Charging system issue

marauder1313 · 07-12-2015, 03:54 PM

So I just got back from an 18,000km trip with this GZ, and something that I experienced back in Delaware and had to live with all the way back to vancouver was an issue with its charging.
With the headlight plugged in, im barely getting 12.6V at idle. With headlight unplugged, Ill get into the mid 13's

I actually ended up riding back to the west coast with my headlight unplugged because I would encounter a dead battery eventually.

I got a brand new battery at an autozone in philly too

Where should I start looking to figure this shit out?

Thanks

marauder1313 · 07-12-2015, 08:34 PM

after looking through the manual (and learning some new stuff), it seems the stator is bad. The resistance is slightly over spec, but im reading almost no AC voltage when the bike is running through one winding, and below spec on the other 2 windings.
Are stators pretty common things that fail on these bikes?
Is it pretty painless to change out?

Thanks guys

marauder1313 · 07-12-2015, 08:45 PM

is there anyone to be 100% sure its the stator?
Seems like an expensive part to replace

spldart · 07-12-2015, 09:26 PM

So. What no load ac voltage are you getting between any of the three windings at rev?
So.. Not same between one of three wires and the other two?

I have found you can often determine if the rectifier/regulator assy is bad by setting your dmm
to diode check and then using it from out ground and out B+ to all three input wires while
out of circuit. Both polarities.
All three input lines should measure exactly the same referenced by out ground and out b+
as measured by dmm out of circuit.

You have ohm'd out all three stator wires in reference to the other two out of circuit?
Does one of three stand out from the other two?
Or does every combination of the three read pretty much the same on your dmm?

And if you are worried about expensive parts consider salvage.
You can cheaply find your no charge problem by buying the stator and rectifier/regulator and swapping
one by one.
Once you find the problem you can either run the used part to failure, who knows it might last the rest
of your bikes life, or you can then order a brand new part cuz now your sure.

Lastly check your wiring. I had to hardwire the stator to regulator wiring cuz it failed on a yamaha vision 550.

marauder1313 · 07-12-2015, 09:39 PM

The resistance of all three windings are similar, but over spec (if you go according to the manual).
On 2 of the windings, Im getting about 45-50 V at rev
On the other one, im getting virtually nothing.

Theres not a whole lot of options as far as motorcycle salvage around here, and id be wary buying a used one from ebay.

spldart · 07-12-2015, 09:47 PM

I'm sorry but two of your tests are conflicting my diagnosis.
If you get 45 to 50 volts between stator out A and B but you get no volts on stator out
C to A or C to B then C is an open winding.
I'm arbitrarily assigning designations as they will all be one color and providing ac current flow.
Anywho. Under these circumstances there should be an obvious difference in ohmmeter
readings when measuring C to A or B.
A to B should be under 2 ohms since we get 45 to 50 volts.
Anywho...........
I'm leaning towards stator at this point.

Can you get a dmm with diode check on the rect/reg and see if you can find inconsistencies?
If you have a shorted diode in the rect/reg assy then it will make short work of any new or used stator.

alantf · 07-13-2015, 06:08 AM

Am I reading this right? Headlight unplugged and charging ok? Could there be a dead short in the headlight itself? We've known problems to show up in the headlight bucket before. Could be worth a simple check with your meter before you start ripping the charging system apart, or am I missing something?

Water Warrior 2 · 07-13-2015, 05:43 PM

Sounds like Alantf is on to something. There could be some insulation worn through due to vibration. The act of disconnecting the bulb might be curing the direct short of any number of wires in the headlight bucket. Look for worn wires, cracked insulation or and extra connector that should be covered with tape to prevent a possible direct short. Could be a previous owner cut off a connector and didn't tape it for safety. Keep things simple before tearing into a stator and investing $.

celesboy1 · 07-13-2015, 06:46 PM

charging issue is very commonly problem in IDN too....coz basically my GS250X are same type with GZ250 except the fuel tank , frame , final ratio and another body part
but excactly same engine , same ignition , and of course....charging

but....as almost all trouble in our world....theres always solutions....

just wait guys....i'll post my charging mod tommorow ok....
i can't write in english fluently but with some pics....i hope you'll understand how it works

its late night here so i need to get sleep now....

just hit link below before i post my pics....its help alot to find charging fault...believe me
http://www.thegsresources.com/statorpapers.php

PS : basically the link above does works for ANY bikes with 3 phase stator

spldart · 07-13-2015, 08:59 PM

It is normal if you have lost one or two coils producing power either at the stator or the rectifier/regulator that if you further unload it, say by unplugging the headlight, that the voltage will come up some.
If there was a wire shorting in the headlight bucket it should have blown the main fuse shouldn't it have?
The crippled charge circuitry will make as much electricity as it can and fall short. If you remove some load then the voltage will climb.

