Stator Wires Melting

[Jhoot]

Hey all, quick question for you. Recently replaced my r/r and battery, and both continue to pass tests. Just ran the stator tests listed on the BikeCliff website and it checked out too. I have a 1982 gs1100g, and the connectors from the stator to the r/r unit have melted. I noticed that they run hot to the touch when the bike is in idle. Any suggestions?

I will go through the bike as best as I can and clean connections. I also read that running the black ground wire from the r/r directly to the negative battery rather than frame helps with resistance. Any ideas or help would be much appreciated!

 

[chuck hahn]

They will get warm..but shouldnt melt. I would get some contact cleaner and clean the connectors very very well. Then some dielectric grease. Corrosion makes resistance and resistance makes heat.

 

[Jhoot]

Thanks, they were pretty new connectors but also cheap ones, would you recommend soldering them?

 

[Steve]

Recently replaced my r/r and battery, ...

What R/R did you install?
What battery did you install?

..., and the connectors from the stator to the r/r unit have melted. I noticed that they run hot to the touch when the bike is in idle.

If connectors have melted, they have obviously gotten too hot. What heats the connetors? Poor connections. Replace the connectors with some fresh ones, you will be good to go. Spade connectors are highly recommended.

I also read that running the black ground wire from the r/r directly to the negative battery rather than frame helps with resistance.

The best place to run the ground wire is to the same place that everything else is grounded. It is known on the forum as the "SPG" or "Single Point Ground". Yes, you <could> run all your ground wires to the battery, but that would get rather cumbersome. Better to pick another point. Run all your ground wires there, then run one wire from that point to the battery negative terminal.

Thanks, they were pretty new connectors but also cheap ones, would you recommend soldering them?

Quoting Clint Eastwood, "How lucky do you feel, punk?" If you feel that your stator and R/R will NEVER go bad, or your stator cover gasket will NEVER leak, go ahead and solder. Don't forget the shrink wrap. Personally, I use a three-terminal connector that uses spade terminals. Makes it MUCH easier if you ever need to remove the stator or R/R. New, clean connections are also better. It's a win-win situation in my book. You also need to factor in that many times, too much solder is applied to a joint. Let solder run too much past where it needs to be, it makes the wire more brittle and susceptible to breaking. A proper, well-made crimp connection at the terminals will likely be better.

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[chuck hahn]

I would. Ive had to solder some factory crimps due to they looked fine but wouldnt conduct power. Last one was the fuel sender wires where they connected to the harness on my Cooley. Worked fine and just stopped one day. Wiggled and pressed on the male side of one wire and the gauge would twitch. Soldering solved those problems. Soldering is a sure and solid connection that can never hurt..in my opinion.

 

[Jhoot]

Thanks for this. I bought the Yuasa Yumicron YB 14L-A2 battery and a Rick's Motorsports Electrics r/r. I feel the same about soldering those wires, especially given that I've read so much about Suzuki's and their charging issues, even with a new stator I'm not sure I feel comfortable doing it. Ill look into spade connectors and see if I can do a better job of them this time around. Thanks again!

 

[Mr.humbucker]

Steve,

Which 3 terminal conectors do you use and where are you purchasing them from?

 

[Steve]

Steve,

Which 3 terminal conectors do you use and where are you purchasing them from?

I think the ones that I used at first were the Yazaki connectors offered by Eastern Beaver (scroll down to the 10th item), but have also used THESE from Vintage Connections.

Note that it's best if you have some high-quality crimpers when you make up your own connectors, and it's not a bad idea to have some, if you plan on working on your own bike. I use THESE from Vintage Connections.

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[Guest]

Thanks for this. I bought the Yuasa Yumicron YB 14L-A2 battery and a Rick's Motorsports Electrics r/r. I feel the same about soldering those wires, especially given that I've read so much about Suzuki's and their charging issues, even with a new stator I'm not sure I feel comfortable doing it. Ill look into spade connectors and see if I can do a better job of them this time around. Thanks again!

Rick's RR, there's part of your problem a shunt RR. It will heat up those connections nicely. Replace it with a Series RR and fix your connections, shouldn't have any problems after that. Since I went with a Series RR, never had a burnt stator connection again.

 

[Redman]

......... and the connectors from the stator to the r/r unit have melted. I noticed that they run hot to the touch when the bike is in idle. Any suggestions?.....

Good that you noticed it is the connectors (not the wires) that are the source of the heat. First check to see if is "corrosin" between the connector surfaces, and see if you can clean that up. And maybe is "corrosion" between the wire and the connectors, about only thing there is to replace the connectors. So, in either case, you are replacing the connectors.

My observation is that once the connectors have had a history of heating up (and maybe melting the insulation some) that the wire conductors get brittle there by the connectors, and crimping on new connectors (especially if using the cheapo connectors and cheapo crimper on cheapo wire strippers) is not too reliable. So is better to cut back the wire some to get to more ductile conductors (but usally isnt much extra length, so.... but, do what you can).

And, yes, soldering those wires (without connectors) is the most reliable, but creates difficultys on any future troubleshooting.... your choice.

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................... I also read that running the black ground wire from the r/r directly to the negative battery rather than frame helps with resistance. ..........

Yes, putting the r/r black wire back in stock place of the battery box solenoid mounting bolt (along with the blk/wht ground wire from harness) will work, but is subject to some problems, so doing something better is good. THe battery box does need a ground wire for the solenoid (and r/r if connected there) to work reliably. So if you do run the r/r black wire to ground or battery-, you still also need a ground wire to the solenoid/BatteryBox.

 

[bobgroger]

Here is a good compromise.....solder, then put heat shrink over the soldered part. Spreads the stress from soldering. Unless you have the right terminals and the right crimper I put my bets on solder.

 

[Fjbj40]

Soldering a bad crimp would be OK. However, soldering the crimped terminals on the style of connectors on these bikes is a no-no. There is no strain relief for the wires, after so much time and vibrations the solder will cause a stress riser and they will crack. The original crimps are not soldered for a reason. A good quality crimper for these style of terminals is not that expensive, and you will need it because of the age of the bike and up and coming repairs

 

[Steve]

A good quality crimper for these style of terminals is not that expensive, ...

In this case, "not that expensive" happens to be $35, link is in post #8.

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[Fjbj40]

In this case, "not that expensive" happens to be $35, link is in post #8.

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Thats a good deal!

I decided to spend a few extra dollars and bought this https://www.princessauto.com/en/det...cheting-wire-terminal-crimper-kit/A-p8355331e it has 6 different jaws for versatility.

 

[Jhoot]

Open barrel crimper seems to be key? Looks like the higher quality connectors require one

Thats a good deal!

I decided to spend a few extra dollars and bought this https://www.princessauto.com/en/det...cheting-wire-terminal-crimper-kit/A-p8355331e it has 6 different jaws for versatility.