Rectifier- Thinking of getting some air flow on it.

[sho_greg]

Well I have been thinking about putting some 90 deg tubing under my front fairing. Gonna point it at the rectifier... Seems like my bike charges great in cooler temps but once it gets hot- the volts go down.

 

I have Ricks HIgh Output components... When I changed it out I found melted wires at the rectifier.... I probably didn't need the new parts...

[cowpuc]

,,,,, ,,,, I aint much of nuttin when it comes to this stuff but I gotta say,, it just doesnt seem like a regulator could/should get warm enough to melt the wires feeding it or on its output.. For some reason - the thought of that scenario speaks more of resistance associated with the wires themselves to me.. Maybe a bad ground, amp demand to high for the wire size, grease or corrosion on the terminal block, stator getting warm from being loaded up and having a short somewhere in its windings that is causing a small overload on the wires coming from the stator and on and on.. Years ago when I got my first 1st Gen it came to me with a bad stator.. I found out right away that Mom Yam forgot to provide ample oil coverage to cool the stator = heat ate the windings alive = new stator with updated oil supply and splash plate.. Tossing on a higher output stator alone would have solved nothing..

All that said - is there a chance you have out classed the cooling system on the stator by going High Output to meet higher amp needs and its baking itself and causing low output Sho? Have you done an amp count of all the devices you are trying to run on your scoot and then tossing an amp probe on the system to see what its actually pulling - both hot and cold? If you do this and you find that you are drawing more than your device count tells you your suppose to be pulling? Thinking it may or may not be a bad idea to give this a shot before building a cooling plenum for the regulator..

Maybe lets give people like bongobobny , Flyinfool , yamagrl , Prairiehammer a shout here before I get ya all twisted up with my dangerous lack of knowledge..

[sho_greg]

Youre probably right... I will probably add an additional ground wire... Probably need to cheak out the ground but I haven't been able to find it..

[yamagrl]

I can follow circuits fairly well but I really don't know much about the R/R except that it limits the current to a usable voltage for a 12 volt system. Something has to happen to the unusable voltage that is blocked off. It is converted to heat. That's why the fins. Same kinda thing as the heat buildup in the load equalizer/resistor used when converting the turn signals to led lights.

 

Can you tell if the melted wires were caused by the 3 white wires (current in from stator) or was the melting caused by the red and the black wires (current out to battery/electrical system)?

 

Current created in the stator and is "pushed" to the R/R which kind of "chops it off at the knees" and what is left is then "pushed" along to the battery. Hence charging the battery. But now what happens to the current that was blocked? It is converted to heat.

 

Therefore it stands to reason that if:

 

1. The white wires were the melted ones then the problem is most likely in the stator or those connections.

 

Or

 

2. The Red and the Black wires are the melted ones then the problem is likely bad connection on that side. There is a condenser shown on the left side of my red circle. I'm not certain how it might effect it.

 

I'm guessing the whites. Check those connectors on the R/R and the other 3-white-wire connector in my red circle.

Perhaps the stator is too strong for the R/R. Was the stator and R/R purchased as a matched set?

 

A call to Rick's might be one other thing to do.

 

I'm chasing the front wheel about 450 today (Tues) So, I won't likely see this after I head out.

 

Edited September 6, 2016 by yamagrl
add info

[sho_greg]

It was whites.. Previous owner had already changed rectifier once and when I changed it I found wires..

 

Haven't looked to see what's happening with wires this time, just know that voltage varies... cool days it foes about 13.3v at idle... warmer, hot days it is around 12.6 or 12.7 at idle..

 

May be the grounds bc I haven't found where the ground point is for rectifier... thinking of adding a second ground.

[snyper316]

I know nothing but will say this.. You need to check the wires that @yamagrl showed you for one. Also it appears to me the Black wire is most generally ground, and while its a ground it almost looks like they use one main ground wire. I don't know the reasoning for this. I would also heed to what she also said about them being replaced as a set. Because if PO put on high output stator and left the R/R alone.. I would think if he did that then the R/R should have been changed out to match this. I have learned my lesson a long time ago I am not inferior to women; THEY ARE USUALLY RIGHT 85% of the time!!!!

[yamagrl]

It was whites.. Previous owner had already changed rectifier once and when I changed it I found wires..

 

Haven't looked to see what's happening with wires this time, just know that voltage varies... cool days it foes about 13.3v at idle... warmer, hot days it is around 12.6 or 12.7 at idle..

 

May be the grounds bc I haven't found where the ground point is for rectifier... thinking of adding a second ground.

 

I thought so.

 

I woke up thinking about this one so I Googled "regulator rectifier overheating" and most of the results say to check the grounds and also to remove the r/r and make sure that mounting points on the frame are clean because some r/r's also ground to the frame. Determine if it grounds to the frame by unplugging the r/r and check for continuity from the respective pin and the housing.

 

One of the Google results suggested adding an additional ground wire. But if there is problem with the system/frame ground then you need to correct that also... for reasons beyond this issue.

 

The white wires need to have really good connections. On the 1st Gens some folks have eliminated the 3-wire connector and hardwired them.

 

It is really important to have really great connections so be particularly mindful of your crimps if you cut the ground and add an additional ground wire.

 

Check the voltage at the r/r across the red and black and then move the black multimeter lead to the battery and compare. Then check the voltage across the battery poles. Do it at about 2500-3000 rpms. You should get the highest reading with both leads at the r/r. The other two reading should be a little closer. A little volts drop is here is because of other electrical componets such as lights, ignition, etc. running.

 

Time to load up and CTFW home.

 

[yamagrl]

85%

 

Actually, that percentage may be a bit conservative.

[snyper316]

Actually, that percentage may be a bit conservative.

Well the other 15%! 10% is kids the other 5% is men! lol

 

Sent from my Z812 using Tapatalk

[snyper316]

Um ok I will refer to rule number 1 😁

 

Sent from my Z812 using Tapatalk

[DarrinGT]

All that said, I dont think it is a bad idea at all to get more air to the Rectifier,..

[Leland]

I've often wondered about the logic to switch as much lighting as possible to LEDs to conserve watts. Unless the new found power is used regularly, it is just converted to heat.

[Condor]

The reason those wires burn is corrosion. The rectifiers are located on the 1st and 2ndGens in a very hostile environment to keep them cool. 1stGen's by the back wheel, and the 2nd's right behind the front tire. They're hit by dirt, water, and some real nasty cr@p. Since the plugs are exposed, the contacts will eventually corrode cause a build up of resistance. Resistance causes things to get hot and the wires will start to decay. Kinda a downward spiral. The best thing that can be done is coat the plugs with a sealant when new, and keep the rectifier fins clean, and they should last a very long time.... My 2¢

[videoarizona]

Another thought about charging systems and temperatures:

 

If you notice in your car, the hotter it is, the less charging "seems" to be taking place. Granted, the AC is running on a higher fan speed, probably accounting for some of the charging "loss". But, I think there might be a correlation between ambient temps and charging.

 

If you check the grounds, the mounting for corrosion and the stator wire connections for corrosion...and if all is good, then I wouldn't worry about the charging symptoms you describe. If your battery starts to fail...yep, you have a problem. But if not...I might throw in the suggestion that it's charging normally.

[saddlebum]

If wire connections are loose or dirty, it creates resistance which in turn creates heat which can melt wires, even the wires themselves if they get hot enough so clean and secure all wire connections.