Charging issue

So im riding along on my 1995 Vfr and look down to notice the speedo bouncing between 0&60...start to head in direction of home, no sooner and the needle is completely dead now, tach is still fine. Come to a stop at a light and it shuts down, battery is completely drained, not even bump startable,(5 tries in full gear 90degree weather) sucked.. Trailered home had a new reg/rec in a couple days charge to battery fires up... Maiden ride pull into gas station and top off come out and nothing at the button..bump start it.. Just get home and it dies right outside the garage.. Recharge battery and check voltage while starting and drops to 9 volts, replace battery and now load test is good but while idling voltage is at 12.4 volts and does not increase with more throttle, slowly drains. Went through and cleaned every ground and connection, stator has continuity on all three wires. Not sure how to check output of voltage though? Do the symptoms sound like stator? 51k miles,battery tender whenever she is not running..

 

Check AC Voltage output from lead to lead. So give each wire a number. wire 1...wire 2.. wire 3. Disconnect the gang plug, fire it up, and probe the plug testing wire 1 - 2, 2 - 3, 1 - 3. Just like testing for continuity. You should also check to see if the stator has continuity to ground. Probe one wire(disconnected) and ground the other probe. There should be NO continuity to ground. Running surface battery voltage should be done while high beam is on, and rev'd up to 5krpm. Your meter should read 13.5 - 15.5VDC.

 

i did the continuity test to ground and each lead 1-2 1-3 for the stator ..then i started it and unplugged the reg/rec and the stator and started it and turn the meter to max 200 AC and checked the voltage 1-2 1-3 etc. (if thats the correct way to check it) and i had a reading of 4.9-5 volts for each lead? And i have not seen 14 volts on the battery at all when it is running...when im checking the battery and rev it up to 5k it might move a tenth of a volt upward and thats it..

 

What is your battery voltage at rest and at idle?

If the battery is weak the RR will be sending current there to try to charge it up--and if the battery is not holding a charge, then the voltage while running will never get above 13.

So the "continuity" test showed no continuity [open circuit] or short between the stator and the engine case (not the battery ground)? Check this on the highest ohms scale you have to measure the resistance of the varnish insulation on the stator winding wire.

The AC voltage between any two yellow wires coming from the stator should be about 40 to 60 volts ac. Your voltage is about 10 times too low, which may be an indication of a shorted stator winding to the engine case--which the continuity test should indicate/verify.

Don't disconnect the stator plug while the bike is running. Set you meter to make the ac voltage measurement, then start it, read, stop. Rinse and repeat for the next pair of wires, etc.

 

So i should check the AC between wires 1-2-3 coming out of the stator while its running with everything plugged in? Here is a pick of my meter..

 

The battery is new and is at 13.3 volts before its started..

 

Here's that r/r test.

 

When I was young and thought I knew it all I purchased a dry battery, filled it and installed it in my Honda CB500-4...too bad I didn't charge it before thinking the bike would charge it. Ate my stator coil while on vacation. Similar indications. Respects to Soichiro.

 

Stator measurements

You didn't say if the continuity (resistance) check between the yellow stator wires and the engine case (not the battery ground wire) indicates an open or short circuit condition--that should be done first with the stator connector disconnected from the RR.

If you have continuity then one of the stator wires is shorted to the case and the stator will need to be replaced.

If the check indicates an open circuit, meaning no short to the case, then you can check the stator output AC voltage. With the stator connector disconnected from the RR, connect the red lead of your meter to one of the yellow stator wires and the black lead of your meter to either of the other yellow stator wires, using care and/or electrical tape to ensure no accidental shorting of the wires and leads during testing. Then set the meter on AC voltage scale and start the bike and read the voltage at idle and 3k rpm, then kill the engine. Connect the black lead to the other yellow stator wire and repeat this test. Then connect the red lead to the other yellow wire and repeat. Now you have the ac voltage generated by all 3 phases of the stator, which should all be similar values and range from about 40 to 60 volts ac.

 

Iam having the same problem but I also noticed that the wires leading from my stator to my voltage reg is scared at the reg and at the plug between the harness and the stator. i did a beep test between the three wires and it beeps no matter what 2 of the 3 wires are tapped together with the meter and i also get a beep when i test each wire between the stator plug and voltage regulator plug. The one thing i did notice is that when i idle the bike it stays at 12.3v and falls slowly. When I rev the engine higher it falls a little bit faster and if I ride it after a full charge i can ride for about 45min to an hour and if it die out i have to let the bike sit for 5 to 6min before push starting and then i have to idle it around 2500 to 3k for it not to die out.

 

Why not the battery ground?

 

To eliminate extraneous variables such as a corroded battery terminal or lug end connection to the case, burnt-open ground wire, disconnected ground wire, etc. In a perfect world the engine case and battery ground would be at exactly the same potential, but after years of working on old bikes you will find unbelievable stuff done with wires by previous owners and other people trying to fix stuff, hence checking stator wires for resistance directly to case gets you right to the heart of the matter and avoids a false-negative reading.

 

i checked both the battery ground and power wires and they look pretty good. I think my next step will be to clean the ground to the engine and frame and also all the other ground wires and see where that will get me.

 

Sound like the stator...........Randy have the same problem.

 

Start a new thread to focus on your problem

Even though it might sound the same symptoms. You'll get better results with a separate thread to cover your details...

 

I have checked my stator AC output and it is good, battery is new and reg/rec is new but the voltage on the battery stays at 12.4 volts at idle and does not move when revs applied..?

 

Normally, at idle the battery is discharging slowly and doesn't staRT getting a charge until around 2200 rpms or so.

In your case, with a new r/r, suspicion falls upon the connector plugs or the stator. Have you inspected the plug at the starter relay for melted/burned wires ??

 

plug at the starter relay is a hot one, as well as the plug from the stator to the r/r. I ended up removing that plug and just soldered it. Plug is still ok to the r/r though. Starter relay plug was toast! Cut wires back and used soldered connectors with heat shrink. Dats my story and me is sticking to it.

Replaced stator 4 years ago maybe, got stuck with a bad r/r though a year ago. Bike just died at a light, roasted out the original r/r and roasted starter relay too. So, new starter relay along with a ricks r/r...

 

I noticed my wires are burned at the reg connector, stator connector, relay connector, and from the battery positive to the relay. I have repaired the wires, changed the stator, and changed the voltage reg and it was ok for atleast 3 days and now its burnt up again and dies out if I ride it over an hour just like before.

 

I replaced my stator with a NEW honda unit, I had some oem type r/r from honda that did'nt work as well as the Ricks unit. Very robust looking unit with heavy finning, like the fact that its made in Argentina instead of Thialand...Had to replace my starter relay as it was totally fucked. I have a gin-you-wine honda one of those too.

If you bought used stuff, this may be your problem...Keep us posted OK? we wants to know...specially someone with a turd-generation bikie...

Yeh forgot this too, hows your battery? whats the standing voltage before you turn the key on? Should invest in a new battery if your voltage is below 12.30 er s0...