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GS Stators : Helpful additions

posplayr

Forum LongTimer
Past Site Supporter
TGSR Superstar
Hi all,
Anybody that has been here for any length of time knows that the GS Stator pages are one of the most often sited sources of information for diagnosis of GS electrical and charging system problems. The fault finding page is really a wonderful thing and leads the GS owner through what for many is a scary proposition of diagnosing an electrical system.

http://thegsresources.com/garage/gs_statorfault.htm


I used them the first time I got my GS750EX and was able to diagnose my GS charging system and restore it's operation without changing any parts. While I think that GS Stator pages have been very helpful to many, there is some room for improvement. I reviewed the diagnosis table this morning to see what my biggest issues would be. I tried to keep the basic format in mind as it seems to be a written at the right level to be understood by the broadest audience.

I'm putting this out for comments so that we can get an update to the Phase A section of the Stator Diagnosis page. See modified table with highlights in red and bold.

Because Phase A really is the primary phase of diagnosis which branches to R/R or stator openloop tests it is a little trickier than Phase B or C. In addition I would wager that 75-80% of GS charging problems could be solved in Phase A alone and probably 15% of the remainder would not have happened if the connections were proper in the first place. So it is an important place to focus. There is the danger of course of making it too complicated. Being an engineer, I might have done that, but hopeful there is enough marginal increase in understanding to justify the added complexity.

Posplayr

Link to Revised PHASE A of Stator Pages:
http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/3970...43-am-55k?da=y


Here is what I tried to do in modifying it:


  • Highlight with a table what you are doing in each step. I think this helps provide focus. I know when I was going through the table, I was not real clear what I was doing at every step in Phase A.
  • The first step is to insure that the is some charging going on when you raise the idle up to 2500 RPM the battery voltage should increase. If it doesn't then you should still test and clean the connections in Step 2 and 3 but if the stator is bad, then you will get through all of Phase A and still have low output.
  • Modify the voltage drop tests which are specified at idle to be less than 0.2 volts to perform the test at 5000 RPM and be less than 0.25V. This is critical as you could easily have less than 0.2 volts at idle and the have that voltage rise to 0.5-0.75 at 5000 RPM when the system is trying to push current to the battery. Depending upon the variability of the GS idle you might even be discharging and so the voltage drop will not even show up. This is probably the biggest issue in the diagnosis table.
  • Modified the table to show an explicit 14.0-14.8 Battery charging range at 5000RPM. The is somewhat narrower than the Suzuki specificed 14.0 - 15.5V range. Regardless of the manual 15.5V at the battery is too high.
  • Modified the table to insure that all three steps in Phase A are done even if you pass the output voltage range. This is important as the output voltage range is quite wide and it is not hard to com in with a 14.0V charging level due to some bad connections and in 2-3 months that corrosion has gotten worse and you are now charging at 13.5V. You would not really know this if all you did was look at the battery voltage. It is absolutely critical that the R/R is connected across the battery with low resistance and measuring the voltage at 5000 RM when charging is near maximum is a fool proof way of confirming proper operation.


For Posterity: More early analysis of the Shunt PM Systems and a hypothetical discussion of a Series R/R. Looks like my First Thread I ever started.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=118210

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showpost.php?p=741146&postcount=9

I just saw your post and I was considering the same today. It might help if the two units are closely matched so they share current. Then you have basically more power handeling capacity. Otherwise it might be that only one carries the shunt current and the other waits in reserve. Not the best solution but possibly better than no backup which is what a single regulator is. This also does nothing to reduce the stress on the stator when it is cranking mega amps at 10K RPM.

A better solution is to have the series regulator then if it fails (hopefully open) then the generator power goes no where. With the shunt regulator, if the shunt dies (open for example), then there is no place for the generator power to go but cook the battery and fry the electronics. If it shorts it is worse.

Even if the series regulator shorts it is no worse then the best case shunt. And more than likely the series will go open or have no output so it is hard to argue that there is any situation where the series regulator is worse than this shunt approach. 99% of the time it will be better.

Bottom line is that it will help about a 1/4 of the potential problems but ther are better approaches (I think).

Posplayr
__________________
 
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I feel this not only checks the charging but also checks the health of the connetions.
Good stuff Jim. Ya know you can't rewrite the Bible so good luck with the masses. :D
 
Hi Mr. posplayer,

This is a terrific addendum to the venerable Stator Papers. It contains a few things that the original author did not stress enough (Clean those connections!) and expounds on the critical voltage drop connections and their ideal measurements. Checking the charging system at operating speed (4000-5000 rpm) is very important to the health of the components. Nice work.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
Saved the .pdf. We electrical noobs need this hand-holding.

