| Author | Message | ||
     Essmjay |
On the road. Need charging system diagnosis flow chart | ||
| Essmjay |
Symptoms - 12.4 volt @3000 rpm. Battery won't stay charged. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Start bike. Unplug VR. Test stator side of plug, should see 30-40VAC across pins at 2000 or so. Yes...AC. If you get that...it's the VR. If you don't get that...stator. | ||
| Essmjay |
Thanks. Eric is in Sutherland OR with trouble. I will pass this along. | ||
| Ratbuell |
That's top of my head, manual is in the garage...on the other side of armageddon rainstorm  Should be close enough for a roadside check though. I want to say VAC (stator output) will climb 10-12V for every 1k RPM...I think. But a flatline stator will be obvious. There should also be little to no continuity across the stator - it should be relatively "open". Dead continuity indicates a shorted stator. Forgot that part, sorry. | ||
| Sportyeric |
Thanks for getting that started, Shane. Obviously a fix is better than a go-around, but, hypothetically, if I am getting 12.4 volts at operating revs and I charge the bike each night, I should be able to continue a week long trip even if the VR or stator is (slightly) bad? A bad VR might be easily fixed,assuming a local shop stocks one. A bad stator will make us head for home, which is 500 miles or more, either riding and charging or renting a truck. | ||
| Ratbuell |
If you're on an S2...it's an XL regulator. You MIGHT have to cut and splice plugs, I can't remember from when I did mine. Same for the stator - XL piece. More involved surgery...but still do-able. Quick stator check? Pull the primary inspection cover (the one up top and centered on the primary cover). Sniff. Smell like oil? You're fine. Smell like the gates of hell? Cooked stator. | ||
| Lynrd |
I will have a Multimeter in my tool bag when I arrive up there tomorrow. I will throw a spare regulator in my tank bag - | ||
| Sportyeric |
The handiman at the hotel in Sutherlin found us a multimeter. The three pin connector off the stator checks at 2 ohms, 2 ohms, and 20 ohms between pins. As I understand the test, that means the stator is the fault so we didn't bother doing the VR check. We are going to continue south to Grants Pass and either soldier on with regular recharges or else rent a car for the weekend to join you all and limp it home after. Not up for doing a stator on the road, although I may ask at Grants Pass or Medford for an estimate. | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Rat, just to clarify, There SHOULD be continuity across the two stator leads but NOT to ground or the crankcase. A bad shorted stator will still have continuity but the wrong resistance. Pretty hard to check static resistance accurately though. The smell test and the running voltage test are the best for quick diagnosis. I know you know all this already but the long version is for those that might not. From the S2 manual: 1. Connect an ohmmeter on the rx1 scale between crankcase and either stator socket lead. There should be no continuity (infinite ohms..) across either stator lead. Any other reading indicates a grounded stator which must be replaced. 2. Check the resistance across the stator leads. It should be 0.2 - 0.4 ohms. If the resistance is lower the stator is damaged and must be replaced. Hope this helps. Also, a fully charged battery will run one of these a long time as mentioned above. When I've had to do it I unplugged the headlight to extend the battery life and also used hand signals instead of the blinkers.. YMMV. Brad | ||
| Essmjay |
Eric- Pick up a halogen bicycle light and strap it on. Unplug the headlight. | ||
| Sportyeric |
I may have been hasty to not do the other tests. My stator pin test showed higher resistance' not lower, than the 0.2 expected. I do have a bicycle light. Good idea, although I lose the ability to talk my way out if a cop notices. But safety has its place. | ||
| Jvv |
Eric.....sorry to hear....been there, done that. Great advice from everyone.....sure hope it's a VR.....easy fix. Best of luck!!! | ||
| Sportyeric |
Update for future searches: ignore my earlier comments about testing. Stupid that I am, I was testing the starter. Its a wonder anything I own runs. With help from the gang, the two pins of the stator had one that showed a short to ground. We successfully rode the bike all week with the headlight unplugged and the battery charged each night. |
