RR Voltage Output

Hi,

So I'm testing the Voltage output on the bike. (I just installed a new battery, topped off)
I'm getting 12.4 at the battery terminals with the key on.

with the bike running at 4k rpm, it started at 12.8X and continued to drop to about 12.4X before the fans kicked on at 220 degrees.

At Idle RPM the voltage then dropped to as low as 12.26. when fans kicked off it went up again slightly.

Fans kicked on on next heat cycle, and the volts dropped to as low as 12.10.
When fans kick off, it when up slightly again to 12.2-12.3 fluctuations.
Volts seem to fluctuate a bit, but this may be normal? I'm new to the Honda electrical system issues.

RR is very hot to the touch, but i am able to put my hand on it. It appears to be an aftermarket RR from Ebay, with an ESR438 part number.

Is this normal?

 

If you have a digital multimeter, here is a link to a thread to help you diagnose the charging circuit. From what I have read in various posts a typical motorcycle battery contains 6 cells producing 2.2 VDC each, so 13.2 V

if the battery is new and fully charged it should about 13 VDC with the bike off. If you turn the key on then the voltage will drop some due to the current draw from things like the headlights, etc. With the bike running at idle you should be getting somewhere around 13.1 VDC and around 14.3 VDC at 5000 RPM.

http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthread.php/39277-How-to-fix-common-regulator-Stator-failures

For comparison sake, here is a link to a thread I started when I thought I wads having issues with the charging system on my bike. I wound up replacing my R/R (twice actually, after replacing the first time I had another issue shortly after and found some wiring work the PO had botched and it caused the failure of my first R/R) and adding a volt meter just to keep an eye on things.

http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthread.php/39362-2000-VFR-R-R-Question?highlight=

 

I'll take a look, thanks.

 

I feel it fair to offer this as well. When I tested the charging system on my current bike I was totally new to the use of a multimeter and surprisingly, to myself at least, I was actually able to figure this out. If I can do it, I'm sure anyone can.

 

(Thanks mello, yeah, I was getting to that, i just needed some voltage numbers, to see if i even needed to dig into it...)

So here's the update... at idle (about 1100 rpm) the Stator fluctuates constantly between 16 and 18 volts.
At 4k rpm the stator is putting out right around 50 volts.

there seems to be no measurable resistance. But I can see why the numbers are weak at the battery terminals especially with a load from the fans or the high-beams.

 

I guess the last owner didn't want to spend any more money on the electrical system after he installed an aftermarket RR. I'm already in a new battery, so I might as well redo the whole system, otherwise I'll be tossing away the money if I go and half ass it. What a high maintenance design. LOL At least I know what's wrong with it.

 

Check out the trouble shooting steps from electrosport. You will find which part of your electrical system is at fault.

https://www.electrosport.com/media/pdf/fault-finding-diagram.pdf

 

I gotta say it man. Follow Mellow's advice. We're it not for Mellow Dude, Rubo, and a few others, I'm not sure I would have ever figured out my charging system. His advice has always been very helpful and easy to understand.

 

Hi again, I hope I'm not frustrating anyone, and I apologize if I am, but I don't believe we're having a difference of opinion.
I've already tested the stator, and it's pushing low volts at Idle, so it needs to be replaced. which is consistent witht the low numbers at the battery terminals.
The reason I'm going to swap the RR and the wiring is because the bike still has the stock wiring/connectors, and what appears to be a low quality aftermarket RR that is getting quite hot. So since im going to the trouble of pulling the stator, I might as well rewire it and replace the RR.
By the way, thanks for all your responses. I'll come back and re-post voltage numbers after the dirty deeds are done. =-)

 

Maybe yall are having an issue with the numbers? I went to that link and I saw a recommended 17v for idle when measuring from the stator.
Maybe I'm mistaken, but I believe inline 4s usually call for 20v minimum at idle. In addition, my readings constantly fluctuate between 16v and 18v at idle. Maybe if I was measuring from battery i might suspect the RR was failing to put out good current, bit it's measured from the stator.

 

Stop. Think. Listen and thinks some more.

The guys whom have been giving you advice are following the information that has been collected and corrected by othere that are professionals in there field.

About your charging system:

Its a multi-pole permanent magnet induced three phase ac alternator that is delta wound for three wire output. You must have the three readings from each pair of wires to confirm the stator being good or bad. The resistance test is only for checking if it has an open coil or if shorted to frame, thats it nothing else.
Idle voltage should be above 16vac on all three pairs and around 45vac or more at 5000rpm.

The regulator is a three phase bridge rectifier and a waste current voltage regulator. These get hot normally but you should not get burned from touching.

Common causes for system failure:
1) bad battery. See my posting on this, mutlimeters alone can't test a battery to tell if it's good or not.

2) shorted r/r output. This results in a dead r/r and possibly the stator being damaged.

3) shorted r/r input. This will kill a stator only, the bike will charge still but several short rides will drain the battery since the system isnt providing enough current.

4) broken sense wire. This wire is used to determine the battery voltage and should be separate from the positive output for as long as possible.

5) not enough load on charging system. This system is a balanced charging system designed to be able to handle the normal amount of extra current that is available. If the rider decides to use led lights and other methods to reduce the load on the charging system then this means the r/r has to shunt more current to the frame causing more heat. As this goes on it weakens the components in the r/r to the point of failure.

Now you know what you need to. Stop replacing parts at random and figure out what actuall is wrong and the root cause. Note that bad battery is the top of the list since its failure can kill everything leading back to the stator.