Possible RR issue?

I left for work this morning at 5 a.m., and my bright lights only suddenly went out. Now I only have low beams (beats the alternative).

I'm guessing this means my regulator is going out....or....is there a relay for the high beam only?

 

I am not very experienced troubleshooting electrical systems, but this might be a sign of a failing R/R if you are having other symptoms as well. Have you noticed your dash lights dimming when a turn signal is on? Do your lights dim under acceleration? If so, take the rear faring off and look at the white connector. Disconnect it and look at the insides. Are they turning brown? That would indicate heat.

From here, I would get out the multimeter and test the battery in three stages - off, idle, @ 5K.

You know what, mello dude has a thread about this. I am going to try and find it.

 

check your voltage

 

Bingo - http://vfrworld.com/forums/5th-gene...mon-regulator-stator-failures.html#post366563

That link should go straight to mello dudes post (#9). Hopefully you are more familiar with what he is saying that I was. I had to have it translated to dumbass before I got it.

 

Thanks, guys~

I had planned to check my voltage when I get home. Just started a new job & have no extr cash right now, but I was planning to buy one of the MOSFET regulators once I get solvent.

 

Good luck, TNR. Do you know if your R/R has ever been replaced previously? Granted, it may not be the R/R causing your issues, but the stock one is such a piece of junk, its only a matter of time before it fails.

The good news about checking over your connections from top to bottom is that it only costs time.

 

I had the replacement RR on my VFR, still went bad. I am just waiting on some things to come in the mail so I can get started. If you do happen to find some connectors that are looking like they are getting some heat, stop riding it. Seriously.

 

I bought my 2000 in 2008 with 5400 miles on it. It had an upgraded R/R from a blackbird. It failed as well. When I installed a new one, I opted to solder all the connections since the most likely place of failure would be where the spade connectors are. Its all about the heat...

 

I have been trying to find a picture over at VFRD of a guy whose bike caught fire on the RR to stator connector. No luck though. I just saw it within the past 2 weeks while I was researching my problem!

Oh well, just be careful if you decide to ride it before fixing it. If you can, park it.

 

Here's a pic of mine. My bike would start up every time; no issues. It was after I had multiple and various FI codes that would randomly flash when I decided to check my connections. This one is from the R/R to the Stator.

 

I just ordered my super mosfet kit from roadstercycle thanks to other members of the forum who highly recommended his products. I can't wait to get the kit installed. My stock R/R runs ok since I got the bike in april but it runs hot (I check after every ride & measure my battery's voltage). So I have the feeling the R/R will go soon...

 

When my R/R went bad I didn't have any prior symptoms that I noticed. I was on a 3 hour ride and pulled over to give my butt a break after 2 hours and the bike died and wouldn't start again.

 

Thats a good one, and that is just the connector. Mine isn't even that bad! The picture I saw, 1/4 of the bike was burned like that! I know that is an extreme case, but it convinced me to park mine. My luck has been awful the past month.

 

I don't know if the stock RR was replaced or not. I'll attach a picture of it and you can let me know. I see no evidence of any heat on the connectors anywhere. I will attach pictures of those as well.

I assume I measure the output of the stator with itconnected to the regulator? If so, I get 16 VAC at idle and 12.8 volts at 5k RPM. that doesn't sound right to me.
I get12.24 volts DC output from the black regulator connector with the engine off. I get 13.6 volts DC at idle and 13.4 VDC at 5k RPM.

that doesn't sound right, either.

 

by the way, I've never had any strange issues with electronics like blinking lights, dimming headlight, blinking FI light, etc.

 

by the way, the battery reads 13.4 volts with the ignition off.

 

No, your connectors don't look to be burnt at all.

Go back to post #4 and click that link. That should tell you how to check the stator.

Your R/R appears to be the original, based on "SH". I think that means its a "shunt" type R/R, and not a MOSFET. Not to be all doom and gloom, but even though it looks good now, you will eventually have problems. Doesn't mean to change it now, but keep it in mind.

 

As I recall you should be getting above 13 VDC at idle at the battery (idle voltage reading is at approx. 1500 RPM if I recall someone mentioning to me) and then 14.2V or more at 5000 RPM. You should also check and make sure the stator is putting out the proper AC volts as well. I used the link that MarriedMan put up in post #4 and it helped me to diagnose my R/R and the information contained in the thread was a great help. Repairing electronic glitches was always something I was afraid to dive in to, but with the help of the guys on the forum it was not as bad a job as I had originally thought.

 

Yup, that's the original RR or at least the OE replacement. If you have the money, buy the one from roadstercycle. If you don't have money, start saving now.

Sent from my phone.

 

Found a few other issues, too....

Got the worst sorted enough to make it to work tomorrow. Still no bright lights..... :-(