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RTH: Regulator/rectifier confusion

  • Thread starter Thread starter efjay_62
  • Start date Start date
E

efjay_62

Guest
I'm sorry for the redundancy, but I have been fighting charging woes for quite sometime, and I am supposed to be riding to the beach first thing Saturday AM, and it seems they problems are not cured.

1979 GS750E.
It first started at the end of last season, and the tests I performed as per the stator papers pointed towards a failed stator. I replaced the stator and rotor, as I "upgraded" to the 18 pole unit, but still have almost the same problem. There is improvement over the old stator, but what I am getting, with the lights off, about 13V at idle, 13.5-13.6 revved. Decent, but still not full output. But once I turn the lights on, it drops to 12ish at idle, and barely 13 revved. The R/R was supposedly replaced by the PO just before I purchased it in '08. I thought the R/R was right next to the fuse box, below the starter solenoid. It has a yellow, a red, a white blue and a white red. Those wires were all completely unhooked, and coiled up and taped off. There is another little unit mounted under the battery box that has just a ground, and a yellow wire going to the stator. Is this an aftermarket or other make R/R? WTF do I have going on? :confused: This weekend is supposed to be super nice, and I want to ride!
 
Pictures of the item under the battery box please...

is there anything connected up to the other two stator wires or are they just left unconnected?
 
rustybronco said:
Pictures of the item under the battery box please...

is there anything connected up to the other two stator wires or are they just left unconnected?
Click to expand...

I can't really get in there to get a good shot at the item under the box. Is it maybe the original voltage regulator? The new Rectifier is has been mounted up on the right hand side of the battery box, which has 4 wires, a yellow, red, white/blue, and green/white. I assume this is an aftermarket combo R/R? I tried running a test lead, just with alligator clips, from it to battery ground and re-tested charge at the battery with no change.

And yes, all 3 stator wires are connected, one yellow to the unit under the battery box, and other yellow and the white/blue to the replacement rectifier unit.
 
Last edited:
When you "upgraded" the stator, did you also "upgrade" the rotor? :-k

It's not an option, they have to match each other. :o

.
 
I did change the rotor as well, yes. I should have mentioned that.
 
I feel your (our) pain. I'm waiting for a new stator. What's this about chamging a rotor? Now you got me worried :cry:.



cg
 
Charlie, what bike are you changing the stator on? You only need to change the rotor if going from a 12 pole to an 18 pole stator, or vice versa. If changing "in kind", you will keep your existing rotor. Your '82 will have the 18 pole on it stock, your '80 I believe is still the 12 pole, though that may have been the change over year.
 
Last edited:
without seeing it ?/ I would suspect you have a separate regulator and rectifier
 
SqDancerLynn1 said:
without seeing it ?/ I would suspect you have a separate regulator and rectifier
Click to expand...

I just looked at the OEM parts fiche online, and the unit under the battery box, which hooks to one of the yellow stator wires, is in fact the original voltage regulator. The original rectifier, as mentioned, is unhooked and not being used. I guess I need to determine what the replacement rectifier is, if it's a R/R combo, or just a rectifier. If it is a combo, the original regulator should be disconnected, correct? If so, I would have to figure out how to wire it all together.
 
efjay_62 said:
I just looked at the OEM parts fiche online, and the unit under the battery box, which hooks to one of the yellow stator wires, is in fact the original voltage regulator. The original rectifier, as mentioned, is unhooked and not being used. I guess I need to determine what the replacement rectifier is, if it's a R/R combo, or just a rectifier. If it is a combo, the original regulator should be disconnected, correct? If so, I would have to figure out how to wire it all together.
Click to expand...

Generally you would just remove both old R/ and /R and replace with a newer R/R. Sounds like you should be able to figure out the wiring depending on type you select. Honda works well on a budget. FET type provide more voltage at idle.

I would pay attention to the connections as described in my GS Charging health linky (at bottom of siggy)
 
posplayr said:
Generally you would just remove both old R/ and /R and replace with a newer R/R. Sounds like you should be able to figure out the wiring depending on type you select. Honda works well on a budget. FET type provide more voltage at idle.

I would pay attention to the connections as described in my GS Charging health linky (at bottom of siggy)
Click to expand...

It has a newer R/R (at least I am assuming it is a Reg AND Rec). It looks like an Electrex, but don't know for sure. I will pull it off tomorrow to see if there is a sticker or any identifying marks on the back side. If it does turn out to be, and I remove/disconnect the old, original regulator, do I just remove it and that's it, or do I have to then do something with the unused connection on the stator?
 
efjay_62 said:
It has a newer R/R (at least I am assuming it is a Reg AND Rec). It looks like an Electrex, but don't know for sure. I will pull it off tomorrow to see if there is a sticker or any identifying marks on the back side. If it does turn out to be, and I remove/disconnect the old, original regulator, do I just remove it and that's it, or do I have to then do something with the unused connection on the stator?
Click to expand...

I'm not that familiar with these older configurations but the new Rectifier must have 5 leads. So you are basically starting over and the old conenctiosn dont matter except to provide teh new R/R inputs.

For the rectifier, the only thing important is the 3 stator wires coming from the stator (what conenctor they are on) however you will likely remove and replace that anyway.

On the regulator the battery and ground connections are covered in detail at the location described and this has nothing to do with the old connections (with exception of the power output of the Regulator).

Basically teh old connections doent matter and you should tape them back if not needed.
 
Wellllll.....I deserve a lashing. I load tested my battery today and it was borderline weak, so I took it out today and put it the charger for most of the afternoon. Put it back in this evening, fired it up and hooked my meter up to the terminals. 13V at idle, 14 and a bit revved. I guess I *sputter cough* assumed that since it had enough power to start and run that it was ok.:-\\\

Damnit, I know better. Oh, and I went ahead and ran a new ground wire to the battery for the rectifier, while I was in there.
 
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