I figured you'd learned it all during the B.C Rally two weeks ago at the gas station in Worthington (electrical troubleshooting, not bump starting). :-\\\


By the way, I got my new stator installed last week. It's now charging at 14.4 VAC again.
 
Seems straightforward enough. I like it.

Thanks posplayer!

Rick
 
OK all,
Thanks for the comments. I will clean it up to remove the change bars and some other stuff. I'm also thinking about some other introductory stuff to supplement what is on the posted GS Stator pages and sent a link to Frank for incorporation.
I'll post back here first so anybody that has comments/suggestions can post here.
Please bear in mind, that not everybody needs such handholding but it is clear that with the number of charging questions that come up we could do a little better.
Pos
 
Thanks, just in time. Went to start the bike at lunch time, and the battery was dead :cry:
 
Excellent job! A flow chart approach is always much easier to follow and getting your recent experiments and actual hands on testing incorporated makes a lot of sense.
I always have great appreciation for anyone who is prepared to share knowledge and you always do a thorough job of that!:)
 
Good notes. I just used the original chart yesterday and it helped me pinpoint the culprit, but I had to skip ahead in the chart. My R/R ground wire test had a large voltage drop but it was not the issue, a grounded stator is.
I would recommend adding a line to the ground wire fault section recommending to check the stator grounding before returning to the start of testing.
 
One of the things that was always wrong in the stator papers was their procedure for diagnosing voltage above 15.5 (or 14.8 if you change it ...)

Your answer is better than it was, but AFAIK, if you see higher than that, the diagnosis should immediately be that the R/R is blown (unless you have an aftermarket sense wire R/R, in which case the sense wire may be connected to a low voltage point)

For low voltage, there can be many issues; but to the best of my knowledge, no other connection issue or stator fault will give you 15 volts plus.

Recommend changing so that a high voltage is immediately diagnosed as R/R replacement. (and put in some kind of note about the sense wire in case someone is using the chart to diagnose a high voltage with a 6 wire R/R)
 
For low voltage, there can be many issues; but to the best of my knowledge, no other connection issue or stator fault will give you 15 volts plus.
Unless the regulator is designed to charge at that voltage.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=134690
Kawasaki ZX10 2005 Shindengen FH-010BA 12V 50A rating 14.3V -15.1V...

Jim, I think an addendum for the preferred (optimum) voltage ranges for AGM and Lead Acid battery types might be a nice addition to your pages.
 
One of the things that was always wrong in the stator papers was their procedure for diagnosing voltage above 15.5 (or 14.8 if you change it ...)

Your answer is better than it was, but AFAIK, if you see higher than that, the diagnosis should immediately be that the R/R is blown (unless you have an aftermarket sense wire R/R, in which case the sense wire may be connected to a low voltage point)
I agree with you (with Rustybronco's caveat), but does this happen much in reality?
 
I have seen an overcharing OEM system (my GS750EX and others) get restored to complete function by changing connection (no parts changes). I still don't have a failure mechanisim for it but I know it exists.:(
 
Rusty,
If we assume at 5000 RPM that the non sensing regulator has a max limit of 14.3V -15.1V at it's terminals, then with 0.25V drops on both leads you get back down to 14.05-14.85V at the battery. This is essentially the same voltage range as in the original stator pages 14.0-14.8V.
Jim

Unless the regulator is designed to charge at that voltage.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=134690


Jim, I think an addendum for the preferred (optimum) voltage ranges for AGM and Lead Acid battery types might be a nice addition to your pages.
 
There are quite a few factory manuals, using the GS750 16 valve as an example, that actually state the charging limits to be 14-15.5V @ 5000RPM Different models of regulators actually have slightly varying upper limits.:confused:

I have just seen a GS550 fitted with a sensing regulator and the sensing wire was taped up, charging was about 16.5V - no regulation!:eek:

So if I may comment. Many folks looking at a fault finding chart will most likely be starting with a poorly charging bike and/or with non OEM parts fitted.
If the battery, stator and regulator is faulty at the same time someone could easily start chasing their tail. The first test should really be to prove or eliminate a component, i.e the battery which can be tested out of the bike (charging and load), the stator can be tested without being connected to the system (AC and insulation), the regulator requires both before mentioned items to be in circuit and working, your guide fits in at this point exactly.:)

Just my 2 cents for what its worth.
 
Getting at the bad battery question...

Exactly what is the mechanism for the R/R putting out 16.5V to charge a bad battery (defined by won't hold a charge)?

An example: a previously good battery (previously charging at 14.58V @ 4000rpm) is not now (now charging at 16.5V at 4000rpm). I swap out a known good battery from another bike and get charging at 14.5V @ 4000rpm. I presume this rules out the R/R as a cause of the high charging.
 
And we are coming up on the 5 year anniversary of start of this thread.
 
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