Toasted Charging System

While awaiting my service manual, I thought it prudent to ask here:

My new-to-me '03 VFR800 is not charging. Tracing the harness from the R/R to the 3-yellow wire connector, I find the connector is melted, wires burned, basically toasted. There does not appear to be any collateral damage to the harness connectors nearby. Anyone know what has occurred here?
Thx, JOE in WI

 

First thing that comes to mind is the recall to the harness. Do you know if that has been done?

 

For sure call before spending any cash.

 

Never heard of the recall. That's why I asked here first. BTW, here's what the connector looks like:



(...and derstuka, that's a very disturbing avatar)

 

Yikes! That is a very disturbing avatar! Plug looks bad to.

 

Stator tests

So, I ran three tests on the stator:
Ohm: no resistence = bad
Grounded: all three stator leads grounded = bad
Output: all three phases are still putting out the correct AC voltage = Hmmmm....

I guess one out of three ain't good enough, plus the melted connector = bad stator and most likely ruined R/R. Looks like I'll be replacing both.

JOE in WI

 

This is the most common electrical system failure on every generation of VF/VFR, and if the melted connector allows any 2 of the yellow stator wires to touch, it destroys the stator.

In your case i'd guess that the r/r is still OK.

 

Can you suggest a definitive test for the R/R? I'd feel like I'm risking the new stator if I run it with a possibly bad R/R, though that probably doesn't hold water, electrically speaking.

....and what melted the connector to begin with?

 

Best test is simply to see if it puts out 13.5 to 14.5 volts to the battery with engine turning about 5k rpm. A bad r/r will not ruin a stator, it just won't charge the battery.

Cause ?? Corrosion on the terminals or loose connections contribute to the problem, but basically too much current is flowing through too small a contact area, creating electrical resistance and excessive heat. Best, longest lasting fix is to solder the regulator wires directly to the stator wires and tape everything up.

Just one of the things Honda's engineers and suppliers never got right, and as common as it is on our bikes, it seldom-to-never happens on other makes.

 

Thanks, Mate.

 

Issue Terminated

As suggested by squirrelman, the stator was toast and the R/R is OK. I took a chance on a salvage OEM stator which turned out to be fine. On installation I hardwired the three yellow stator wires to the R/R wires with a stout solder connection. Charging system is back on track. Thanks, guys.

 

Hi From the UK.
Got same problems with 2006 model. Can you tell me torque values used on cober bolts
Many thanks