|
Post by everydaybiker on Nov 16, 2008 17:16:47 GMT -5
Just a couple of observations as a result of a breakdown of my spare bike on the M4 early in the morning last week Battery started to get a bit low a couple of days previous, getting a charge voltage within spec but didn't seem to be quite enough for 3 hours of lights-on riding, then the other morning it ran flat and we eventually chugged to halt. On later investigation I found two corroded / broken wires at the reg / rec end of the yellow alternator wires. A previous owner somewhere down the line had put spade connectors in and not sealed them up sufficiently. Plus the connections were so close to the r/r that there was no possibiity of a repair. Fortunately I had a spare r/r with good wiring. More importantly, these wires go into a block connector which sits on the swinging arm underneath the rear shock, where it picks up all the crud you can imagine. On disconnecting the block it was also full of corrosion and had melted quite badly, to the extent that it could have caused a fire. Not a nice prospect unless you particularly want a 'flaming crotch'!! The connector and wiring was a write-off so I had to re-wire from the alternator to the r/r to fix the problem. I have now routed the new (longer) wiring above the back of the engine under the fuel tank which is a much cleaner, drier place for it to live. With hindsight I'm surprised the alternator managed to get any current at all through to the r/r, so it's well worth a visual check on your bike before anything potentially goes wrong.
|
|
|
Post by hubcap on Nov 17, 2008 7:44:04 GMT -5
I had a similar problem, my battery wasn't charging with my lights on, but was without or with sidelights. Swapped the r/r over, wiring and everything looked clean, but that didn't fix it. Turns out it had something to do with the block connector for the alternator wires going towards the r/r, cleaned out the connector but didn't help, took it completely out of the system and it's been fine ever since.
|
|
|
Post by everydaybiker on Nov 19, 2008 17:32:16 GMT -5
Yep, that's the one, the block connector is on the swinging arm. I was still getting some charge (13.5v or thereabouts) but after re-wiring 14.5v which is what the system needs to stay in a healthy state.
|
|
rhu
New Member
Posts: 3
|
Post by rhu on Jan 17, 2010 16:16:23 GMT -5
Hi I also am regulator/rectifier fun, the connections seem clean but the whole history. It started, as all good storys do, in the pub, a previous owner asked was the NTV still running well and like a fool I said yes, running like a clock. I forgot to touch wood!. A couple of days later the battery boiled, the r/r was knackered, voltage about 17v. Changed it a month later, cold weather and the bike didnt start so I blamed the boiling and replaced the battery, checked the volts and the new r/r was blown, giving about 17v again so changed it. Today after the bike has been layed up for a winter month it started and ran for a few seconds and stopped dead. Main fuse blown. Turns out that the r/r is trying to keep the voltage below 12v now, reads open on the meter but a wire from the battery to the red/white sparks (and pops 30A fuses) the meter reads open from the r/r case to the wires. Dose the case have to be earthed? any clues before I bolt in yet another r/r? By the way other than bending a spanner into a c shape is there any way of getting the front bolt out of the r/r? Thanks for any help
|
|
|
Post by Paul Mason on Jan 18, 2010 6:41:40 GMT -5
Hi MTU, sounds like you have either a short circuit, or a high resistance connection somewere (these can give very strange resule when using a voltmeter - readings seem OK until you try & draw current through the connector - I often double check with a 12v indicator bulb) Pretty sure the regulator doesn't have a seperate earth but uses the two green wires for this - check you can draw current through these wires in the loom (not the reg/rectifier unit). I will check on my bike tonight when I go home from work.
Hope this makes sense & helps.
Paul.
|
|
rhu
New Member
Posts: 3
|
Post by rhu on Jan 18, 2010 16:34:35 GMT -5
Thanks Paul I will re check my wiring using a bulb to draw some current. I removed the r/r and checked it directly on the battery, no wiring, and it was definitely drawing amps, after a warm night in the house I re checked it and now, surprise, it appears ok, it starts to shunt at about 15v which seems right allowing for my measuring error. I wonder if damp got in, I had just given the bike a good wash down before the fault appeared. I'm a bit miffed as the first one did 50k miles and not many of them were those mystical dry miles that I read about in second hand bike ads
|
|