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SHE STARTED! sort of

3K views 14 replies 5 participants last post by  niterider 
#1 ·
install my new R/R (got it off Ebay, from a Ninja 600) i needed all new wires from it to the harness too because the battery had leaked onto it completly corroding the plug, wires, and R/R.

anyhow, got my new starter solenoid wired up (THANKS!), fired her up...

and when you rev the motor, the headlight dims....

=/

bad wiring from the new R/R? it looks almost brand new. any idear where to start troubleshooting? got me fluke ready! ;)

thanks!
 
#3 · (Edited)
No, the light isn't suppose to come on until the bike turns over. There's a relay wired into one leg of the stator. Scroll down this page, http://tinyurl.com/dq2h7 and download the fault finding chart. That should help.
 
#4 · (Edited)
ok, so i get some time today to mess with the bike, turn the key on, hit the go button... and my batts dead.

so i know i am looking for a short right?!? and not a stator/rectifier issue?

thanks! electronics are NOT my specialty. I just know to try and keep the smoke in the wires. ;)

EDITED, batt is charged now and it starts intermitently. i think that is a contact issue with the new starter solenoid.

question i have now, i downloaded the fault finder chart, is reving the engine to 5k to test out all these issues gonna cause problems with the Stator if it is my R/R failing?
 
#5 ·
Ok, let's try something simple. Get the bike running. You'll need clips for the voltmeter or someone to hold the leads on the battery. Anyway, you need to measure the voltage at 2500rpm. It has to be 13.5 volts or more. If you get something like 12.6 or basically the same if not less than the battery voltage when the bike's off, the system isn't putting out any voltage. Could be the R/R, could be the stator. If the voltage at 5000 rpm is over 15.5, then the R/R has issues. Running the bike at 5000 rpm isn't going to hurt the R/R.
 
#6 ·
Revving the engine should cause the headlight to brighten slightly, if anything; if it's dimming, something's wrong somewhere.

Did you test the R/R before you put it in? Have you tested the stator? Have you doublechecked the new connections to the R/R; i.e., the correct wire to it's corresponding terminal? Cuz it sounds like sumpin' ain't hooked up right, or the stator or R/R ain't puttin' out...

Doublecheck all your ground and battery cable connections, too; starting intermittently with a charged battery sounds like a bad connection somewhere.

Jim
 
#7 · (Edited)
ok fellas, heres what i got.

12.9 volts unstarted
11.4 while starter is cranking
13.6 volts at the battery at 2500 rpm
13.6 volts at the battery at 5000 rpm

so im gonna start taking off elec connections one at a time and cleaning them.

pretty sure its not the R/R or Stator then though, correct?

EDITED:

so, in my quest to clean and grease all the electrical connections i found that when the cable from the starter solenoid to the starter is removed from the starter... the bolt that goes up into the starter spins freely. and when i mean spins, i mean you can push it in, pull it out (about 1/4'') and spin it in countless circles. its LOOSE. i can only assume based on my past experience with other vehicles that this is bad. certainly seems like it could be the cause of my starting problem, how about the lights?

EDITED AGAIN!

well, now the starter is turning over but REALLY slow, as if the batt was dying. voltage goes from 12.9 to 9.5 when i crank it so it looks like the load on the batt has increased substantially. for once i think i'd just like a bike that ran when i hit the go button. ;)
 
#8 ·
Is it a maintenance free battery?

Whether it is or not, you might want to get it load tested to find out if it may be the problem.
At 5000rpms, ya should get around 14+ volts.
I wouldn't think a loose bolt at the starter would be the cause of the dimming lights.

Like J.D. asked, have you checked the stator?
 
#9 ·
Ah, but it could be the cause for the excess load on the battery when trying to start it; you need to take it down and have it tested to be sure, because something could've gotten damaged inside by the bolt being loose. And, if it's still loose, you're not getting full juice to the starter.

I agree with Tim that it shouldn't cause the lights to dim when raising the rpm; its circuit shouldn't even be engaged while the motor is running.

Jim
 
#12 · (Edited)
Nope, I meant the stator.

(copied from a post from Cindy. Thanks Cindy)
There are three leads coming off the stator - they are yellow and hook up to the wiring harness, and eventually hook up to the regulator. There should be a bullet-connector (male metal end into female connector (metal inside, rubber outside)) that you can pull apart. Use your multimeter -set at ohms - and put the pos and neg leads from the multimeter on your stator leads. It doesn't matter which is on which, but you want to check all three across each other (LEAD 1 against 2; LEAD 1 against 3; LEAD 2 against 3, etc.).
They should be .34 to .52 ohms between any combination of the yellow wires.


To test the R/R.... (And thanks to Dianna for this one, which I copied from one of her posts...)

Check the resistance between the regulator/rectifier terminals
as follows...





Measure B to M - should read infinity
Measure B to G - should read infinity
Measure B to A1, A2, A3 - should read infinity
Measure M to B - should read > 10K ohm
Measure M to G - should read > 10K ohm
Measure M to A1, A2, A3 - should read > 10K ohm
Measure G to B - should read between 0.4 to 2K ohm
Measure G to M - should read between 1 to 5K ohm
Measure G to A1, A2, A3 - should read 0.2 to 0.6K ohm(200 to 600 ohm)
Measure A1, A2, A3 to B - should read 0.2 to 0.6K ohm(200 to 600 ohm)
Measure A1, A2, A3 to M - should read infinity
Measure A1, A2, A3 to G - should read infinity

If there is more resistance than the specified value, the unit has an
open lead and must be replaced. Much less than this resistance means
the unit is shorted, and must be replaced.
 
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