DarrinGT Posted October 8, 2013 Share #1 Posted October 8, 2013 On my 97 RSTC, I have installed a fairing with gauges 3 years ago, Well I have noticed lately that my Voltage gauge has been running lower than normal , Running down the road it is about 12.5, let it down to idle then it goes up to about 14V. Normally it will run 13.5 to 14 all the time. I have not noticed anything else different, no starting problems, no dead battery etc,.. We are taking a 4 day Color Trip this weekend, but need to know if you all think this needs to be addressed first,.. Stator going out,.? any better way to check that? Let me know what you think, and I appreciate the input,.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted October 8, 2013 Share #2 Posted October 8, 2013 Here is a step by step to test the charging system. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=81297 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrinGT Posted October 9, 2013 Author Share #3 Posted October 9, 2013 Here is a step by step to test the charging system. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=81297 Thanks for the info, I hope to do some testing tomorrow, Has anyone had these symptoms before,..? If I need to replace the Stator I want to be able to do it on Thursday at the latest,....Or just risk it and take the trip,... Hmmm,.Decisions decisions,... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiCarl Posted October 9, 2013 Share #4 Posted October 9, 2013 I've seen this before, but on a Honda. Guy brought it to me and said it wasn't charging. I started it up and put a meter on it, was getting ~ 14V at idle. As soon as I raised it even a little bit off idle it dropped to the low 12s. Turned out to be the regulator/rectifier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted October 9, 2013 Share #5 Posted October 9, 2013 Thanks for the info, I hope to do some testing tomorrow, Has anyone had these symptoms before,..? If I need to replace the Stator I want to be able to do it on Thursday at the latest,....Or just risk it and take the trip,... Hmmm,.Decisions decisions,... If you are going to attempt the trip, make sure you pack a set of jumper cables and a battery charger for the bike, and a battery charger for your phone, and the VR assistance list. If it goes out all together, you could be stranded in the middle of nowhere with a dead battery. I would also rig up a volt meter to keep an eye on things. If it is the RR that is going, They can fail either short or open, While failing open is the most common failure mode and will only result in a discharged battery, IF it fails short, it can fry out most of the electronics on the bike fairly quickly. Bottom line, I would not head out on a trip with a known issue that has the potential of leaving me stranded and ruining the trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeS Posted October 9, 2013 Share #6 Posted October 9, 2013 Find the big white plug ( 3 large wires thru it ) located down below the battery. Open the plug, check for Burnt Pins !! If OK, the Take an AC Voltage, reading on each of the wires thru that plug, with engine running at about 2000 RPM. Next. Pull the Plug " Out " of the Rectifier/Regulator unit, And again, Inspect the pins, for Burnt Damage, Clean with a good electrical contact cleaner !! ( That Plug on the R/R unit, has been known to go bad internally, inside the plug itself) You might have to do RESISTANCE Check, " Thru " the Plug itself. The Three Phase AC comes from the " Above" mentioned white plug and goes into the R/R unit. Do Resistance checks, from the Plug under the battery, to the pins of the plug at the R/R unit . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrinGT Posted October 9, 2013 Author Share #7 Posted October 9, 2013 Thanks for the info so far guys, Working on it now,. One Question,,,WHERE IS THE REGULATOR/Rectifier LOCATED???? I have the battery box removed, there is no large white connector down there, Have the side covers pulled off and cant see anything that looks like the rectifier.. Even my Clymer Manual says how to remove it but does not say where it is located,.. Thanks again Ill update as it progresses,... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiCarl Posted October 9, 2013 Share #8 Posted October 9, 2013 Parts fiche shows it behind the radiator. Hopefully it's actually below the radiator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrinGT Posted October 9, 2013 Author Share #9 Posted October 9, 2013 Yup got it out, Now checking the for the plugs,. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hucklecatt Posted October 10, 2013 Share #10 Posted October 10, 2013 Please keep us up to date as to what happens with this episode. My 1996 has a way of smelling like rotten eggs (sulfur) when I am winding it up. I know this to be at least a bad regulator, and I understand our bikes were known to have this issue. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrinGT Posted October 10, 2013 Author Share #11 Posted October 10, 2013 Update, I did all of the wire tests, The Wires are all good, the stator is putting out 50 to 100 amps, the connectors are all good,.. I got in a used R/R, got it installed and we have the same problem. Dropping voltage as I rev it up. At Idle it is 13.4V, rev it up and it drops to 12.5.. back to square one,... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrinGT Posted October 10, 2013 Author Share #12 Posted October 10, 2013 FIXED,.. So I took my bad R/R up to my buddy Mike who owns All Parts Bike ATV and Snowmobile repair shop just up the road from my car lot. Yesterday he said he could get in a universal one for me would take a day. I wanted to see if we could get one in quicker, since that still seems to be the culprit. Turns out he cant, still would not get one till Noon tomorrow, We want to leave at 11,..So He looks at it and yells to his buddy, Hey where is that RR that we took off that Yamaha Snowmobile,..? Pulls one off the shelf that is exactly the same as my old one,,,just no Pig Tail on it. He says give it a try,... Went back to the shop, had to loosen up a ty wrap to get another 1/2 inch of play in the wiring harness, Plugged right in, bolted it to the bike, and it WORKS! Headed back to All Parts, gave him $40.00, and we are good to go! This is awesome because there would have been no other say to get another R/R today! Thanks again for all of the input on this guys, Especially GeorgeS who allowed me to give him a call and walk me through the process, Truly a great bunch of guys here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrinGT Posted October 11, 2013 Author Share #13 Posted October 11, 2013 Scratch That,...NOT FIXED,....It quit charging on the way home tonight, did a couple of electrical glitches,...so we are not taking the bike tomorrow. The Cottage is already paid for, we are going with 4 couples with there bikes, so we are taking the wife's Jetta TDI instead. Just cant trust the bike and I don't want to spend another day working on it,. We will be able to pack what we want, follow our friends on their bikes, and get better fuel mileage than the bike. We will just make the best of it hanging out with our friends. Ill tear it back apart next week,... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankd Posted October 11, 2013 Share #14 Posted October 11, 2013 I suspect that you have a stator with an intermittant short or gound. My 83 had the same thing a couple of years ago. I tested the regulator, and found it was good. I disconnected the stator wires from the regulator and hooked up three 120V-75W light bulbs to the stator. When the bike was first started, all 3 were equal. After a minute or so at about 3,000 rpm, 2 of the light bulbs went dimmer and the third stayed bright. This let me know that I did have a bad stator. Here is a picture of one light hooked to the stator, just connect the other two to the other stator lead combinations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrinGT Posted October 19, 2013 Author Share #15 Posted October 19, 2013 I suspect that you have a stator with an intermittant short or gound. My 83 had the same thing a couple of years ago. I tested the regulator, and found it was good. I disconnected the stator wires from the regulator and hooked up three 120V-75W light bulbs to the stator. When the bike was first started, all 3 were equal. After a minute or so at about 3,000 rpm, 2 of the light bulbs went dimmer and the third stayed bright. This let me know that I did have a bad stator. Here is a picture of one light hooked to the stator, just connect the other two to the other stator lead combinations. Yup Very good possibility,..Thanks for the help I will be working on the bike over the winter and will dig into it the, Right now it looks like our riding is done for a whle so I am not in a big hurry to get it fixed..I have all winter now,.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrinGT Posted October 19, 2013 Author Share #16 Posted October 19, 2013 Quick Update,.. Last Friday when Lori and I decided we were going on our trip with the VW Jetta TDI, Instead of the bike, We met the other riders (3 couples all on bikes) at our friends at 10 AM, at their house,. Well,.. They decided that we needed to be on 2 wheels for this trip, not 4,...I agreed but our bike was not trustworthy,.. They had already called our friends who own a 2004 Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad 1500 that weren't able to go on this trip and lined up for us to use that bike. Very nice of all party s involved. So we went to their house, picked up the bike, went back to out house, repacked everything Bike Style and headed our on our new weekend ride to meet up with the gang again. So overall it was a great weekend the Cottage was right on the lake, had 3 good days of riding and one good day of hanging at the Cottage with great friends,.. One Problem The Nomad gave me 42 to 45 MPG! Mine gives me 33 tops,.. Usually closer to 30,..so now I will be on a quest for better fuel mileage when working on the bike this winter,.. More to come,. Thanks again guys for the input,.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etcswjoe Posted February 14, 2014 Share #17 Posted February 14, 2014 Did you ever fix the issue? I am having the same problem now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrinGT Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share #18 Posted February 15, 2014 Did you ever fix the issue? I am having the same problem now. Hey Joe, I am replacing the Stator and Regulator this winter as part of a Upgrade Project of sorts. I have not ridden the bike since this happened, just working on it. Hope to have the Stator and Regulator installed in a week or so. Here is the link to that thread: http://venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=83141&highlight=makeover Sorry I cant be more help yet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etcswjoe Posted February 15, 2014 Share #19 Posted February 15, 2014 Thanks, Like what you are doing to your bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pofarm Posted February 17, 2014 Share #20 Posted February 17, 2014 I had the same problem. The voltage dropped off as the rpms rose. I tapped into the regulator output wires (red and black wires) at the regulator by soldering in 12 gauge wires and ran the new wires to the battery terminals, red to positive through a 30 amp fuse, and black to negative. Leave the original wiring in place. This solved my problem. Another thing that can cause the problem is the stator wiring plug. It is a white plug with the three yellow stator wires connected through it. It is located in front of the battery box, down low. Kind of hard to get to. These are notorious for corroding and losing connection. The connection can get bad enough to melt the plug. If this is your problem the best remedy is to cut the plug out and solder the wires, covering them with shrink tubing. If either of these are your problem, a new stator or regulator isn't going to fix it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G in SC Posted February 17, 2014 Share #21 Posted February 17, 2014 Joe, (and good stuff on Pofarm.) If you run out of resources, might call Al in Sumter and have a chat. Between him and Matt, may have some ideas. (But they will start at SQ 1, so have your list ready.) Mike G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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