gen 1 charging

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keith eacott

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Joined
Aug 14, 2022
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wallaroo, south australia
I have just replaced my regulator/rectifier because of over charging. Now it is registering 14/15 volts, but the white wires from the r/r are getting very hot, any suggestions?
 
Check the connector between the stator and main loom. Poor connection there can lead to burning.
Provided the connectors are clean and tight there will be no issues but if burnt or over heated then replacement (IMO best solution) or soldering the wires will be required.
 
Heat is a sign of high resistance in the circuit. and as MaxMidnight mentioned, a known issue is the 3 wires from the stator to the R/R. The molex nylon 3-lead plug develops brown, powdery deposits, and can fail structurally. It's not uncommon to have that nylon plug fall-apart into brown and blackened powder.

One way of dealing with it is to solder the wires at the plug, clipping-off the nylon plug. Another way is to use some dielectric grease on the individual stripped leads once the nylon plug is removed, and to splice them together using marine-grade glue-inside, heat shrink tubing. The idea is that in areas of vibration, a soldered joint may fail because of the vibrations causing the soldered joints to break.

That said, I've soldered wires on bikes before, and I cannot recall seeing one of my soldered joints fail due to vibration. If you're a Harley-Davidson guy, you may not be able to make the same statement. Parallel-twins like Norton Commandos, the DOHC Honda CB450, going back-to the 'original 'turtle tank' model; Triumphs, BSA's and others of that engine configuration often had electrical components fail due to vibration. You pays yer money, an' you takes yer chances.
One of the primary things to do when dealing with ongoing electrical gremlins, is to remove your system grounds, and to make the connections shiny and bright. A generous dollop of dielectric grease will help stop/delay ongoing corrosion. A system needs all grounds well-landed to whatever points of attachment you have. On the VMax the one by the oil filler is the primary ground. There's another smaller-gauge ground wire on the right side of the bracket beneath the faux gas tank cover, which holds the latch for the faux gas tank.

Pics below courtesy of new member evillaveces, who did those grounds re-landings with resolution of his electrical issues.

1723817116705.png 1723817137386.png
 
Remove the plug between the stator and the regulator. Securely solder the wires. AC output doesn't require them to connect any specific way, just solder the 3 sets making sure you don't have a short to ground. As long as you have your soldering gun out, make up a couple wires (heavier gauge than cheesy little hook up wire .) and run positive and negative from the regulator directly to the battery. This mod alone gave me almost half a volt better charging voltage at the battery. Put a 15amp fuse inline the positive wire, just in case ....
 
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