alternator/regulator wires

[Bruce Reader]

Hello all,

 

Of the 6 wires from the regulator the two yellow ones are worrying me.

Does it matter which yellow goes to the other 2 yellow wires of the alternator ?

 

Hope this makes sense.

 

Cheers

 

Bruce

[dlaing]

Hello all,

 

Of the 6 wires from the regulator the two yellow ones are worrying me.

Does it matter which yellow goes to the other 2 yellow wires of the alternator ?

 

Hope this makes sense.

 

Cheers

 

Bruce

 

It does not matter.

Either yellow from alternator, can go to either yellow of regulator.

Just make sure you have good connections.

While you are there, look for signs of cooked wires, or cooked 30A fuse.

[Bruce Reader]

Thanks mate.

 

All wires look good, fuse good.

 

I have had the battery light come on from time to time at low rpm. I noticed some scuff marks/oxidization on the rotor. Could this be affecting my output to the battery ? I still have the original battery and the bike kicks over fine.

 

Cheers

 

Bruce

[Murray]

The regulators use their case as earth if the bolts are rusty/case a bit corroded this will affect the performance of the reg. I suggest you clean them up and maybe rub back some paint where the case touches the frame. The Alt light flashing is not normal IMO.

[Martin Barrett]

As Dave states doesn't matter which one connects to which - the alternator puts out AC current and the Regulator/Rectifier unit converts that to usable DC.

 

The light shouldn't flicker - I had issues with mine - Not sure what the problem was got a bit chicken and egg - blown fuse/dirty connectors/corroded & melted connector/ defective regulator all explained here in depth

[Paul Minnaert]

Thanks mate.

 

All wires look good, fuse good.

 

I have had the battery light come on from time to time at low rpm. I noticed some scuff marks/oxidization on the rotor. Could this be affecting my output to the battery ? I still have the original battery and the bike kicks over fine.

 

Cheers

 

Bruce

 

 

is it flickering only when you have lights on? If you have a voltage meter, measure the voltage over the battery, with and without lights on, from idle and up to 4000 rpm, it should stay the same, and not be higher with lighs on than without.

If it is, it has nothing to do with regulator, but with voltage drop over wiring/switches. And you have to look there

[Bruce Reader]

Its not the regulator that has corrosion, the rotor once removed has scuff marks on the side of it.

 

The alternator light comes on rarely and seems to fix once the bike is up to speed. When the warning light does come on it doesnt obviously improve by turning the headlight off.

 

I thought it was a charging loss at low rpm that has been made worse by some mechanical rubbing/damage to the rotor. These problems have not manifested in hot/cold/wet conditions and as yet not led to any starting/battery probs-though i havent measured battery voltage/condition in any way.

 

By the way- i want to get a digital multimeter. What properties/ranges/features etc would you guys reccomend as im new to this electrical stuff. I dont mind spending reasonable money on a tool that will last and cover unknown future needs.

 

Cheers

 

Bruce

 

P.S- So is the alternator feeding AC into the regulator and regardless of poss neg wave converts it to a DC output ?

[Paul Minnaert]

correct the alternator feeds ac to the regulator, so it doesn't matter. For a digital multimeter, get one that switches itself of, I had once a cheapo, and that didn't Then every time you want to use it, you notice, you forgotten to switch it of the last use.....

For the rest, if the connectors and wires look a bit stable, to mechanical survive that helps.

[Murray]

By the way- i want to get a digital multimeter. What properties/ranges/features etc would you guys reccomend as im new to this electrical stuff. I dont mind spending reasonable money on a tool that will last and cover unknown future needs.

 

Cheers

 

Bruce

 

P.S- So is the alternator feeding AC into the regulator and regardless of poss neg wave converts it to a DC output ?

 

Basically I think is a 20Mohmms input resitance? Although for basic stuff that is not so important the really important one is that both the high and low current test circuits are fused. I have an "Okay 132" these are avalible in australia recommened buy the automotive engineering instutie rrp of around 130 AUD its pretty small a portable too. I have also seem them in electrical wholesalers as well so they are around, if you still have some cash left over it might be worth hunting down some probes with screw removable tips the ones you can interchange with alligator clips are especailly handy.

 

For the PS yea thats how it works it feeds it though a diode bridge rectifyer.

[felix42o]

I went through something similar with mine. Turned out the rotor was out of round/off center/whatever and was contacting the stator. Messed everything up, to put it simply. I would take a close look at that and make sure there is no way those two pieces are coming in contact w/ each other. Went through two regulators before finding this problem.

[Ryland3210]

By the way- i want to get a digital multimeter. What properties/ranges/features etc would you guys reccomend as im new to this electrical stuff. I dont mind spending reasonable money on a tool that will last and cover unknown future needs.

 

Cheers

 

Bruce

 

A DC voltage range that can measure 0.500 volts to three places will be essential for TPS calibration. It should have an accuracy of close to + - 0.005 volts or better.

Measuring current with a voltmeter requires disconnecting the circuit to put the meter in series. A more convenient way to do this is with a clip on ammeter, which clips around the wire without disconnecting it. These are available to measure both AC and DC currents, with digital readouts. I find it very handy, both for vehicle troubleshooting, and household AC current measurements. Mine cost about $80 U.S.

[Dan M]

By the way- i want to get a digital multimeter. What properties/ranges/features etc would you guys reccomend as im new to this electrical stuff. I dont mind spending reasonable money on a tool that will last and cover unknown future needs.

 

Cheers

 

Bruce

 

 

As with many things, you get what you pay for. A reasonably accurate multimeter that does basic functions can be had for about $50US. If you want top quality and durability, ones designed for automotive use are the way to go. I use a Fluke88, and have been bouncing it around for probably fifteen years or more without a hiccup. They have less expensive models that cover most common testing, ac-dc volts / amps / ohms, all over various ranges. The better ones will measure frequency (Hz) which is needed more and more when testing new CAN systems. Flukes range from $150 - $500.