Yes I've read the stator papers but I want to make sure..

[VapeMaster]

So I have a good ol' 1983 GS550L that has the time old non-charging electrical. I've got the carb squeaky clean but I knew that there was a charging issue (PO told me so when he sold me the bike)

So after reviewing the stator papers I embarked on the testing procedure, the r/r is reading 0.236V is that significantly over 0.2V listed in the papers to warrant replacement?

Also once I got to the stator section i got an even 0.5 Ohms on all three resistance tests which gave me hope but then the output was around 55V for each of the wires. which I assume is too low.

when I check the voltage across the battery with the engine revving i get no significant increase of voltage from the 12.5V i get when it's idling.

Is it safe to assume that i need a new stator ?

 

[posplayr]

So I have a good ol' 1983 GS550L that has the time old non-charging electrical. I've got the carb squeaky clean but I knew that there was a charging issue (PO told me so when he sold me the bike)

So after reviewing the stator papers I embarked on the testing procedure, the r/r is reading 0.236V is that significantly over 0.2V listed in the papers to warrant replacement?

Also once I got to the stator section i got an even 0.5 Ohms on all three resistance tests which gave me hope but then the output was around 55V for each of the wires. which I assume is too low.

when I check the voltage across the battery with the engine revving i get no significant increase of voltage from the 12.5V i get when it's idling.

Is it safe to assume that i need a new stator ?

This doesnt mean anything if you are not charging correctly. It needs to be tested when you are putting out 14.5 ishV at 5000 RPM to be a valid measurement.

the r/r is reading 0.236V


If the stator is only at 55VAC at 5K RPM it is going out. If you are only getting 12.5V at 5K RPM but you do have 55VAC on the stator, it sounds like something else is going on. 55 volts is low but should push some current to the battery (>13.0V)

Did you test each stator leg voltage to ground? This is a good additional test. Measuring AC voltage between each leg and ground at 5K RPM. You should see zero volts. It will probably show the stator is actually gone.


http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=174130&highlight=stator+pages+phase


Revised PHASE B of Stator Pages

 

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. VapeMaster,

It seems I'm late to the party. You already have 8 posts and I have yet to do my thing.

Anyway, let me dump a TON if 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. 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!

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, sans-serif][/FONT]

 

[VapeMaster]

Thanks BassCliff! I was beginning to feel a little left out haha.

So i was working on it this morning and I tested the output leads against the chassis and the readings were far from 0. They essentially mimicked the voltages of the lead to lead tests. I tried to sort through the the revised stator test but am not sure I got the information i needed from it.

I thought all was lost when i saw those readings and just for the hell of it after tucking the wires back in I tested the voltage across the battery leads (~12.5) at idle and revved it up and to my surprise it jumped up to 13.5V! I was a little dubious so i threw on the helmet and took it for a quick spin and then came back, took the seat off and sure enough the voltage was down at idle and no longer charged as I revved. After cleaning up some connections and squirting some contact cleaner in the fuse area and R/R harness connections it seemed like it was charging again (13.5 at ~5k) so now i'm thinking i might just have some bad connections between the R/R and the battery. any thoughts or am I just avoiding the obvious bad news that the stator insulation has met it's maker?

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

ALL of the electrical connections need to be cleaned anyway, just as a matter of principal. Whether or not that will solve your issue remains to be seen. Have you moved the ground wire on the r/r unit and connected it to the negative battery terminal? You may have to solder on a length of wire.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[VapeMaster]

I have, i took the r/r ground lead and put it on the neg terminal and i also tucked the non r/r side of the lead under there as well in case something else uses it as a ground. I was wondering if i can connect the red positive lead coming from the R/R to the positive terminal of the baterry or does it really need to go through the fuse box because i think that is where the faulty connection may be.

also i noticed two wires looks like a ground and a green with white tracer that are cut attached to the frame rail right by the stator cover. The PO told me that the charging system stopped working correctly after he asked a shop that was doing some work to "tuck in two wires that were poking out of the stator case" i'm going to be doing a much needed oil change when the oil filter comes in a few days and was planning on peeking into the case after i drain the current oil. any thoughts as to what those mysterious wires could be and if they are perhaps related to the two near the frame rail?

I know 13.5V at the terminals and 55V at the output leads isn't really a fully functioning stator so I'm wondering if have a combination of problems: faulty connections causing intermittent charging as well as a short of one of the phases in the stator causing less than ideal output voltage? any knowledge is much appreciated.

 

[mike_of_bbg]

I was wondering if i can connect the red positive lead coming from the R/R to the positive terminal of the baterry or does it really need to go through the fuse box because i think that is where the faulty connection may be.

That is suggested by several people with the use of an inline 20A fuse.

also i noticed two wires looks like a ground and a green with white tracer that are cut attached to the frame rail right by the stator cover. The PO told me that the charging system stopped working correctly after he asked a shop that was doing some work to "tuck in two wires that were poking out of the stator case" i'm going to be doing a much needed oil change when the oil filter comes in a few days and was planning on peeking into the case after i drain the current oil. any thoughts as to what those mysterious wires could be and if they are perhaps related to the two near the frame rail?

According to my Clymer manual, the GS550LD has G/W and B/W wires going to the kickstand warning switch. It's likely that the switch failed and it's just bypassed. That's about the right location too. Suzuki seems pretty good about keeping the B/W wires as grounds. The only other G/W wire I see in the wiring diagram goes between the sig gen and ignitor.

