6th Generation electrical issues

First of all, I just want to apologize if there is already a thread with this information. I looked through about half of them and didn't see anything about this specific problem. That being said.....

I have an '03 VFR. I just bought it last week and thought I was getting a deal. Apparantly the last owner didn't want to fix this issue and would rather sell the bike to me. Therefore, I don't have any idea whether the R/R recall was taken care of. I don't exactally know what that all entails or how I could look to see if it had been replaced.

I took the bike on a test ride for about a half hour and it ran great. I trailered it home (3 hours) and tried to start it again with no luck. I did have the power on while we were loading it in the trailer which was only for a half hour or less. Immediatly I just figured it was the battery. I put a trickle charger on it and charged it overnight. I then took the charger off. I didn't get it titled for 3 days, so it just sat. When I tested the voltage, it was still 12.25. I started it up and let it run for about 5 minutes. I tested while it was running and it slowly went up to about 13.1. Then I shut it off to check all of the connections. I noticed a 30A fuse (main fuse Bs) fuseholder and fuse itself was very hot and melting. The fuse wasn't popped though. The wire going from the Positive terminal was burned and really crisp. I had the power on while doing this testing. Probably took all of about 10 minutes. I tested the voltage on the battery again and it was at 11.5V. I took the battery out to try and see where these wires go. When I pulled out the 4 prong adapter that has 3 wires going into it, I saw that the plastic around one of those leads was melted through. I also don't know what that is all about.

I can replace the 8 inches of wire going to the fuseholder, and put a new fuseholder and fuse in but I don't want it to just melt again.

I also don't know if its a problem to leave the 4 prong connector in there or if I need to replace it.

I don't know where to start. I'm going to attempt to get some good pictures right now. Hopefully that will bring some clarification as to what I'm even talking about.

Thanks in advance for any advice you guys have to offer.

 

Most popular thread on here and VFRD. Welcome to the forum.

First of all, it sounds like things are going south. One thing you should have tested was battery voltage when bike was at idle, and then rev it up to 5k or so. It should be in the 14k+ range at 5k. Get a manual and troubleshoot as listed. Do a battery leakage test. Disconnect stator harness (3 prong yellow wires) the bike and test the (AC) voltage coming from the stator. Make sure it increases with rpm. Not sure of exact voltage, but I believe it should be greater than 20 volts and should increase up to 5k or so.

Visit this website. Wire My Bike Look under 6th gen parts. You can get new 3 prong connectors for the stator harness, and you should really consider buying the VFRNess to make your bike's charging system more durable. Honda tends to use insufficient gauge wiring, and the result is what you see before you. As you may or may not know, the charging system (mostly the R/R) is the archilles heal of the VFR until 2005 or so. If you end up replacing the R/R (after troubleshooting and testing is complete) make sure to replace (and clean) damaged/burnt connectors/wires, otherwise that will cause resistance, which in turn will create excess heat, and possibly melt your harness again....or smoke your R/R, stator, or all of the above.

Oh, and call up the dealer (or honda) and have them run your VIN to ensure that you have had the wiring harness recall work done. If not, get it done ASAP.

 

You should be able to give Honda a call and give them your VIN and they can tell you if the wiring recall has been done. If it hasn't, get it done first. The dealer has 2 options, replace the front harness or the whole thing. The dealer is supposed stamp the VIN plate or frame once the recall has been completed.

Action

 

Good find. But that’s not your problem.

Your issue is with your R/R. There is probably another melted or frayed, or weak connection in that area, which is causing your bike’s battery to undercharge. Vfrlover4life is right on the mark here. Test the battery’s voltage at idle, and at 5K RPM.

First, obviously, replace the crispy wire. Replace the connectors. (FYI-the connector is hot, because there is an arc there. As the amp’s goes up, the resistance goes up, and the heat increases. The reason why there is a hole in your connector is because you don’t have any dielectric grease in your plug… I.e. see you own picture showing the green part. Its dry… tisk tisk.
Once that’s all back and going well, test your charging system. It is possible that the arc is not allowing the proper voltage to your battery, but test it anyway after the fix. Fix any other connection issues near the R/R if needed. I would also unplug the connectors and clean off the terminals, then re-connect them just to be sure they are in good working order.
And for heavens sake, get some dielectric grease in those connectors.

Ghost

I have a couple threads about batteries and R/R, just for these reasons… You can do a search, or just look them up via my avatar’s name.

