| Author | Message | ||
     Natexlh1000 |
I went on a nice long trip south (Deal's gap woo hoo!) During this trip, I noticed that my voltmeter was indicating only one green LED instead of the usual two. I know that little $40 thing isn't lab grade or anything but It has me wondering if perhaps something is starting to go wrong. I put a proper fluke on the battery while it was running and it was 13.5 Volts. The bike starts and runs normally. The whole 3000 mile trip, the bike ran just perfectly even in torrential rains. Has anyone here noticed their kuryakin toy being "out of calibration"? | ||
| Ratbuell |
No but I've noticed changes in load (high beams, heated gear/grips), and changes in ambient and system temperatures cause the one-green. as the VR heats up and the stator heats up they lose efficiency. Next time I ride my second light is back. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
When I was running my 55W driving lights, I would sometimes see the one green LED thing but recently, it's been one LED with normal headlight and no other things being on. Any idea where the 2008 version of the "77" connector lives? | ||
| Griffmeister |
The "77" connector is behind the left air scoop on 08 and up. Very easy to get to. Put some dielectric grease on it too while you have the chance. | ||
| Nillaice |
Do not put dielectric grease on that connector! | ||
| Motorbike |
Nillaice, can you please explain? | ||
| Nillaice |
It is an insulator by definition if the word DIELECTRIC Dielectric grease Dielectric grease is electrically insulating and does not break down when high voltage is applied. It is often applied to electrical connectors, particularly those containing rubber gaskets, as a means of lubricating and sealing rubber portions of the connector without arcing. A common use of dielectric grease is in high-voltage connections associated with gasoline engine spark plugs. The grease is applied to the rubber boot of the plug wire. This helps the rubber boot slide onto the ceramic insulator of the plug. The grease also acts to seal the rubber boot, while at the same time preventing the rubber from becoming stuck to the ceramic. Generally spark plugs are located in areas of high temperature, and the grease is formulated to withstand the temperature range expected. It can be applied to the actual contact as well, because the contact pressure is sufficient to penetrate the grease. Doing so on such high pressure contact surfaces has the advantage of sealing the contact area against corrosion. Another common use of dielectric grease is on the rubber mating surfaces or gaskets of multi-pin electrical connectors used in automotive and marine engines. The grease again acts as a lubricant and a sealant on the nonconductive mating surfaces of the connector. It is not recommended to be applied to the actual electrical conductive contacts of the connector because it could interfere with the electrical signals passing through the connector in cases where the contact pressure is very low. Products designed as electronic connector lubricants, on the other hand, should be applied to such connector contacts and can dramatically extend their useful life. Polyphenyl Ether, rather than silicone grease, is the active ingredient in some such connector lubricants. Silicone grease should not be applied to (or next to) any switch contact that might experience arcing, as silicone can convert to silicon-carbide under arcing conditions, and accumulation of the silicon-carbide can cause the contacts to prematurely fail. (British Telecom had this problem in the 1970s when silicone SymelŪ sleeving was used in telephone exchanges. Vapour from the sleeving migrated to relay contacts and the resultant silicon-carbide caused intermittent connection.) | ||
| Motorbike |
Nillaice, thanks! I guess I have been using dielectric grease incorrectly in a lot of applications lately. It sounds like the only correct place to use it is in spark plug boots and connections. Where can I buy the electronic connector lubricant referred to in your reply? Does anyone have a brand name for it? Thanks for all the info! I learn something every day! | ||
| Reepicheep |
Very nice Nallice. I always wondered about the apparent contradiction. Makes sense... high pressure mechanical connections can be lubed to heck, low pressure mechanical connections should not be. Duh! | ||
| Nillaice |
I don't know where you can get Polyphenyl Ether locally, or who distributes it. logically, it seems to me that dielectric grease is really only needed on HIGH voltage connections, but permatex sells 'bulb grease' which also is a di-electric grease and the instructions say to put it directly on automotive electrical contact surfaces and re-assemble. I guess any grease will be displaced between 2 perfectly mated connection surfaces, but it is unnecessary in most applications. I've put dielectric grease on my last 2 77 connectors, which were the older 'blade style' and it did not prevent their failure. so, from my experiences; it does not promote electrical continuity. my 77 connectors are now the newer 'pin style' and RF splice connectors I got from lowe's. http://www.hardwareandtools.com/Gardner-Bender-HST -WP-Wellpipe-Wire-Splice-Kit-6430870.html | ||
| Xbimmer |
Do all the LED's light up when the Kuryakin sweeps at turn-on? | ||
| Desert_bird |
Yes. All lights sweep at startup. | ||
| Ratbuell |
It may be getting time for a VR replacement...my second green started going off more often about six months before my VR died. Do a search, I documented my Shindengen VR install here in BBD. Mine's an 06 with 3 phase electrics; your 08 can use the same regulator with only minor wiring changes (you don't hook up as many wires as I had to hook up). |
