input from 3 stator wires as recommended.

- sense wire hooked in orange brake light wire.

- believe battery is 2 yrs. old, fully charged


Output that I read across battery is 15v - 15.4v with engine running.

Isn't this too much?

Are all of you using the direct feed from the stator (grn/wh, wh/bl, yellow ) rather than getting the feed at the original (white connector) harness location? Does it change output if I revert back to using that (white connector location) for R/R input?

Have I missed something?

[propflux01]

Most likely your brake light wiring is not getting full 12V+ thereby BS'ing the regulator into thinking there isn't enough voltage, causing it to overvolt. Temporarily hook the sensing wire directly to the battery, start the engine, and recheck your voltages. Post back and let us know.

[salty_monk]

Sensing wire issue as stated most likely. If it was a stock Suzuki without the sensing wire I'd say you might be "missing some load" (i.e. the 750 I have will charge at those voltages with no headlight attached - not good for it though!)

Dan

[Dave R]

That changed the (engine running) voltage to 14.6

So I assume your guess is right. Why?

Have cleaned every friggin' connector I can find on this thing.


Thanks.

[propflux01]

Old-ass wiring! I have done the same to my bike, even so far as to take apart the ignition switch and clean it up. I am still .5V lower on the fuse box side VS the battery voltage. And even after cleaning all those friggin connectors, they still cause problems with resistance. try to find another ignition controlled wire to splice into for that sense wire, or use a relay setup so that it gets direct battery voltage to it.

That is one reason I went with the FET type R/R setup. it does not use a sensing wire. Only 3 stator, one + and one -.

[tas850g]

i had the same problem when i put in a honda r/r in my 850. Taillight/oil pressure switch was only reading 12v at best. Had the sense wire connected to a relay switch. Works great now.

[salty_monk]

I don't think there would be a big problem running the sense wire back direct to battery..... That's what a lot of hot rodders basically do with their "one wire" alternator upgrades.

Dan

[bonanzadave]

I don't think there would be a big problem running the sense wire back direct to battery..... That's what a lot of hot rodders basically do with their "one wire" alternator upgrades.

Dan

Same thing for old airplanes but they use a switch. Sometimes a double pole switch. One pole for the battery relay and one for the Regulator.

[Nessism]

Most R/R’s don’t use a sense wire at all and frankly, it can cause more trouble than it solves in the case of old wiring. My guess is that’s why the sense wire is not that common.

[bwringer]

I don't think there would be a big problem running the sense wire back direct to battery..... That's what a lot of hot rodders basically do with their "one wire" alternator upgrades.

Dan

From what I understand, this will slowly drain the battery -- to oversimplify things a bit, the sense wire also serves to turn the R/R "on" when the key is on. There's a small amount of current leakage if the sense wire is hooked up to +12V all the time.

I've installed a couple using a relay to power the sense wire (and maybe some other stuff). Griffin did some research (poking lots of connectors with a voltmeter) a while back and found the oil pressure switch wire seems to have the closest thing to battery voltage running through it, so that also works well on many bikes.

[Suzuki_Don]

I don't think there would be a big problem running the sense wire back direct to battery..... That's what a lot of hot rodders basically do with their "one wire" alternator upgrades.

Dan

If you run the sense wire directly to the battery positive then it MUST be run through a relay so it will not drain the battery over time.

[Sandy]

If you've got a voltage drop on the wire the sense wire is hooked to it will probably overcharge by that amount. You can install a relay to power the sense wire and while you're at it have that relay power your coils if you have a voltage drop there too. A high voltage drop is a sign of other areas of the electrical system that need attention. Go over all the connectors, grounds as well as the contacts in the ignition and kill switches.

[tas850g]

I initially ran my sense wire to my (+) battery and tracked the drain. It was so little over 4 days i would not worry about it. Around .5v loss at most and that is when i did not run/ride the bike. I would disconnect the wire if in any type of storage. May not the "Best" way of handling it but i want to do a little r/d.

[duaneage]

I think it's best to discover where the voltage drop is taking place and correct it. Might be a bit O' trouble to find but worth it in the end. If you are losing that much to the rear taillight and brake light then your lights are not as bright as they should be. That's a safety concern needing to be addressed.

[Dave R]

Yep, voltage on my orange brakelight switch wire reads 1.8 less than going to battery terminal.


- dismantled, cleaned (spray & brass-brushed) RH switch today. Looks like appropriate wires run up there. No change.


1. ignition switch - manual says it can be removed after instrument panel is removed. Also says it is a sealed unit. Is it? Can contacts be sprayed, brass-brushed after taking it off, or do you just shoot cleaner down key slot?

2. how many grounds are on this bike (1100E) that could be corroded? (approximate location?)

3. Is there a cleaner/spray that REALLY removes corrosion/oxidation? Had 2 kinds to observe working on the corroded RH switch. Of course, neither one did anything to corrosion. Just cleaned dirt/grease. Fortunately, could brass-brush contacts. How can you REALLY clean the female end of a bikes (bayonet?) connectors? I spray them and brass-brush the male ends, but female half isn't accessible.

Thanks.