mattmullins
Well-Known Member
My bike charges between 12.2 vlts at idle and 12.9-13.3 vlts at 2000 rpms is my stator going bad
charging issue
- Thread starter mattmullins
- Start date
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firefly
Well-Known Member
Check & clean RR connections, the three white wires to stator and the red and black wires. you should be getting 14+ at 2000 RPMs.
getting 13.3 volts mean the stator & RR are working, its just bad grounding & not so clean connectors. make sure your battery is fully charged.
I had similar problems then I did a little mod which fixed it, now over 1500 rpm I am getting 14.28 volts, the mod requires cutting the +ve & -ve connectors of the RR, see diagram. DO NOT connect the black RR wire directly to the battery, attach it to a good grounding spot on the frame.
Use 30 amp fuse as close as possible to the battery when connecting the red RR wire.
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mattmullins
Well-Known Member
Where is the r/r located
firefly
Well-Known Member
The RR is located behind the left passenger foot peg, some times the mating area of the foot peg rusts and binds a little so use a rubber mallet if needed to remove the foot peg, that said to access the RR +ve & -ve wires they are located behind the left side cover, you will also find 3 white wires with a connector, these are the stator to RR input, check & clean them.
sdt354
Well-Known Member
Cleaning the connections and battery condition are a great way to start. There are great threads on this site for testing the stator and RR, and the crimp fix. The RR'S a common problem on the older Vmax's. The mating area Firefly memtioned is the ground for the older units. Newer style RR's are a good upgrade. Most of us with older bikes have been through this. I'm getting just under 14 volts with everything on. I'm using a late 90's OEM RR.
Steve-o
Steve-o
mattmullins
Well-Known Member
I have a 1990
firefly
Well-Known Member
Even the old RR will work if you find a way to attach an extra grounding wire to its body & ground it to the frame.
the current flows from -ve to +ve so grounding is crucial, cleaning the mating surface of the RR and the corresponding surface in the foot peg holder will also improve grounding, & put some dielectric grease on them.
if all fails get the newer kind RR. another option is the R1 RR but you have to find a place to relocate it & extend the wiring.
I don't think your RR or stator are defective or failing, do these fixes first & see if it helps or not before getting new parts.
All these fixes that are being mentioned will help like they did with my 89. I have an Odyssey Battery now but an older R&R. My battery reads 12.9 volts after sitting over night. R&R never gets to 14 volts output either...
mattmullins
Well-Known Member
OK did all that started it was at 13.7 v and then dropped to 12.7 at 2000 rpms bad stator?
Not necessarily. Do the fault finding diagram that is a sticky in the Electrical section.
mattmullins
Well-Known Member
At idle stays at 12.1-12.3 won't. Go any higher then 12.7 at 2000rpms when I first start it it will go to 13.7 and then drops to 12.7 full charge on battery
firefly
Well-Known Member
are you using a high wattage headlight bulb?, try to remove the headlight fuse and check the voltage, it could be bad headlight connection causing too much resistance. did you check & clean stator connectors?
mattmullins
Well-Known Member
Took out the headlight fuse was at 13.7 that's what it use to be I think its just getting week put fuse in it dropped to 12.9v
RaWarrior
Well-Known Member
Possibly. Check the voltage with a cold motor, then ride for a while and check it again after the motor is fully warmed up. If the voltage is a lot lower, the stator is bad, replace it.
Honestly, ditch the crappy stock shunt style R/R. Shunt rectifiers suck and they all go bad eventually. Either get a new style (finned) from Python, or do the R1/sportbike R/R mod. The challenge with a sportbike R/R is finding a place to put it. If you convert to COPs, the rear coil mounting plate is a perfect spot. Here's the kicker....you can buy a set of COPs and a mosfet(modern style) sportbike R/R for less than a stock replacemen r/r
I had bad voltage, tried all the tricks (crimp fix, eliminating connectors, wiring directly to battery), which did help a bit, but the voltage would never stay where it should be...always worked back down to 12.5 or so. I replaced the R/R with one off a ZX14($30 on ebay), had perfect voltage cold but back to 12.5 with a hot motor. Replaced the stator($150 HD Venture stator from Rick's), zero issues now.
I have new style RR in stock $ 68 bucks & can get the Ricks stators for decent deals if needed.
mattmullins
Well-Known Member
How much for the stator
firefly
Well-Known Member
I heard that Venture stators produce more juice, maybe something to consider.
mattmullins
Well-Known Member
Sanded down everything nothing worked. Took everything Apart put back together charges at 14v what ever its working
firefly
Well-Known Member
Finally you got 14 volts :clapping:, oxidation of connectors really mess up grounding. but what exactly did you take apart & put back?
