So I have been using a battery tender for the last 3-4 years to save my battery. It was my band-aid to the charging issue I have had for over ten years. I was buying batteries every year and that was getting old. If I remember correctly the stator was over 500 back then. I could get 3-5 starts out of my battery while out riding and then I would start to have issues. So I would ride to work and back then get her on life support before the next day and I'd have another 3-5 starts. It worked for quite a while. Until the tender died and now she needs surgery or at least some attention. Troll, I have seen you use the charging system check you wrote to help a few people that never got back to you with their findings. (I've seen two). I did 1/2 the test you mentioned on my own because if the engine runs faster you should create more juice. My motor/alternator would only put out .5 volt more with a reving engine which I had to jump off the mini van to even get started than with the motor off. So my Battery is dead and I still need to check the rectifier. But my thought and my concern is.... How much time and money would it take to change out an alternator. I'm an aircraft mechanic so while I can fix and trouble shoot hydraulic landing gear and flight controls, I don't have much experience with the inside of a motorcycle motor.
It's a simple permanent magnet "delta" wound stator system. If the stator coil resistance checks good, there is little left but the rotor and the rectifier. Changing the parts is pretty easy. You'll need a gasket for the system cover, and what ever you decide to replace. This is not a whole lot different from the alt. system on a car.
Please keep us posted on your findings. Good intel is good to have.
I'm working on getting a new battery. Tomorrow morning I'll be able to get into the stator and rectifier wiring to read them out.
So this is the stator test and resistance is high but good.
All of these read out good. So my stator and rectifier are good?? I still don't understand why my voltage while running is so low. The battery was shot when I did the voltage test. Would that suck up all my alternator voltage so I would be unable to read correct voltage?
Did you measure the a/c output with the engine running? What is the D/C voltage at the battery with the engine running? Should be 14.5 or so at idle. Mine goes to 15.2 @2000 rpm. see the instructions on page 15-29 about D/C and A/C output.
Quote from: stein69 on September 11, 2015, 11:10:40 AM
All of these read out good. So my stator and rectifier are good?? I still don't understand why my voltage while running is so low. The battery was shot when I did the voltage test. Would that suck up all my alternator voltage so I would be unable to read correct voltage?
The other answer to your question is - "yes" the dead battery (depending) can give you bad readings. Can't trust voltage readings when the battery is dead/bad. I've seen it a lot on cars- and assume the same is the same on bikes. The dead battery can be possibly taking all the current and your readings could be incorrect. Might want to install a good battery (you need one anyway, right) and retest....
"Did you measure the a/c output with the engine running? What is the D/C voltage at the battery with the engine running? Should be 14.5 or so at idle. Mine goes to 15.2 @2000 rpm. see the instructions on page 15-29 about D/C and A/C output." -Troll. I did this with a dead battery. I jumped the bike to get it running and then after I took the bike for a spin around the block I pulled the seat off while it was running and tested it! Not good! I came up with 11.5-12 volts. Then I tried to restart it after I shut it down and nothing, just clicking. So I'm looking at new batteries on Amazon and should have one by Tuesday! If a battery is all that I need... well I'm glad I bought a Kawasaki! --Stein
Yuasa YUAM6220C YTX20CH-BS Battery will this fit under the seat???
Yuasa YUAM6220C YTX20CH-BS Battery will this fit under the seat???
That's what I have. Same size as the 16 but more power.
Thanks guys. I have the battery on order and I will let you know the voltage test with a good battery when it gets in!
Just throwing this out there, but have you ever checked the frame ground
to make sure it is tight and clean.
aralph
Quote from: aralph on September 14, 2015, 21:22:59 PM
Just throwing this out there, but have you ever checked the frame ground
to make sure it is tight and clean.
aralph
This is the exact problem I had and needlessly went out and bought a new battery, before I discovered the real problem.
I just saw the idea about the ground and I will check that now! I hope that is it! I just put in the new battery it was 12.5 after autozone charged it. I don't have a tach but the voltage only went up .1 volt. I hope it's the ground!
With a good battery I was getting 12.7 volts above idle, high rpm above idle. Ran new ground to chassis from neg ground on the back of transmission. Tested AC out put at the three yellow wires while it was disconnected (troll suggested that in the beginning) and behold a reading I can definitely call bad. Max at high idle was 125vac. That's half what the book calls for. So my alternator is bad. Should I replace the stator or the rotor or both?
The stator leg that showed low output is the culprit. The rotor would effect all legs, and since it's a permanent rare earth magnet, unless the magnet is broken/missing, it's probably going to be ok.
Quote from: Troll on September 19, 2015, 14:44:04 PM
The stator leg that showed low output is the culprit. The rotor would effect all legs, and since it's a permanent rare earth magnet, unless the magnet is broken/missing, it's probably going to be ok.
When you say stator "leg" you mean the winding portions sticking out like Jugs on a recipe motor? the PN for the stator is 21003-0008 and Electrosport has it for 119$ is that about average for one of these?
Each winding of the stator is called a leg. There are three in all non commercial alternators, requiring 6 diodes, 2 per leg. Doesn't matter if one, two or all three are bad, you have to replace the whole assembly $120 sounds like a good deal. You will need a gasket for the cover, too Partzilla lists the price for the OEM stator at $339.80...so sounds like a deal to me. Gasket price...do not reuse the old one, you will regret it
11061A
GASKET,GENERATOR COVER,OUT
11061-1080
$15.47
$10.76
So the parts came in and I'm doing the work! First off the screws holding the mag pick up and the wire retainer are TIGHT, I broke them free with a pair of needle nose vise grips before I striped out the #2 phillips. Is there supposed to oil around there. I'm guessing about an ounce or two. So right now I'm wiping it all out and getting reading to reassemble everything. So is oil there ok and expected?
an hour later....
I reassembled everything and no crunching when I started it up so that is a bonus. I checked my voltage from my battery tender leads just to see what I had at elevated speed and the same indications. 12.66 volts up to 12.75. So I disconnected the alternator wire and read what it was pushing out. it read 22.23 which is really low so I started messing with the range and it was read the same. I have to clean up and run over the mother in laws for a bit. I'll check back in a bit! --Stein