Charging system not working.

[SuzukiGS]

Okay, correct me if Im wrong. The charing system should be the same as in a car right? As if the battery is dead, it should charge while the engine is running? Because right now, it won't. How can I tell if the Alternator is out? I can kick start the engine easily but when I turn on my lights or something, unless I rev the engine, it dies. Plus, when my blinkers are on, my lights and gauge lights will flash because of the draw of power from it. Thanks

On a side note, whats the stator? I keep seeing that but have NO idea what it is.

[Steve]

Simply put, the charging system is NOT like the one in your car. Well, sorta, but not quite.

If your battery is dead, the system will not work right.

The best way to test it is to follow the troubleshooting tree in The Stator Papers.

Basically, the stator is part of the alternator on your bike. It is NOT like the alternator in your car, though. The flywheel in your bike is on the left end of the crank and has several magnets in it. As they rotate, they pass by windings of wire to generate electricity. Those windings are the stator. The electricity that is made is Alternating Current and it has to be recitified to Direct Current, then regulated down to about 14 volts to run the bike and charge the battery.

.

[SqDancerLynn1]

Electronics is similar to your car. The stator,rotor, Regulator and rectifier are all in one unit in your car called an alternator The rotor is turned by the crankshaft in a MC and by a belt in your car. So you have to go back and check the individual parts/circuits

[spyder2120]

if you follow trhe stator papers and conclude it is the r/r i would recomend the feh r/r's. mine 13v at an idle now and levels out at the higher rpms below the output limit. it is an fa0012 i bought off ebay. it was new. good luck.

[SuzukiGS]

Stupid question but what is the RR?

[bonanzadave]

Stupid question but what is the RR?

Really no stupid questions around here unless your in the OT (thats the off topic section)

Theres a list of GSR (G S Resourses) abbreviations posted somewhere around here.

RR is your Regulator / Rectifier that was mentioned in the above posts.

Those stator papers should explain that.

Try this one too. Lots of good pics......http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/

Stick around and ask some more "stupid" questions. Your bike will like you for it.....

[850 Combat]

R/R is the Rectifier - Regulator The rectifier converts AC from the Stator to DC used on the machine. The Regulator controls the voltage output.

Steve directed you to "The Stator Papers". Use his advice. There you will find the best most usable information for troubleshooting the charging system you are likely to find anywhere. Go through the diagnostics. Be very careful about the readings you get when checking the stator, as it is easy to have a bad connection with your meter (you need one).

It is entirely possible that bad connections between the stator and the R/R are causing the problem, as well as a bad ground between the negative side of the battery and the R/R. These problems are common with all Japanese motorcycles, and well documented here (use the search, if you have to, but go to "The Stator Papers" for sure.

I would caution you about taking it to a shop for this, as they tend to jump right into replacing expensive parts. Again, there is a good chance that parts are not the problem. You do need to start with a good fully charged battery to perform the final output test, but you can test the stator without that.

[Speedo]

All good advice below. Your summary task list:
1. Remove battery and make sure it's good (take to a bike shop, 2minutes, free)
2. Assumming good battery, fully charge the battery (this is important for tests)
3. Go to Stator Papers stuff in "garage" section of GSR site; if you're not a big reader/researcher, at least print out Stator Papers #IV which has a testing matrix.
4. Grab your multimeter. If you don't have, buy or borrow one
5. Commence testing (also see BassCliff site for great pix as stated in wise advice by Bonanzadave below; I recommend bookmarking that site as well)
6. Report back your results to us.

[Larry D]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong....but, doesn't the '78 GS750EC have a separate regulator and rectifier ?

Go here and look up your bike under the "Parts diagram" icon. In the electrical section of your bike, it lists them as individual part numbers #7 and #17.....Bookmark this page as well. It uses real Suzuki part numbers, which can be handy from time to time.

At any rate, it just adds another piece to test, the advise above rings true as a bell.

Take some time to read up all the info on this site. It's a treasure trove !!

[Steve]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong....but, doesn't the '78 GS750EC have a separate regulator and rectifier ? ...
At any rate, it just adds another piece to test, the advise above rings true as a bell.

Yes, it does.

It's not really another item to test, though. I'm not sure I have ever seen what you should test between the rectifier and the regulator.

Start with the Stator Papers, volume 4. Check the overall condition of the system by checking voltage at the battery. If that is not OK, start with the stator, then the output of the regulator, whether it's part of the rectifier or not. Won't take long to find the culprit.

.

[SuzukiGS]

Thanks for all the help guys, we started the tests out today and was fixed within ten minutes. It turns out the Battery was just shorted and wouldn't charge. A new battery in and everything works like a charm. Thanks.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

I'm glad you got your bike running again. I just wanted to remind you that it's a good idea to check and clean every electrical connection on the entire wiring harness. Rust and corrosion causes extra resistance, resistance causes heat, heat causes melted and smoky stuff.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff