[hockeydad33]

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Well , I was on my way to the Davis Rally and I noticed my el cheapo voly meter was only showing about 10-11.1 volts. As I was slowing down I hit the kill switch put it back in the on position and tried the starter button it would not turn the engine over at all. Popped the clutch to restart it and headed for home. Bike ran great the whole way (about 35-40 miles). Now I need to determine ifthe stator is not charging or if the battery is dead. Did a search and read the testing methods so I am good to go there. Was wondering if the battery was the culprit and the stator was good would the volt meter still show low? The volt meter is just an el cheapo that plugs into the lighter receptical to give me a heads up if there is a charging problem. (it did its job) I don't expect it to give me an exact readout. I am sure hoping the stator is still good. I had done the hard wiring as soon as I got the bike. Thanks, Randy

 

[Jason]

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If the battery is bad the meter will still read the output from the alternator. Get a loan of a good meter and check it again.

 

[exavid]

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I'd bet your voltmeter is telling the awful truth, but there is a chance the failure is in the wiring or the rectifier/regulator or possibly a shorted cell or two in the battery. Check out the battery first since it's the easiest to do something about.One problem now is that you can't easily disconnect the stator to check the windings. You could check the voltage with a sharp probe on a voltmeterwhile the stator is connected to the bike. You will probably find a lower voltage since the coils will be under load. The hitch is that if you find one or more dead it willprobably be necessary to cut the wires free again to get a better look.

 

[ccsailor]

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The above is correct bbut iif the battery is hkaput it may not register the correct charging voltage pull the batt trickle charge overnight and remeasure batt voltage before installing back in bike.

If batt voltage OK start looking at stator and or regulator

 

[hockeydad33]

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Sad,sad news. Charged the battery and the charger tested the battery, it seems ok. Took afull charge and put it back in the bike. Ran the bike, took the + side cable off as it was running. Showed only 3 - 4 volts as the bike was running at 4000rpm. Decided I had to pull the stator wires apart. Ran the bike and checked between the wires 17 volts, 17 volts and about 35 volts. Ohmed it out and0 ohms between all the wires and0 ohms from all the wires to ground. I think my riding days are done for the season. I know about the car alternator but where that is supposed to mount there is a large canistor of some kind with wires and a vacum line from one of the carbs. It might be for the markland cruise control the PO has on the bike. Not sure where I could remount it. I am really sick to my stomach. If I am doing something wrong here feel free to chime in and point me in the right direction. I only hope I am doing something wrong and it really isn't the stator. It ran fine when I put it away and when I next started it this. What a b---h.

 

[hockeydad33]

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Couldn't believe the readings so went out and did them again. Volts were about the same. 17, 24 and 35 volts. 0 ohms between the wires and 4 ohms from wires to ground (- post on battery). Does this mean what I think it does?

 

[twisty]

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hockeydad33 wrote:

Couldn't believe the readings so went out and did them again. Volts were about the same. 17, 24 and 35 volts. 0 ohms between the wires and 4 ohms from wires to ground (- post on battery). Does this mean what I think it does?

hockeydad33, there is something skewed in your findings there.. You might want to verify your voltmeter/ohmmeter settings or make sure you are reading it correctly.

I seriously doubt you have 0 ohms between the wires with output readings of 17, 24, 35 volts. You will have show some resistance,, with 0 ohms you wouldn't even have that kind of voltage. Also I haven't EVER seen all 3 wires ohm out exactly thesame.

ARE YOU SURE you have disconnected (orcut) the 3 yellow wires running to the front (just in front of the battery)?

Are you using the AC (alternating current scale) on the voltmeter & using the 100 volt scale?

Are you testing for AC voltage BETWEEN the 3 wires?

Are you reading in Ohms, K ohms, or M ohms? What scale is your meter set on?

Maybe borrow a different voltmeter..

