regulator rectifier?

Discussion in '1st & 2nd Generation 1983-1989' started by alden, Aug 4, 2007.

  1. alden

    alden New Member

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    I went to start my bike last night and it was dead, so I jumped it and it started right up, drove about 15 miles and when I stopped, dead again. I've bought a new battery that needs to go in, but the shop also said that my regulator rectifier is probably bad. They tested the battery connections while the bike was on and it was only reading 10 or so (11 at highest) and said it should be getting up to 14. Does this sound right, or could it be alternator related?

    Thanks!
    Alden
     
  2. WhiteKnight

    WhiteKnight Well-Known Member

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    If they checked it while it was running and only saw about 11 volts (should be 14.5 + at 5000 rpm on a digital voltmeter, red lead on + battery post, black lead on - battery post should you want to double check them, also make sure the battery has a full charge which should be about 12.89 volts), then yeah I'd say the r/r is toast.

    In my experience, the r/r can be hit or miss, meaning there are time it will work and times it won't, when it begins to go bad. I'd say go ahead and replace it along with the new battery.
     
  3. alden

    alden New Member

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    Ok, thanks for the quick reply! one other question, does the heat of the R/R indicate anything? i.e. it was pretty toasty and I was under the impression that when working properly most of that heat should be transfered to the battery via electricity rather than being bundled up in the rectifier.

    Oh another question. Are there any other R/R's that fit the vf500f? I'm asking this because as far as I can tell my only options are brand new via the local dealership at $240 (if they can get it in stock) or used via ebay (which may put me right back in the same boat).
     
  4. WhiteKnight

    WhiteKnight Well-Known Member

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    Try ricksmotorsportelectrics and see if they have one for your year. They have large heat sinks and is probably half th eprice of one from a dealer. The r/r will get hot because of the job it does of converting dc volts to ac volts as well as regulating the current from the stator to the battery.
     
  5. Vlad Impaler

    Vlad Impaler New Member

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    I would not spend over $200 on an OEM R/R. I got one from Electrosport and have been happy with it this season. You should beable to find a good aftermarket part for $100 to $120.
    http://www.electrosport.com/electrosport_electrical_honda1.html
    If you search the site, Vman has some great advice in a few threads, along with other members experience.
    Good luck.
     
  6. chris in va

    chris in va New Member

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    I just went through this on my 99.

    The previous owner put 40k miles on the bike and sold it because it had a charging issue he couldn't resolve through the dealer. They charged him well over $1000 to swap the stator/flywheel and put on an aftermarket rectifier (which wasn't working right). When I got the bike it was only showing 11.5v when running.

    After reading up on the various fixes, I bought a genuine Honda rectifier at the dealer for about $200. The new part has a LOT more fin area and an aluminum backing plate to better heat sink to the frame. Then I ran two hot wires to the battery, and two extra grounds to the frame.

    Voila...14v. Charges fine now.
     
  7. alden

    alden New Member

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    thanks for all the replies. I'm going to see if I can't fix it inexpensively and have bought a used one from ebay to tide me over. in my searching I found a few comments about using the R/R from a newer bike (either a newer vfr or a cbr) but never saw a how-to. Does anyone have a link to that?
     
  8. alden

    alden New Member

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    thanks again for the help. I got the ebay RR in today along with a new battery (the old one was nearly dry) and it's running great!
     
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