[mrdwayne0405]

Hello everyone! Newbie here. I'm a newbie in all aspects related to y'all. This is my first bike, as well as my first post here.

First of all, a little background about the bike. I bought it knowing there'd be a little work on it.

1. Bought it for a steal, looks pretty good, and runs (sometimes...). My wife is not a motorcycle fan and has had to come bail me out twice this week...

2. Just rebuilt the carbs. Carbs 2 and 4 feel almost refrigerator cold shortly after cranking, even in 90 degree temps... warm up to normal after 10-15 minutes. Any clue here?

3. Did Ohm test on stator and it seems ok, but the battery doesn't hold a charge after running for a matter of minutes. It is a new battery...

4. The bike runs like a champ for about 7-8 miles, or up to normal temps, then just dies. No sputtering, popping, gagging... just gives up the metaphorical ghost. Sometimes after waiting 30 minutes or so, it'll crank back up, but usually requires a jump.

5. Is there a reason that the brakes seem to be snugging up, dragging just a little more than I'd like, after a few days of putting them back on?

Basically, I've been working on this thing over at my dads house off and on for the last month. It's been fix one problem, find another one... I think I need a cheer squad (preferably and beautiful one) to boost my morale into trying to continue working on this thing. Should I just polish a turd and sell it, or keep going? I am not the best mechanic, but can read and follow instructions pretty well. I don't know all the technical lingo either, but am a quick study. I just hate throwing on a part and hoping for the best. Any help/ pep talks?

 

[glhonda]

address your charging issue first. The most finely tuned engine isn't worth a plug if it won't start.
See this post, #5 by roscoe, and do the tests. If it needs a stator, you may not want to proceed.
http://www.goldwingfacts.com/forums...-forum/425642-stator-problem-not-86-wing.html

 

[mrdwayne0405]

Thanks

I'll check that out. I've got to pick up a multimeter. I borrowed one from a friend last time, but need one for myself.

 

[ErnieB]

Older bike

Wish you luck and don't want to be negative but I've been there and you could be getting into a real money pit. If you are thinking that you can get it on the road and reliable for a couple of hundred dollars you might want to rethink it. I do wish you luck.

 

[CaptainMidnight85]

Most problems can be cured by bringing all the maintenance up to date. ALL OF IT.

Priority #1 is to get a service manual.

How long did the bike sit before you got it, and what wasn't done to it prior to it being parked? THAT will say a lot for answering questions right there.

You can do it, but you need to get a priority list in order of importance. Bringing an old 'Wing back to a reliable life is worth it.

 

[mrdwayne0405]

I tested the stator tonight as per the directions from the other post. Everything seemed pretty good. I believe the stator is fine. Could the dying at random times like after getting up to running temps be from the coils? And is there a way to test them while still on the bike?

Service has been pretty much been taken care of. I'm not sure how long the bike sat before being parked. I bought it from a friend who owned a body shop who got it from a man who owed him money who got it from a friend out of state. I immediately bought a new battery, put new oil in.... Checked fluids, brakes were bone dry. Got those back working. Most general maintenance stuff. Like I said earlier, I'm a total newb to this world, what else needed to be done? Sorry to sound so ignorant, but I'm actually pretty ignorant when it comes to this.

 

[mrdwayne0405]

Maybe I was too optimistic when I started, cause I thought it would be done in a month or so. Oh we'll, live and learn!

 

[glhonda]

Has it been converted to electronic ignition?

 

[CaptainMidnight85]

Service has been pretty much been taken care of.

Well, what I mean by bringing all of the maintenance up to date is a bit misleading. for example: ...unplugging, then using a plastic bristle brush on plastic connectors using something like WD-40 or 3-in-1 oil for a cleaner, a wire brush and/or scotchbrite for the bullet connectors themselves using a solvent of some sort, pipe cleaners to get into hard to reach areas, then wiping wiring clean with a lube then solvent to get the lube off, then lubing bullets with dielectric grease before connecting them back together, and of course making any repairs along the way, etc., ...on each and every connection isn't necessarily spelled out in the service manual.

Old Goldwings that sit or go unridden develop wiring problems. More problems get traced back to a simple wire connection problem than many realize.

 

[mrdwayne0405]

Has it been converted to electronic ignition?

As far as I know it's still bone stock.

 

[mrdwayne0405]

Wish you luck and don't want to be negative but I've been there and you could be getting into a real money pit. If you are thinking that you can get it on the road and reliable for a couple of hundred dollars you might want to rethink it. I do wish you luck.

I retested the stator this weekend running and got it bouncing all over the place, with a very low reading... Sitting still and not running I got good readings, but running it was testing in 3-12 range, around 3000 rpm's. From what I understand, it should be testing more around 50 at 3000 rpm's, correct? I am probably purchasing another bike this week to ride while I decide what to do with this one. I'm afraid this stator is bad, and the coils ARE bad. When they warm up they go to pot... I'm not sure I want to keep dropping money into something that won't be worth what I have in it. Any advise?