MAKE DARN sure the 3 yellow wires coming from the rear of the engine are trimmed back to GOOD CLEAN wire.. If you are testing on oxidised wire you will get crazy readings.

Something doesn't smell right there..

Twisty

 

[ccsailor]

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Was that 4 ohms between any wire and ground????? Don't use the batt negative put the other end off meter direct to engine case and measuse one yellow lead at a time

have a look at my much plagerized post and go thru the steps

If this reading is right again bad news

GL1200 Stator Testing

By Neil









Get a digital voltmeter that measures A/C and DC as well as resistance

Pull battery cover (left side) off and put bike on centre stand



Have battery load tested at battery shop if OK charge overnight measure DC volts straight across battery after charge should be about 13.5-13.9 VDC Reinstall battery.

On the left side of the battery you will see three yellow wires either going to a plug or wired straight thru by previous owner


Disconnect the plug OR cut the three yellow wires one at a time VERY important ONE at a time mark wiresA; B: C; You have to disconnect to get true readings. If left connected a lot of other problems could mislead you. Clean wires leading to stator by about ½ inch. You will be soldering later



Start The bike



This will not hurt the bike in anyway. It will run on the battery

Put meter on A/C scale across any combination A-B;B-C;A-C rev bike to 3000 RPM. You should see 45 to 60 volts A/Cacross any of above combination

If OK shut bike offmeasure on resistance scale (50K is good) from each of three wires to ground It should be infinite EG open must not have any shorts to ground

Measure from A-B; B:-C; A:-C; measurement should be in the vicinity of 1.2 ohms on any of the legs

If all measurements are ok (volts and resistance)your stator is good



Bad News Scenarios



1 A/C volts under 40 V A/C (with wires disconnected and at 3000 RPM)

2 Any leg A: B: or C: shorted to ground (Low or no resistance to ground)

3 Any combination A:-B: B:-C: A:-C: open (infinite resistance)



If stator is bad you may consider the alternator alternative See separate post on that subject

Or it entails pulling engine to replace stator



Ifyou havethe plug cut it out and solder each of the three yellow wires straight thru cover with heat shrink. Follow wiring all the way down to where it enters engine(under sleeve) just to make sure there are no other hidden splices (throw the plug at the neighbour’s cat or some thing it’s a piece of crap)



While you are in the area it is recommended that you change the fuseable link (30 amp main fuse) to a heavy-duty fuse holder with bayonet style fuses. These old fuses have a tendency to corrode and fail at the worst times leaving you with a dead bike



Start bike with meter still attached to battery voltage will go down while cranking over but should come back up to 13 VDC plus when you rev bike turn on Hi Beams volt should drop slightly but still be over 13 VDC if not e.g. 11 to 11.5 dc replace regulator 10 min job (lots on ebay)

 

[exavid]

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ccsailor wrote:

have a look at my much plagerized post and go thru the steps

I'm hoping this is just a bit of misspelled humor, all these steps of checking the stator and charging system have been discussed by several on this forum long before June 2005

 

[exavid]

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hockeydad33 wrote:

Couldn't believe the readings so went out and did them again. Volts were about the same. 17, 24 and 35 volts. 0 ohms between the wires and 4 ohms from wires to ground (- post on battery). Does this mean what I think it does?

I suspect your resistance readings as Twisty does, you can't generate ANY voltage across a fully shorted coil.You might have had your ohmmeter on too high a resistance scale. It doesn't look good for your stator if you had your meter set for AC volts, there's too much variation between windings.

There's been a lot of discussion on the pros and cons of replacing the stator with a new (and perhaps improved) unit or modifying the bike with an automobile alternator. Both cost nearly the same to do, the auto conversion doesn't require removing the engine but will need a bit of tinkering while the stator replacement is a straight forward job. There are descriptions of both by fellows who've done both on the forum, do some searching and decide.

 

[Wendell]

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I recently replaced my stator with one from Electrolux. It was about 1/2 the cost of the OEM from Honda and Electrolux boosts that it puts out about 20% more. The job was kinda scary taking it apart, but was fairly easy to re-assemble.

 

[hockeydad33]

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I had checked the precious posts and tried to follow the posted guidelines. The meter I used was a snap-on digital meter that automatically sets itself (how I don't know) so I can't set it manually to redo the check. Might as well go buy one for myself and redo the tests. I was confused by the readings also and that is why I was posting the readings. Will get the meter yet today and retry the checks. Thanks everyone. Randy

 

[twisty]

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hockeydad33 wrote:

I had checked the previous posts and tried to follow the posted guidelines. The meter I used was a snap-on digital meter that automatically sets itself (how I don't know) so I can't set it manually to redo the check. Might as well go buy one for myself and redo the tests. I was confused by the readings also and that is why I was posting the readings. Will get the meter yet today and retry the checks. Thanks everyone. Randy

Randy, most of those auto tracking meters can be set toa desired scale but some are not that easy to figure out how to do it (probably hold a function button down until it beeps or something similar).. It really doesn't matter as the reading you obtained was probably followed by either a K or an M or maybe the Omega SIGN.

You really don't need much of a meter to do the tests. I have a high dollar digital Fluke for very exact readings but have a few el-cheapo DVOM's that I carry in each bike & even have one in my truck's tool kit. I believe I paid about $4.50 for the cheapest of the bunch from Harbor Freight. Those cheap meters will work just fine for a basic stator test & don't seem to show much difference than my high end meter. You probably should stick with a digital meter as the analogs are a little harder to test with unless you are familiar with the operation & use of the analog.

BE SURE YOU HAVE THOSE YELLOW WIRES DISCONNECTED FROM THE FRONT before testing.. Also allow the engine to rev up for a few minutes as it usually takes a short while for the stator to begin output after reving the engine. If your first tests showed the low reading first, then the mid reading, then the high reading last,suspect you didn't give it enough time to spool up before the test..

Added,, when checking the resistance of the stator wires don't use your fingers to hold the probes on the wires (you can hold one but not both), just the resistance of your body & damp fingers will show some resistance.

Twisty

 

[hockeydad33]

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Well I wentand purchased a digital multimeter and redid the tests. With the meter set at it lowest ohm setting (200) the resistance read about.7 on every leg triple checked (this is with the key off, correct?) Voltage readbetween 18 on one leg to 28 on the highest leg. Ohm reading wires to ground were .9, .7, .6 again set on the 200 (lowest scale). Does this sound like I am doing it right? I am a real idiot when it comes to electrical as you can tell. I did get rid of my previous solder joints and measured at the original yellow wires in case there was a bad solder joint.

 

[twisty]

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hockeydad33 wrote:

Well I wentand purchased a digital multimeter and redid the tests. With the meter set at it lowest ohm setting (200) the resistance read about.7 on every leg triple checked (this is with the key off, correct?) Voltage readbetween 18 on one leg to 28 on the highest leg. Ohm reading wires to ground were .9, .7, .6 again set on the 200 (lowest scale). Does this sound like I am doing it right? I am a real idiot when it comes to electrical as you can tell.

Randy, you did the tests on JUST the 3 pigtails coming from the rear of the engine correct? The wires were DEFINITELY disconnected from the front of the bike?

Those resistance readings are sort of consistent with the front wires still being hooked up.

IF so, you have a stator problem & will have to address that..

I did get rid of my previous solder joints and measured at the original yellow wires in case there was a bad solder joint.

Does this mean the wires were CUT APART for the tests? If not they MUST BE.. They cannot be soldered to the front wires or the test will be inaccurate..

