Neil86 Posted June 7, 2014 #101 Posted June 7, 2014 Did you try the stator short test by going right back to the negative cable terminal on battery, sometimes a ground we test with isn't a good ground.
Razorback Posted June 7, 2014 Author #102 Posted June 7, 2014 Don't think so. Will do that In the am Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Razorback Posted June 7, 2014 Author #103 Posted June 7, 2014 13.7V when I checked it at 8 am right after I took off the charger. Not bad since my charger was only putting out about that much. I checked it 4 hrs later and it's at 12.9V. I rechecked the stator to neg batt cable and I still show "open". Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Razorback Posted June 7, 2014 Author #104 Posted June 7, 2014 see this youtube link I apologize for the shakiness of the video. I fashioned a makeshift mount and attached a FlipCam. You can still make out the important parts. Here's a list of time stamps if you want to hurry through to the "good stuff" :30 - :41 erratic behavior during initial acceleration getting out of the parking lot at work :50 a little jumpy 1:22 a little jumpy 1:47 stop at a stop sign, see my voltage drop to 10V 2:42 erratic 3:30 7:50 a little jumpy 8:00 stopped at an intersection, voltage dropped to 10V 8:16 tach takes a dip 8:30 - 9:00 the tach is pretty darn goofy 9:16 - 9:36 tach is erratic again 10:12 stop again, voltage drops to 10V 10:35 tach is stupid again briefly
frankd Posted June 8, 2014 #105 Posted June 8, 2014 Your 2A charger should get the battery up to 15V or above, if the battery is completely charged. A lower voltage would indicate the battery is getting old. But after watching most of the video the battery doesn't appear to be your problem. Do you know anybody around you that has a 1st. Gen? It'd be great for you to try a different voltage regulator and to swap yours to another bike would be a positive test. Tomorrow I'll look and see if I have a spare with the plugs still on it. I've had you check the condition of the stator to regulator plug a couple of times. Have you inspected the other connector for burnt connections? Watching the voltage you either have an intermittent connection OR a bad regulator. Frank
Razorback Posted June 8, 2014 Author #106 Posted June 8, 2014 I've got a replacement eBay regulator on there now, put on about 2 weeks ago. That battery charger was only putting out 13.8V with the meter hooked directly to it, not on the battery. I have yet to find a connector with any discoloration. Most contacts so far look fine, but I clean and grease them anyway. I don't know if anyone with a first Gen, except for a guy selling one about 2 hrs from me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Razorback Posted June 8, 2014 Author #107 Posted June 8, 2014 It seems like a bad connection somewhere, especially considering the tach behavior. I recall that after I took off around the 8 minute mark, I was cruising at a constant speed when the tach got really erratic around 8:30ish. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Neil86 Posted June 8, 2014 #108 Posted June 8, 2014 Have you tested voltage at the RR outlet connector...with it connected, bike running. In other words...you test on the back of the connector...sometimes needing a backprobe like a paper clip slid in to test, rather than jamming the meter test probe. Test both sides of the connector. As for the ignition....is the intermediate connector on the pickup coils good and clean and secure? (right near the RR plugs).
Razorback Posted June 8, 2014 Author #109 Posted June 8, 2014 Have you tested voltage at the RR outlet connector...with it connected, bike running. In other words...you test on the back of the connector...sometimes needing a backprobe like a paper clip slid in to test, rather than jamming the meter test probe. Test both sides of the connector. AC right? I just checked at idle and 3000 rpm about 11.8 V on any given pair of leads, from the back of the connector As for the ignition....is the intermediate connector on the pickup coils good and clean and secure? (right near the RR plugs). Cleaned that one early on, looked great, cleaned and greased anyway.
Neil86 Posted June 8, 2014 #110 Posted June 8, 2014 (edited) Sounds like you tested on the Whites...they're the inlet side, from the stator. Okay...you want to test on the Reds of the outlet plug...so it will be DC. We want to know if there is a voltage drop occuring somewhere. Edited June 8, 2014 by Neil86
Razorback Posted June 8, 2014 Author #111 Posted June 8, 2014 Red to ground, or neg batt cable? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Razorback Posted June 8, 2014 Author #112 Posted June 8, 2014 13,2V at idle Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Neil86 Posted June 8, 2014 #113 Posted June 8, 2014 so the 13.2 V is on the RR side of the plug....reads same vs black or to battery ground cable? If it reads higher on one side of plug than other...its a plug issue.
frankd Posted June 8, 2014 #114 Posted June 8, 2014 Since you have a 2nd regulator on, I agree with the bad connection somewhere. We need to solve the problem with the fluctuating battery voltage before we worry about an ignition problem---just watch your voltmeter move all around. The voltmeter shouldn't move at all when you are driving along, and it should be just about at the line that indicates 14V. With the bike at about 2000 RPM (exact speed not important) measure the battery voltage. Then leave the black lead on the battery negative and move the red meter lead to the red regulator wire. On a good charging system you should read 14.5V plus or minus .5V at both locations. Then measure between the battery negative terminal to engine ground. Should read nearly zero. If you can take these readings while your voltmeter is reading low (with the engine @ 2000 RPM), that will tell us more. It may help you to have a 2nd person hold the throttle and watch the voltmeter so they can tell you when the voltmeter is reading low. Frank D.
