help, 1500 not charging battery and other electrical issues

[TXtycoon]

Thanks for all the posts, I will try all suggestions and get back to you.

[Troll]

AC voltage is critical with any fully rectified ac generator...which is what you and every car made in the last 50 years has...BUT there is one thing that all of these systems HAS to have that yours might be lacking...if the wiring to the battery terminal is missing/open, no matter how well the system works, if the power can't return to charge the battery, you get nothing...and if the ground to the system is open, you get nothing. John gave you some simple voltage checks to do, so here is where you do them. If the wiring is damaged, there is NO REASON to replace the whole harness, just find the problem and FIX IT!!!

[John Hopkins]

I'm going to guess that you have a J1 drifter with only three wires coming from the alternator/stator..
This is the way to test the charging system.

Buy a $10 Digital multimeter from Home Depot..

Set the meter to DC volts and connect it across the battery terminals with the black meter lead to the - terminal and the red meter lead to the + terminal.. read the voltage..with a good battery you should get 12.6 volts dc.. now leaving the red lead connected to the battery move the black lead to the metal of the engine and frame, you should read exactly the same voltage as across the battery.. if you don't the electrical supply is not grounded correctly and you can cure this by checking for loose ground wires or by running a new ground wire from the - terminal of the battery to and bare metal of the frame or engine.

Now start the engine and read the voltage again, the voltage should increase to about 13.2 volts dc.. increase the engine speed by turning the throttle until it is about 3k revs or three times the idle speed..The voltage should increase to between 13.5 volts and 14.8 volts dc.

If it doesn't increase at all the charging system is faulty, if it increases to over 14.8 volts dc the rec/reg is faulty.

With the engine running set the meter to ac volts and locate the connector from the alternator, this has three yellow wires, pull it apart.. one part goes to the alternator and the other part goes to the rec/reg..look at the connector for discoloration due to overheating.. at the part of the connector that goes to the alternator carefully measure the voltage across any two pins.. expect between 20 volts ac and 90 volts ac, depending on the revs..if you have that repeat the test on the other two pairs of wires..(three wires = three pairs to measure) You have already done the last test which is to switch off the engine and reset the meter to ohms/resistance and measure between each of the yellow wires and ground.. it should read the same as if you kept the meter leads apart..(note that if you hold or touch the meter probes with your fingers you will measure your body resistance.

John.

[tgoelz]

OK, I'm not sure if this is going to help you or not  ... a couple years ago, I had a problem with my '05 Drifter and it sounds like you symptoms sound a lot like what happened with my "Luke the Drifter".  I took it to the shop and they replaced my rectifier, stator, fuse (junction box) and still it would not charge the battery.  We talked about it and thought it might be the main wiring harness.  I asked them to order one from Kawasaki but it was on back-order (for 3 months ... and this was in the middle of summer ... prime riding time).  So, I went out and bought one on eBay and had it shipped to the dealership.  It turns out that the harness was the problem ... there was a null-end that had fried and caused an open (bad) end.  Once it was replaced I had no problems with the battery charging and rolled up over another 20K on him.  Not sure your problem is the same but it may be a point to check.  Good Luck

[Troll]

You need to check the AC output from the stator...and be sure the B+ terminal at the rectifier is connected to the battery... The light problems sound like a bad ground in the rear fender...check the plug on the left side for internal corrosion

[TXtycoon]

First time posting to this forum, sorry if I am in the wrong forum, but I am at a loss and need help. I have 3 issues that all showed up with in days, so I think there is a connection. Below are the issues and what I have done to diagnose.

2001 1500 drifter

1. The charge system is not charging the battery, thought it was the rectifier/regulator so I bought a new one, and replaced it, that didn't work. I pulled the stator out and visually inspected it, no signs of being burnt out. So next I put a multimeter on the stator, on the 3 lines coming out, every combination shows .09, then checked if it was grounding out on the frame, no issue there..... an now I am at a loss as to the next step... the repair manual doesn't go any deeper in depth.

2. The Speedo has stopped working until I turn the left or right blinkers, then the Speedo jumps up as the blinkers light up. Changed the blinkers relay... still same problem.

3. The blinkers blink real fast when used, but the strange part is that all front and back lights are working. However weather left or right blinkers, the tail light also flashes real fast with the blinkers when they are engaged.

Any help would be greatly appreciated... I can't finding anywhere online in any forum, someone having similar issues. But the main thing I really need resolved if the charge system.. please help.