 

[ebanjo]

Stator Test

1- First, put the bike on the centerstand. Cut the wires on both sides of the stator connector plug. Strip the insulation aprox. 1/2"-1" back on all three yellow wires. Label each wire A, B, and C.

2- With a multimeter, digital or analog, set to read resistance, check each leg to ground for short's. If no short's are found, (o resistance), you're good to go so far.

3- With the meter set to read resistance, check across each leg. A to B, B to C, then C to A. The reading's should be about 3 ohm's. If you read infinite resistance across any of the legs you have an open winding and the stator is bad. If they read good, keep going.

4- A helper is good to have for this next step. With the battery fully charged and the three yellow wire's separated so they cannot make contact, crank the bike. Have your helper rev the bike to 3000rpm after the bike warm's up.

IMPORTANT!!!

You are checking for AC voltage NOT DC voltage!! Make sure the meter is set to read a minimum of 120vac!!

With the bike at 3000rpm, check leg A to B. Note the voltage.

Then check leg B to C. Note the voltage.

Finaly check leg C to A. Note the voltage.

Compare the three readings. They should be between 50-70vac plus or minus about 5vac per leg. If they read good, chances are you've got a bad regulator.


(I also found a bad rectifier by testing the three wires going back to it in the same way as in the first section).

I get about 14 volts steady at 2500 rpm depending on battery condition.

 

[mrdwayne0405]

Thanks

Well, what I mean by bringing all of the maintenance up to date is a bit misleading. for example: ...unplugging, then using a plastic bristle brush on plastic connectors using something like WD-40 or 3-in-1 oil for a cleaner, a wire brush and/or scotchbrite for the bullet connectors themselves using a solvent of some sort, pipe cleaners to get into hard to reach areas, then wiping wiring clean with a lube then solvent to get the lube off, then lubing bullets with dielectric grease before connecting them back together, and of course making any repairs along the way, etc., ...on each and every connection isn't necessarily spelled out in the service manual.

Old Goldwings that sit or go unridden develop wiring problems. More problems get traced back to a simple wire connection problem than many realize.

I'll give that a shot. It never hurts to get things cleaned up nicely! Even if it doesn't "fix" the problem I have now, it may prevent problems in the future. Thanks for the advise!

 

[CaptainMidnight85]

IMPORTANT!!!
You are checking for AC voltage NOT DC voltage!! Make sure the meter is set to read a minimum of 120vac!!

Depends on the test being performed.
Stator DC Test (Steve has the meter set on autorange to 20Vdc):

 

[ebanjo]

Depends on the test being performed.
Stator DC Test (Steve has the meter set on autorange to 20Vdc):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOG_nmnRT5k

True

 

[mrdwayne0405]

Awesome

Depends on the test being performed.
Stator DC Test (Steve has the meter set on autorange to 20Vdc):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOG_nmnRT5k

Thank you so much for the video. I will do that test tonight to see if it works or not. I have decided against buying another bike... I'm gonna get this thing going if it's the death of me!

 

[Ansimp]

Try to avoid the death

 

[CaptainMidnight85]

How's this for a meter substitute ....

...if no meter or test light is available, get a pack of LED's; the basic RED ones. Inexpensive at radio shack.

You only need three, ...
Connect one leg to ground, the other to one of the three yellow wires.
Test each wire.

Your hope is that each LED blows like a fuse would. Would mean that stator leg is good. Test all three = three blown LED's = .

You get a one-legged LED that stays on? Well, that red light you're looking at is telling you something... :sadguy:

 

[mrdwayne0405]

Well crap...

Thank you so much for the video. I will do that test tonight to see if it works or not. I have decided against buying another bike... I'm gonna get this thing going if it's the death of me!

Well, I tested again... One leg is definitely bad.:lash:

So, another stupid question. I only will be riding to work and back for a while, (29 miles one way) after it's runnable that is. Two legs tested fine, and the battery was getting around 14.8+ volts while running. About how long do I have before I HAVE to replace the stator? I plan to upgrade the ignition system and replace the coils. That should fix one of the two major problems after cleaning all connections. What do you guys think?

 

[mrdwayne0405]

How's this for a meter substitute ....

...if no meter or test light is available, get a pack of LED's; the basic RED ones. Inexpensive at radio shack.

You only need three, ...
Connect one leg to ground, the other to one of the three yellow wires.
Test each wire.

Your hope is that each LED blows like a fuse would. Would mean that stator leg is good. Test all three = three blown LED's = .

You get a one-legged LED that stays on? Well, that red light you're looking at is telling you something... :sadguy:

That's a pretty good idea! I have a multimeter, but in a pinch that would work! And it's a no brainer! It would be the first time I hoped to blow a bulb!