Razorback Posted June 8, 2014 Author #115 Posted June 8, 2014 so the 13.2 V is on the RR side of the plug....reads same vs black or to battery ground cable? If it reads higher on one side of plug than other...its a plug issue. Didn't do red to black at the plug, but red on RR side to neg batt post. Should I check red to black at RR plug, on RR side? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Flyinfool Posted June 8, 2014 #116 Posted June 8, 2014 13,2V at idle Thats better than the 12.4 battery voltage you had earlier. Check red to black on both sides of the plug, it should be the same both sides of plug. Check red to black both sides of plug at 3000 rpm. Check voltage of red at regulator to positive battery post. If you get a 0V reading try the 2V scale. Check voltage of black at regulator to negative battery post. If you get a 0V reading try the 2V scale. Did you ever check the main fuse? it has a fuseable link that is attached with 2 screws. Those connections have been known to get corroded or the screws loose.
Flyinfool Posted June 8, 2014 #117 Posted June 8, 2014 I was watching your vid again. I noticed that the battery indicator is lit on the computer monitor. I also noticed that sometimes it appears that the rpm jumps higher. an electrical dro ou should make the tach drop.
Razorback Posted June 9, 2014 Author #118 Posted June 9, 2014 Check red to black on both sides of the plug, it should be the same both sides of plug. 11.8V at idle Check red to black both sides of plug at 3000 rpm. 14.8V at 3000 rpm on RR side, 13.4V on batt side Check voltage of red at regulator to positive battery post. If you get a 0V reading try the 2V scale. approx 200mV Check voltage of black at regulator to negative battery post. If you get a 0V reading try the 2V scale. bounces between 140 and 300 mV - approximately, never settles on a number. Did you ever check the main fuse? it has a fuseable link that is attached with 2 screws. Those connections have been known to get corroded or the screws loose. Yes, checked that early in the process when I was also checking solenoid and battery cable connections
Razorback Posted June 9, 2014 Author #119 Posted June 9, 2014 I was watching your vid again. I noticed that the battery indicator is lit on the computer monitor. I also noticed that sometimes it appears that the rpm jumps higher. an electrical dro ou should make the tach drop. I saw that myself when looking at the video. What does that indicate?
Razorback Posted June 9, 2014 Author #120 Posted June 9, 2014 With the bike at about 2000 RPM (exact speed not important) measure the battery voltage. Then leave the black lead on the battery negative and move the red meter lead to the red regulator wire. On a good charging system you should read 14.5V plus or minus .5V at both locations. Then measure between the battery negative terminal to engine ground. Should read nearly zero. If you can take these readings while your voltmeter is reading low (with the engine @ 2000 RPM), that will tell us more. It may help you to have a 2nd person hold the throttle and watch the voltmeter so they can tell you when the voltmeter is reading low. Frank D. batt voltage at 2k rpm = 13.0V move lead to red wire at reg = 13.4V neg batt to ground = bounces between 5 - 36 mV
Flyinfool Posted June 9, 2014 #121 Posted June 9, 2014 I saw that myself when looking at the video. What does that indicate? I'm still scratching my head on that one. OK so at speed you have 14.8V at the RR, and 13.4 on the batt side. When you say the batt side do you mean at the battery, or at the battery side of the RR connector. IF this is at the battery side of the RR connector, you have found your bad connection. I have to think on this one.........
Razorback Posted June 9, 2014 Author #122 Posted June 9, 2014 I'm still scratching my head on that one. OK so at speed you have 14.8V at the RR, and 13.4 on the batt side. When you say the batt side do you mean at the battery, or at the battery side of the RR connector. IF this is at the battery side of the RR connector, you have found your bad connection. I have to think on this one......... Connector Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Flyinfool Posted June 9, 2014 #123 Posted June 9, 2014 It is possible that the contacts are nice and clean but the crimp to the wire is corroded inside of the crimp. The easiest way to fix that would be to cut the connector out and solder red to red, black to black, brown to brown if you have a brown (some years do not have the brown wire, I don't remember which). Don't forget to slide on the heat shrink before soldering. Last year when I was chasing electrical gemlins, One of the things I found was a weak factory crimp. So it can happen.
Razorback Posted June 9, 2014 Author #124 Posted June 9, 2014 It is possible that the contacts are nice and clean but the crimp to the wire is corroded inside of the crimp. The easiest way to fix that would be to cut the connector out and solder red to red, black to black, brown to brown if you have a brown (some years do not have the brown wire, I don't remember which). Don't forget to slide on the heat shrink before soldering. Last year when I was chasing electrical gemlins, One of the things I found was a weak factory crimp. So it can happen. I went out and cleaned the connector again, put it together, set idle speed to 3k rpm and checked both sides of the connector. Now I have 13.2V on either side of the connector when measuring red to black. the voltage i'm getting at different times is mimicking the different voltage levels i'm seeing on the dash. at this point i think my dash volt meter is reasonable accurate.
Neil86 Posted June 9, 2014 #125 Posted June 9, 2014 (edited) It it were me...I'd have one person handling the meter probes, the other gently rotating the harnesses (the 3 whites) and the RR outlet one at a time to try and recapture the 14.8 V scenario. Have you ever performed the stator ground test with the engine hot? Trying to understand why you had a great RR side reading of 14.8 V then when you try next time its back to square one. Wondering if heat soak is opening a short in the stator. Edited June 9, 2014 by Neil86
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