 

First of all, thanks for all the great suggestions. I was really worried that the news would be dreadful. I'm glad that these all seem to be things I can handle myself.

That guy with the website "wire my bike" was very helpful. He said "Sounds like you need the VFRness and a replacement fuse holder for the fuse B as well, plus a Starter Relay repair kit....those should fix you up. I don't have fuse holders listed seperately, but I have a 12 gauge one that I can throw in with your order that will work, or you can buy something from an autoparts store that will work as well."

I understand that this alone will not solve the underlying problem.

I talked to Honda and they said that neither of the 2 recalls on the bike had been taken care of. The harness or some fuel valve. I'm going to take it in on tuesday, yuck.

So I have a couple days to test and grease all of the other parts, because I'm guessing they're going to do as little as possible. Either that, or they are going to charge me a bunch of money to fix the stuff that I probably know more about from reading this forum. Am I off base with this assumption?

Since I don't how much they are going to be replacing harness-wise, I'd like to go ahead and make sure that the connections at the R/R and voltages from the stator are good. I don't know where these items are so I'm going to start looking right now.

 

I am quite biased so... but no, you arent off base, you are correct. Honda in my epxerpiece, will notify you of the other problems, when they do the recall change, and expect you to pay them to fix it... may even tell you crap like, "it wont start to take it from here, you got a trailer?" etc. Honda techs are just as dumb as any other tech, just cause it says "HONDA" on their shirt doesnt mean they are super smart about your bike. rather, with my experience, they are complete morons, who are bent on "get as many bikes in and out the door as possible, regardless of whether they do proper investigating to determine root cause.

 

More electrical mysteries -- Help Needed

I'm having a similar problem. I have a 87 VFR700 and when I bought it, the previous owner told me he replaced the R/R and it only needed a new battery. We were able to jump the bike and it ran great, so I bought it. I was able to charge up the battery and run it for 30 min tops, then it wouldn't start up. I bought a new battery 4 days ago, installed it, and it ran great, started up every time, so I forgot about the problem. Today, a buddy and I stopped to fill up, I finished, and push the start button, and the battery seems dead again. The lights dim, theres a slight whine as the starter tries to turn over the engine, then it just clicks.

The clicks seem to be coming from the starter relay, which is right next to where my battery is located. I checked to see if the R/R was charged before I bought the battery, and it was charging at 13.5 volts around 5k. Seeing that it was sending a charge, I figured it was good.

So now I got a bit of a problem on my hands, I spend almost all my cash on the bike, as I'm a college student, and I'm looking for some advice from you wiser guys who have been around bikes more. I'm going to check the stator tomorrow and see how that looks. From what I've read, there isn't a surefire way to check if the R/R is bad, other than replacing it and seeing if the problem goes away. Trouble is, I only have about $150 to spend, and I need to get the bike inspected soon as well, and it's probably going to need a new chain and sprockets too.

If I do decide to buy a new R/R, if I think thats the problem, I'm fairly certain I do not want a Honda one. I've read so much on them failing on these bikes, I'm thinking about buying some sort of aftermarket one, and mounting it somewhere else with alot more airflow, making a bracket it for. At least I'm toying with the idea..

Thanks alot ahead of time guys,

Mike

 

ok Mike, so lest start with the obvious... your battery isnt charging.

Now, lets try to diagnose why. Here are a couple threads I made for just such a cause:
http://vfrworld.com/forums/mechanics-garage/22254-ghost-says-lets-learn-about-batteries.html

http://vfrworld.com/forums/mechanics-garage/22279-ghost-says-lets-learn-about-r-rs.html

13.5V at 5K for a 700 is minimal at best. I'd prefer to see 14V strong, onto 16V tops.

Lets also entertain the notion that you could be doing something wrong, or have something wired wrong, that is draining the battery.

Here's an easy test. Disconnect your battery's positive terminal cable, every time you finish a ride. If your battery lasts much longer, then its fairly clear you have something using power while you think the bike is off... hence, pointing to something in the ignition circuit.

Also, take extra time to read the thread about R/R's I've had my battery and R/R for 4 yrs now. Its all about how well you take care of your bike. Honda R/R's are just as good as anyone else. The electronics involved in a R/R are common amongst most all bikes... matter of fact, the vast majority of major brands all buy components from the same Japanese source. If you do buy a different one, try to put it about the same location. changing the cooling wind path could significantly alter its ability to function correctly, and shorten its lifespan considerably.

Ghost