Suzuki GS400L 1982 - Electrical problems!!

[sickfreerider182]

Hello,

I need some help..I am a noob in the electric department!

So here the story :

I take my little Suzuki GS400L 1982 for its first ride of the year after the Canadian Winter. I ride about 30 minutes and the lights turned off suddently! But, the moto still working and I came home without lights. When I wanted to start the engine again, nothing.. No light, no spark, no sign of life..

So, I first checked the main 15A Fuse and it seems pretty old, so I changed it. With a new fuse, the engine starts!! yeahhh! BUT, no light at all...

I checked my lights and they ALL blown. The headlight, the flashers, the tail light and the little light that show the gear position. So, I decided to put on some new lights (not the headlight..too $$ to risk) to see if they work. And yes, now the engine starts and lights are fonctionning.

But, before I put a new headlight, I want to know where the problem came from.. Can you help me a little?


PS: I check my battery and here are the values:
Alone : 12.7v
Idle : 13.5v
4K rpm : 16v (high?)


Thanks a lot for your help!

[barnbiketom]

yes the 4K reading is too high.

I bet your battery is boiled out too..
The Rectifier/Regulator ( R/R) is most likely bad.

The problem is, where it GROUNDS to the mounting plate is corroded and the plate itself may have lost ground to the frame.
Usually the R/R goes bad then.
You might try running a duplicat ground from the R/R mounting bolts to the FRAME and then from the frame to the BATTERY minus.

if that doesn't help the over charging, its time to pgrade the R/R to a better one.
do a search and you'll find plenty of stuff on R/R upgrades!!

[sickfreerider182]

yes the 4K reading is too high.

I bet your battery is boiled out too..
The Rectifier/Regulator ( R/R) is most likely bad.

The problem is, where it GROUNDS to the mounting plate is corroded and the plate itself may have lost ground to the frame.
Usually the R/R goes bad then.
You might try running a duplicat ground from the R/R mounting bolts to the FRAME and then from the frame to the BATTERY minus.

if that doesn't help the over charging, its time to pgrade the R/R to a better one.
do a search and you'll find plenty of stuff on R/R upgrades!!

Thanks!

I have another question : Is it dangerous to run the motorcycle with this problem, even if it is short distance? Do my lights will blow again?

Also, do you know a reputable R/R that would fit my GS?

Thanks again

[barnbiketom]

DO NOT run it.. unless you want to spend money for a new ELECTRONIC ignition!!!!!!

Search on here for the R/R upgrades.. a lot will work but there are some favorites..

do your homework and do the STATOR PAPERS on Cliff's site

[posplayr]

Follow the directions and it might clear up the problem., Then go to a better R/R like the 6 wire Honda.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=152769&highlight=charging+system+health

Else you might run into the problems described here.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showpost.php?p=1851801&postcount=7

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. sickfreerider182,

Yes, check out the Stator Papers and the updated documentation by Mr. posplayr in the electrical section of my website. On my website you'll find guides for stator and r/r testing and replacement. Clean every electrical connection and ground on the entire bike. You'll find much more info in your "mega-welcome".

If you are here you probably have a 30 year old motorcycle that needs about 20 years worth of maintenance. You'll find all kinds of helpful tips, procedures, manuals, diagrams, "how-to" guides, etc, in the links below. Let's get started.

Let me dump a TON of information on you and share some GS lovin'.

I just stopped by to welcome you to the forum in my own, special way.

If there's anything you'd like to know about the Suzuki GS model bikes, and most others actually, you've come to the right place. There's a lot of knowledge and experience here in the community. Come on in and let me say "HOoooowwwDY!"....

Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", "Top 15 Tips For GS Happiness", the Carb Cleanup Series, and the Stator Papers. All of these tasks must be addressed in order to have a safe, reliable machine. This is what NOT to do: Top 10 Newbie Mistakes. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...



Please Click Here For Your Mega-Welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike!

More links to helpful threads in the forum:
Help! Your Bike Won't Start
DON'T DO THESE THINGS
Help! Your Bike Won't Run Well
Oh God! Pods!


Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Guest]

Yeah if its the stock RR, Replace it with a better one and not another stock one! They will fail, eventually. (By design)

If you want to go high end, Try this.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/360635395542?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648

Believe me you have a ton of info to take in
After that you'll have no questions about motorcycle charging systems

IF you do happen to fry your ignitor or coils, the common gs 500 parts can be used, but you will need the whole system.
Ignitor.
Rotor.
Pickups.
Coils.
Luckily they are cheaper and easily available compared to the 80's parts.

[sickfreerider182]

Waouu!! Yeah, it is a lot informations to catch!
This forum and your website, Basscliff, are phenomenal sources.

For my problem, I will start like you said by a new R/R. I bought an Electrex one. Even if the ild one i not dead, it could fail anytime and I dont like that.

After this, I will do the stator paper, to see if all things are ok.

Monday or tuesday, I will receive it, I will let you know then the results.

Another big thanks to all of you, I think I will love this community.

[sickfreerider182]

Yeah!!

I purchased a Electronix R/R and installed it. Here are the voltage value :

Before:
Bettery alone : 12,6v
Idle : 13,2v
2500rpm : 15v
5000rpm : 16,8v

With new R/R:
Bettery alone : 12,6v
Idle : 13,2v
2500rpm : 13,8v
5000rpm : 14v

Also, it solves one other problem that I tought was from my sprockets/chain. I tought that it was skipping some dents, so the GS was slowing down a fraction of second and bump after. Now, with the new R/R, it runs like a charm!

I just saw that there were no filter in the airbox... do I need one? which one?

So, I will do the stator paper to see if all is in great shape and change my sprockets/chain. After that, it will be like new!

Thanks all for your help.

[sickfreerider182]

Also,

Where can I buy those little bulb that select the gear position? 4 on 6 are burnt due to the high voltage.

Thanks a lot!

[Guest]

Dealer for the bulb. Yes you Need the filter!

[posplayr]

Yeah!!

I purchased a Electronix R/R and installed it. Here are the voltage value :

Before:
Bettery alone : 12,6v
Idle : 13,2v
2500rpm : 15v
5000rpm : 16,8v

With new R/R:
Bettery alone : 12,6v
Idle : 13,2v
2500rpm : 13,8v
5000rpm : 14v

Also, it solves one other problem that I tought was from my sprockets/chain. I tought that it was skipping some dents, so the GS was slowing down a fraction of second and bump after. Now, with the new R/R, it runs like a charm!

I just saw that there were no filter in the airbox... do I need one? which one?

So, I will do the stator paper to see if all is in great shape and change my sprockets/chain. After that, it will be like new!

Thanks all for your help.

At least do and report back on the numbers for these tests....

Link to Revised PHASE A of Stator Pages:

http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/3970459/stator-papers-phase-a-pdf-may-13-2012-10-43-am-55k?da=y

ORIGINAL_STATOR_PAGES

The most important thing to do checks at 5000 RPM which is typical cruising speed. You might find that you will need to clean your fuse box to get the positive side voltage drops below 0.2V at 5000 RPM. In steps #1 above you should of gotten most of the connections between the R/R(+) to battery (+) in good shape except the fuse box.