Charging system updated

Discussion in '3rd & 4th Generation 1990-1997' started by slovcan, May 22, 2017.

  1. slovcan

    slovcan New Member

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    Hi folks,

    I started the charging system rejuvenation process last year. My system was working perfectly 12.5-13v at idle, 13.8-14.1v at 1500 RPM & 14.4v at 5000 RPM, but I wanted to insure against future problems.

    My stator-R/R plug (3 yellow wire) was getting hot, but not yet burned so I cut that out and soldered & heatshrinked the wires. No heat in the wires now.

    Then I bought a mosfet R/R and installed that. It came with a "kit" of 12 gauge wiring, a new 3 yellow wire plug and a weather-proof 4 terminal plug for 2 red and 2 black 12 gauge wires (1 red & 1 black directly to the battery). When I cut the original R/R harness, I put 1/4" spade terminals on both sides of the cut and matching connectors on the new R/R wiring for an easy roadside swap if it was ever necessary. That's when the trouble started. Idle voltage was 13v, then 13.8v at 1500-2000 & 13.8v at 5000 RPM.

    When I unloaded her after the big move, I went for a ride to get gas only to need a boost at the gas station. I found the 3 yellow wire plug had come undone. Aha, I thought. But no, even after a charge and a ride a week later it still cranked over slower than normal.

    Yesterday I put the meter on it and watched it intermittently lose charge. Hmmm, then I watched the 3 yellow wire plug and saw an occasional arc. One of the terminals had pushed out a bit the last time I connected it at the gas station. I fixed that, but DAMMIT, 13.8v is still not right!

    So I thought about it and realized that the spades in the weather-proof plug that came with it were less than 1/8" wide. Why didn't I think about that before - nowhere near big enough. This also explains why the wires connected directly to the battery made no difference to the voltage received by the battery.

    This morning, I went out and snipped out the plugs - both of them. They weren't necessary anyway since I had the 1/4" spades in there for emergency use. I reconfigured the connectors and got 13.8v at idle and 14.2v at 5000 RPM. Then I connected the extra red & black wires directly to the battery and now have 14.2v at idle and 14.3-14.4v from 1500 all the way up to 5000 RPM. So, those 2 wires to the battery are worth 0.5v over the stock harness.
    15070033b.jpg


    This morning I started to do The Drill ( http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthread.php/52131-The-Drill ) until I was sure I had no stator or R/R trouble. I also read through Jeff Barrett's write-up on the charging system of his 6th gen ( http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthread.php/50566-Electrical-Loads - great job, Jeff ).

    The moral of the story is to go with a mosfet R/R, 12 gauge wire, connect the extra red and black wires directly to the battery and do the 3 yellow wire fix.

    Cheers,
    Glenn
     
  2. OOTV

    OOTV Insider

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    Buying the Roadstercycle MOSFET RR kit, he gives you pretty much everything you need and explains the way to connect it pretty well. There are even videos on how to do the terminations along with other recommendations.

    Essentially everything you summerized at the end there is what you end up with, with their kit.
     
  3. duccmann

    duccmann Member

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    Jacks awesome and will do anything to help, trust me.




    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  4. mello dude

    mello dude Administrator

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    Little bit of a mini rant on the topic, and not a dig at the OP, but I am amazed that guys will still rebuild their charging system with sub quality components, after 500 threads on the electricals.
    Like - spade connectors and charging system shouldnt belong in the same sentence. That's like planning a breakdown on the side of the road.
    That aftermarket R/R? 10 bucks says it dies next season. Guys for such a critical part thats fickle by nature why use something that statistics show it has a high chance of failure?
    (Take that bet CR46?lol)
    Also - wires,fuses, connectors? Use stuff that wont possibly fail for the life of the bike. The craftsmanship on how you put it together counts as much as the R/R and stator you use.
    Think cajones, balls, beef, heavy duty - cause it is....

    Examples - Just redid my own ride....
    Connector to battery --- quality battery terminal eyelet & marine heat shrink tubing. ... do you think it will ever fail?
    [​IMG]

    Fuse for the positive connection to the battery --- MetriPack630 fuse box - rating 47 amps. Think that will fail?
    [​IMG]

    The R/R job (I just completed my bike) -- 10 Gauge to connectors -- FH020AA -
    Check all the insulation and wire protection
    [​IMG]

    The point is --- R/Rs eventually will give up and same with stators, but you can control what you put into the bike so nothing that you do will be a cause for a break down.

    Cheers and beers all,

    mello dudes garage
     
    Last edited: May 22, 2017
  5. slovcan

    slovcan New Member

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    :p :Peace:
     
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2017
  6. ddlock7416

    ddlock7416 New Member

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    Does new mosfet rectifier run a lot cooler. I changed stator and I burn rectifier up every year or 2. Depends on brand. Just ordered. Mosfet one.. tired carrying extra rectifiers around I'll take pics wiring new rectifier .. old ones only blows if going around 130. Lol

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
     
  7. mello dude

    mello dude Administrator

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    Dude -- go here and then forget about the every other year R/R replacement.

    www.roadstercycle.com
     
  8. slovcan

    slovcan New Member

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    Yes, it is cooler. I wasn't sure about the heat damaging the foam on the inside of the side plastic since the mosfet one is thicker than the OEM and would be in contact with the foam. I put some aluminum tape on the foam to shield it from the R/R heat, but it only gets a bit warm, not at all hot.

    Cheers,
    Glenn
     
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  9. OOTV

    OOTV Insider

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  10. mello dude

    mello dude Administrator

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    .....WTF!!!!!....
     
  11. mello dude

    mello dude Administrator

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  12. OOTV

    OOTV Insider

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    Best come up with the cash, lest you end up like this...
     
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