07-12-2015, 03:54 PM	#1
marauder1313 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 28	Charging system issue So I just got back from an 18,000km trip with this GZ, and something that I experienced back in Delaware and had to live with all the way back to vancouver was an issue with its charging. With the headlight plugged in, im barely getting 12.6V at idle. With headlight unplugged, Ill get into the mid 13's I actually ended up riding back to the west coast with my headlight unplugged because I would encounter a dead battery eventually. I got a brand new battery at an autozone in philly too Where should I start looking to figure this shit out? Thanks Login or Register to Remove Ads
	0

07-12-2015, 08:45 PM	#3
marauder1313 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 28	is there anyone to be 100% sure its the stator? Seems like an expensive part to replace Login or Register to Remove Ads
	0

07-12-2015, 09:26 PM	#4
spldart Senior Member Join Date: May 2015 Location: Stafford, Texas Posts: 604	So. What no load ac voltage are you getting between any of the three windings at rev? So.. Not same between one of three wires and the other two? I have found you can often determine if the rectifier/regulator assy is bad by setting your dmm to diode check and then using it from out ground and out B+ to all three input wires while out of circuit. Both polarities. All three input lines should measure exactly the same referenced by out ground and out b+ as measured by dmm out of circuit. You have ohm'd out all three stator wires in reference to the other two out of circuit? Does one of three stand out from the other two? Or does every combination of the three read pretty much the same on your dmm? And if you are worried about expensive parts consider salvage. You can cheaply find your no charge problem by buying the stator and rectifier/regulator and swapping one by one. Once you find the problem you can either run the used part to failure, who knows it might last the rest of your bikes life, or you can then order a brand new part cuz now your sure. Lastly check your wiring. I had to hardwire the stator to regulator wiring cuz it failed on a yamaha vision 550. Last edited by spldart; 07-12-2015 at 09:29 PM. Reason: cheap parts.
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07-12-2015, 09:39 PM	#5
marauder1313 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 28	The resistance of all three windings are similar, but over spec (if you go according to the manual). On 2 of the windings, Im getting about 45-50 V at rev On the other one, im getting virtually nothing. Theres not a whole lot of options as far as motorcycle salvage around here, and id be wary buying a used one from ebay. Login or Register to Remove Ads
	0

07-12-2015, 09:47 PM	#6
spldart Senior Member Join Date: May 2015 Location: Stafford, Texas Posts: 604	I'm sorry but two of your tests are conflicting my diagnosis. If you get 45 to 50 volts between stator out A and B but you get no volts on stator out C to A or C to B then C is an open winding. I'm arbitrarily assigning designations as they will all be one color and providing ac current flow. Anywho. Under these circumstances there should be an obvious difference in ohmmeter readings when measuring C to A or B. A to B should be under 2 ohms since we get 45 to 50 volts. Anywho........... I'm leaning towards stator at this point. Can you get a dmm with diode check on the rect/reg and see if you can find inconsistencies? If you have a shorted diode in the rect/reg assy then it will make short work of any new or used stator. Last edited by spldart; 07-12-2015 at 09:52 PM. Reason: diodes.
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07-12-2015, 08:34 PM	#2
marauder1313 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 28	after looking through the manual (and learning some new stuff), it seems the stator is bad. The resistance is slightly over spec, but im reading almost no AC voltage when the bike is running through one winding, and below spec on the other 2 windings. Are stators pretty common things that fail on these bikes? Is it pretty painless to change out? Thanks guys
	0

07-13-2015, 06:08 AM	#7
alantf Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tenerife (Spain) Posts: 3,719	Am I reading this right? Headlight unplugged and charging ok? Could there be a dead short in the headlight itself? We've known problems to show up in the headlight bucket before. Could be worth a simple check with your meter before you start ripping the charging system apart, or am I missing something? __________________ By birth an Englishman, by the grace of God a Yorkshireman.
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07-13-2015, 05:43 PM	#8
Water Warrior 2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Squamish B.C Canada Posts: 11,409	Sounds like Alantf is on to something. There could be some insulation worn through due to vibration. The act of disconnecting the bulb might be curing the direct short of any number of wires in the headlight bucket. Look for worn wires, cracked insulation or and extra connector that should be covered with tape to prevent a possible direct short. Could be a previous owner cut off a connector and didn't tape it for safety. Keep things simple before tearing into a stator and investing $.
	0

07-13-2015, 06:46 PM	#9
celesboy1 Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: indonesia Posts: 36	charging issue is very commonly problem in IDN too....coz basically my GS250X are same type with GZ250 except the fuel tank , frame , final ratio and another body part but excactly same engine , same ignition , and of course....charging but....as almost all trouble in our world....theres always solutions.... just wait guys....i'll post my charging mod tommorow ok.... i can't write in english fluently but with some pics....i hope you'll understand how it works its late night here so i need to get sleep now.... just hit link below before i post my pics....its help alot to find charging fault...believe me http://www.thegsresources.com/statorpapers.php PS : basically the link above does works for ANY bikes with 3 phase stator Last edited by celesboy1; 07-13-2015 at 06:54 PM.
	0

07-13-2015, 08:59 PM	#10
spldart Senior Member Join Date: May 2015 Location: Stafford, Texas Posts: 604	It is normal if you have lost one or two coils producing power either at the stator or the rectifier/regulator that if you further unload it, say by unplugging the headlight, that the voltage will come up some. If there was a wire shorting in the headlight bucket it should have blown the main fuse shouldn't it have? The crippled charge circuitry will make as much electricity as it can and fall short. If you remove some load then the voltage will climb.
	0