Twisty

 

[hockeydad33]

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Twisty,

Yes sir, they were cut apart for the test. Iwas just making reference to getting back to good wires to do the test since I maybe didn't do a good soldering job. I really do appreciate your patience and persistance in helping me get this sorted out. I was afraid it was the stator but a guy can always hope. I was surprised it happened just sitting or maybe I didn't notice it the last time I rode it. I was taking my wife out for dinner the last time I rode it and we were listening to some good music, had a nice dinner and a nice ride home. Looks like that is over for now. Not sure what I am going to do now. As much problems as I have doing the simple things you guys help me with I seriously doubt I could pull an engine and put it back in. Don't really know anyone around who has that ability either. Don't know if it is worth paying a dealer to do it. It only has 32500 miles on it and the paint is in really good shape. Has alot of extra chrome but no extra lights (I had taken the light bar off that goes around the back of the bike just for this very reason - didn't want to hurt the stator.) What to do oh what to do. Guess I will sleep on it and decide later. I really do appreciate all of the help. Randy

 

[Rod]

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Hi I'm just reading of your plight As the ex prez said "I feel your pain" only I really do. I just finished paying for a new stator installed.....OucH anyway I read you had a cruise control installed and in reading in thisgreat site somewhere Isaw that a blownfuse on a speed control had caused his bike from charging....... ( you hope )... And If I'm not mistaken the stator puts out approx 50 volts AC on all three prongs of the dreaded yellow plug ( I could be wrong ) so you should not be checking for DC..........again there's plenty o people here can tell you much more than me...But check that fuse---Rod :cooldj: best of luck inyour future

 

[hockeydad33]

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Rod, I will check for a blown fuse and I was checking AC and continuity. Just for a reference would you mind sharing how much you paid to have a stator put in your bike? Thanks for your concern. Randy

 

[johnmac]

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Randy, You have one of the problems I have. I too have an add on cruse control. The throttle control is mounted where the alternator needs to go. I saw somewhere on the internet an alternator install that was on the right side. The pulley on the crank will need to extend farther out to clear the right side timing cover and you may need to make your own bracket.

Does your cruse work OK? Mine wanders and will gradually drop speed. The check valve in the vacumm canister leaks a bit and causes a chirping sound at idle sometimes. It's on a '85 1200A.

 

[twisty]

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hockeydad33 wrote:

Twisty,

Yes sir, they were cut apart for the test. Iwas just making reference to getting back to good wires to do the test since I maybe didn't do a good soldering job. I really do appreciate your patience and persistance in helping me get this sorted out. I was afraid it was the stator but a guy can always hope. I was surprised it happened just sitting or maybe I didn't notice it the last time I rode it. I was taking my wife out for dinner the last time I rode it and we were listening to some good music, had a nice dinner and a nice ride home. Looks like that is over for now. Not sure what I am going to do now. As much problems as I have doing the simple things you guys help me with I seriously doubt I could pull an engine and put it back in. Don't really know anyone around who has that ability either. Don't know if it is worth paying a dealer to do it. It only has 32500 miles on it and the paint is in really good shape. Has alot of extra chrome but no extra lights (I had taken the light bar off that goes around the back of the bike just for this very reason - didn't want to hurt the stator.) What to do oh what to do. Guess I will sleep on it and decide later. I really do appreciate all of the help. Randy

Randy, in your case with that low mileage on the bike your stator was probably damaged either by that 3 wire plug melting & allowing the inner terminals to short together, OR if that area never got that bad probably due to old age or acid in the engine oil eating the stator wire coating away. (the original stators were none too insulated so dirty oil can damage the stator coating).. Adding extra lights usually doesn'tdamage the stator but can lead to depleted batteries.

If you still want to ride, it sounds like your stator still has a little output so maybe add a second battery in one of the side bags just wired to the starter & ign coils & run the remainder on the main battery. With charging the battery's between uses it might allow for some long rides without any problems.

Pulling that engine isn't a real big deal but you must have a little mechanical experience & the correct tools.. Probably the biggest thing you will face is where everything goes back on if it's apart for a while.

You could add an external alternator but in my estimation that is as much or more work than pulling the engine..

Twisty