stator/regulator trouble shooting

[b1pig]

hey, guys. if any of you have some pointers before i try chasing down the charging problem on Lori's GZ, let me have em. I have retraced my steps on the bike. wiring harness is all plugged up. nothing loose or hanging where it shouldn't be. So. Ordering a new battery this weekend I hope. Once it comes in, I'll dive on this charging issue. hoping a good battery will be all the problem is/was. we shall see. but. any info anyone has would be good.

i'm not expecting much to it, honestly... but who knows....


:)

[alantf]

Let's do this step by step............

Firstly, when you get the new battery, CHARGE IT UP YOURSELF!!!! before fitting it. Use 0.75A, but certainly no more than 2A, (overnight) or you'll bugger the new battery up.

Next, fit the battery, making sure that the terminals are clean and tight.

Start the bike, and at idle speed, put your voltmeter (set to dc volts) across the battery terminals. Record the voltage.

Rev the bike up to 4000 to 5000 RPM to get the system charging, and while it's at this speed, put your voltmeter back across the terminals. Record this voltage.

Let us know what the readings are, so that we can let you know the next step. With a healthy battery and charging system, the readings should be around 12.8 and 13.8 volts, respectively.

[jonathan180iq]

viewtopic.php?p=7506#p7506 (http://gz250bike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7506#p7506)

Check it. Alan's right. I had some readings on a healthy system back when I had the volt meter.

[Water Warrior 2]

Without a meter and actual readings to varify your voltage you are mostly just guessing.

[b1pig]

well. it would seem that a crap battery was in fact the root of the problem. put a brand new battery in and all is well. sadly, i cant back it up with good numbers. i was reading 13-14v at just off idle.... and then my meter took a dive on me. battery on the meter. died.

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRmaxReBtNPqcVLoiK-63GNj3Av9CpojNTO8NIKi7jVDmPu1BSI7w

[alantf]

.... and then my meter took a dive on me. battery on the meter. died.

How close is the local store? A new battery for the meter should be a few cents. :whistle:

Seriously though.....get the meter up & running. The trouble could (possibly) be that the system is overcharging, and damaging the battery. We need to know the voltage at the battery terminals with the bike reving (charging)