 

[VapeMaster]

hm perhaps that is the source of the mystery wires! though the indicator light still comes on when the side stand is down..

new developments in the charging system:

so this morning i wired the hot from the r/r to the battery terminal, fired it up and revved it to 5k and lo and behold i read 14.8 across the terminals!! i couldn't believe it was just that d*mn fuse box! i took it for a quick 5 min ride and she was running great and when i got back i decided to take off the seat and just confirm my handy work only to discover it wasn't charging anymore! 5k rmp and only 0.1V increase from idle.

I even ditched the wiring harness and just straight wired the three yellow wires from the stator to their corresponding leads on the R/R and still no luck.

after that 14.8V reading this morning i feel like the r/r or stator may not be the problem and that there's some connection issue i can't seem to solve. or could there be some temperature dependent issue?

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

What is the AC output of your stator?



Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[VapeMaster]

well, i discovered that my volt meter has a 55V max but i can tell you that at a fast idle it's putting out 30V and as it revs up to 5k it Over Loads on it's way past 55V, i know that's not incredibly useful but perhaps this is: it has the same voltage across the leads as it does against ground (good contact on bike frame) posplayer said that this should be 0V so i assume this is a bad reading. does this mean something is grounding out that shouldn't between the stator and the R/R?

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

So your stator is putting out over 55 volts AC on all three legs at 5000 rpm?



Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[VapeMaster]

Yes which makes me confused as to why it's not charging, what does it mean when the voltage to ground is not 0V? Sorry this is a short response its from my phone, I just really want to get her charging and running right!

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

What are the passive (engine not running) resistance reading between each leg and ground?


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[tom203]

hm perhaps that is the source of the mystery wires! though the indicator light still comes on when the side stand is down..

new developments in the charging system:

so this morning i wired the hot from the r/r to the battery terminal, fired it up and revved it to 5k and lo and behold i read 14.8 across the terminals!!

I even ditched the wiring harness and just straight wired the three yellow wires from the stator to their corresponding leads on the R/R and still no luck.

after that 14.8V reading this morning i feel like the r/r or stator may not be the problem and that there's some connection issue i can't seem to solve. or could there be some temperature dependent issue?

Do you have a good connection from R/R negative to battery negative? don't rely on oem connections.

 

[posplayr]

well, i discovered that my volt meter has a 55V max but i can tell you that at a fast idle it's putting out 30V and as it revs up to 5k it Over Loads on it's way past 55V, i know that's not incredibly useful but perhaps this is: it has the same voltage across the leads as it does against ground (good contact on bike frame) posplayer said that this should be 0V so i assume this is a bad reading. does this mean something is grounding out that shouldn't between the stator and the R/R?

the stator (when disconnected) should be totally isolated from the engine cases/frame. If you are picking up voltage then the re is a short in the winding to ground and it will not charge properly; get a new stator. This should have been explained in detail in the link I provided.

 

[VapeMaster]

alrighty i caved and ordered a new stator from ebay, I opted for the Caltric brand since they offer a year warranty

@BassCliff the passive resistance readings are 0.5, 0.4, and 0.45 ohms so i assume that is too low and indicative of the insulation failing. perhaps under heat and load the insulation fails and shorts out to the the case.

@posplayer thanks for the info , i missed that thread link the first time you posted i read it and it makes sense

I'll post when the stator install goes down later this week when it arrives.

 

[posplayr]

alrighty i caved and ordered a new stator from ebay, I opted for the Caltric brand since they offer a year warranty

@BassCliff the passive resistance readings are 0.5, 0.4, and 0.45 ohms so i assume that is too low and indicative of the insulation failing. perhaps under heat and load the insulation fails and shorts out to the the case.

@posplayer thanks for the info , i missed that thread link the first time you posted i read it and it makes sense

I'll post when the stator install goes down later this week when it arrives.

Those resistance measurements are ok , but are inconclusive . did you do the other phase b tests?

 

[VapeMaster]

sorry for the late response

@posplayer I did do a Phase B test as mentioned earlier I got 55+ on the AC voltage tests but i also got that against the ground. I got something in mega ohms for the stator lead vs ground. which isn't infinite but is pretty high (and obviously several orders of magnitude greater than 100 as mentioned in the test)

however this is all a moot point as I have drained the oil and pulled the stator. I had ordered a new one from Caltric off ebay only to be sorely disappointed when i went to instal it as it is to small! i was a little suspicious when they said it fit 1981-1983 since that seemed like a weird year span for my bike. (it seems like '83 was a redesign year for my bike) hopefully the return process will go smoothly but it looks like i found another store selling an electroscope for a reasonable price.

I'm towing the bike up to santa cruz tomorrow so I'll begin again up there, is it bad to leave my bike without oil in it for a day or two?

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

It won't hurt your bike to leave it without oil in the crankcase for a few days. Just don't start the engine.

And it's not really necessary to drain the oil when you are replacing the stator. There's only a few teaspoons of oil in there when you take off the cover.

For what it's worth, the Rick's Electrics stators are my current favorite. They are slightly more expensive than Electrosport or RM Stator, but they are better quality with nice touches like the included rubber grommet and braided sleeve cover for the wires.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[VapeMaster]

Thanks for the quick response BassCliff

I know those Rick's do look nice! but my next expenditure on the bike will hopefully be a compufire r/r to keep this from happnening again and keep that 550 running cool.

I had read about not needing to to drain the oil but she was in need of an oil change in a bad way.. and I had put a little seafoam in the crankcase to de-gunk the engine as the PO said he didn't know when the last oil change was!! the oil came out nearly black for the first couple quarts, yikes! hope those valves and seals are still doing ok!