PMA not charging bike

A

A5HLEY

XS650 Enthusiast
Messages
83
Reaction score
1
Points
6
Location
Calgary, Alberta Canada
I recently installed Hugh's PMA kit on my 79' Special II and my bike is not charging. I've chopped and hardtailed the bike and am running a brand new 12 Volt 3.4AH 12v 3.4 Amp-hr battery, kick only.

I am only running led signal/ brake lights and 2.5"mini speedo. I attached the wiring diagram that I used.

I fully charged the battery and then checked my bike with a multimeter yesterday. I'm getting about 12.5v from the battery when the bike is off. When the bike is kicked over, the volts drop way down and the signal lights flicker and the bike sputters.
I unplugged the pma and reg/rec and low and behold the bike runs strong. If at any point you turn on the headlight, the bike starts to sputter again or die.

I gather that my bike is simply not charging. To clarify, I have two wires coming directly through a fuse from the battery, one to the reg/rec combo and the other to the switched key.

Here's where I may be wrong.... I have a ground coming directly from the negative battery terminal and connected to the PMA kit rec/rec combo ground wire and together grounded through a ring terminal to a lower engine mount.
Should these grounds be separated?

Does anyone have any other suggested diagnostic tests that I should do?
I contacted Hugh directly but the poor guy has been under water lately (literally). I hated to ask him the question when he has so much else going on in his life right now.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 

Attachments

  • wiring schematic.jpg
    wiring schematic.jpg
    110.1 KB · Views: 2,801
You could try a ground from something like an engine fin or any other bare metal engine piece to the negative of the battery. Just to make sure the ground to the engine is good.

Leave everything as is when you add this test ground, and recheck the voltage at the battery at idle and at 2,500+ rpm.

Grounds are grounds, having them all hooked together is what eventually happens anyway.

The mount through the engine could be at fault.

Otherwise you will need to check the new pieces, stator and rec/rec.
 
In that diagram the fuse is in the wrong place. It should be between the power source and switch. The way you have it if the fuse blows there is no control of the reg/rec by the cap or in your case the battery. This lets the reg go wild and voltage spikes of up to 20 volts find there way into the rest of the electrics.
This may be part of the problem. If the fuse blows the reg/rec may get damaged. Once damage, won't charge.
As far as grounds hooking the black wire from the reg/rec to the frame at the same place as the battery is fine.
I suspect the reg/rec. With the reg/rec unplugged and the bike running what sort of AC voltage do you get from the three stator wires. Shoiuld be somewhere in the 10 to 20 volts AC.
Being a HHB PMA have you contacted Hugh?
Leo
 
The Leo. Contacted Hugh today but he hasn't responded. Don't forget he's got lots on his plate with the flood.

So you are saying positive battery lead wire straight through fuse and then directly to switch? From switch out to all other sources on the bike requiring power; headlight, signals, brake etc....including the reg/rec? The diagram also shows a pamco and I'm using stock points.
 
Your Battery and PMA are the source of power. The fuse should be between them and the switch. The red wire from the reg/rec is power out of the reg/rec to the battery. This won't need a fuse. The fuse protects the rest of the system from the power source.
Yea, kinda forgot Hugh is in bad shape.
Leo
 
Leo

With the bike running with the reg/rec unplugged, im getting no AC current whatsoever out of the three stator wires coming from the PMA. Funny too, because the multimeter probe sparks when you attach it, meaning there is some kind of current!?! Is it possible to get a bad PMA?
 
A5HLEY said:
Leo

With the bike running with the reg/rec unplugged, im getting no AC current whatsoever out of the three stator wires coming from the PMA. Funny too, because the multimeter probe sparks when you attach it, meaning there is some kind of current!?! Is it possible to get a bad PMA?
Click to expand...

Forgive me for being late to the party. Check o make sure that install was proper, and that the 3 yellow wires from the stator are wound snugly an away from the flywheel. Pull the rotor an check if you have to. I still don't have Internet or a computer that works at the shop - so I'm doing my best to check in from my phone. Check for .7-1.0 ohms between all yellow wires on the stator with the reg disconnected.
 
Punkskalar said:
Forgive me for being late to the party. Check o make sure that install was proper, and that the 3 yellow wires from the stator are wound snugly an away from the flywheel. Pull the rotor an check if you have to. I still don't have Internet or a computer that works at the shop - so I'm doing my best to check in from my phone. Check for .7-1.0 ohms between all yellow wires on the stator with the reg disconnected.
Click to expand...
Thanks Hugh, i appreciate you providing tech support when you are still trying to dig out from what happened at your shop. I guess this is only one more reason that everyone should buy from you !!

I pulled off the small left side cover panel and can see the stator spinning. With the multimeter set to ohm I am still seeing no current at all. I followed your step by step install and everything went on smoothly without a hitch. I guess I'll have to pull it off to make sure the wires are free and clear and tightly wound behind. Any other diagnostic ideas?
 
"Check for .7-1.0 ohms between all yellow wires on the stator with the reg disconnected."

Should I bridge two of the stator wires to get a reading between them? I was just touching my multimeter to one of the terminals inside the three prong clip that was supplied with the kit. Or do you mean that I should clip the two - three pronged clips together to connect the reg/rec to the stator (while making sure the rec/reg power lead is unplugged) and then probe the back of one of the clips to check current?

Does the slap test work with these types of stators?

It seems so odd to me that the multimeter is showing no current, when I can clearly see sparks inside the white clip when the probe from the multimeter is touched to a single terminal...........?!?

The good news with all of this is that my bike is running great when the reg/reg and PMA are unplugged : )
 
XSLeo said:
In that diagram the fuse is in the wrong place. It should be between the power source and switch. The way you have it if the fuse blows there is no control of the reg/rec by the cap or in your case the battery. This lets the reg go wild and voltage spikes of up to 20 volts find there way into the rest of the electrics.
This may be part of the problem. If the fuse blows the reg/rec may get damaged. Once damage, won't charge.
As far as grounds hooking the black wire from the reg/rec to the frame at the same place as the battery is fine.
I suspect the reg/rec. With the reg/rec unplugged and the bike running what sort of AC voltage do you get from the three stator wires. Shoiuld be somewhere in the 10 to 20 volts AC.
Being a HHB PMA have you contacted Hugh?
Leo
Click to expand...

Thanks Leo and Hugh
Looks like one of my 3 yellow wires doesn't have any current, the other 2 are producing about 10 AC volts. Guess I'll pull the stator and have a look behind it to verify that they are in good shape.
 
Thanks Leo/ Brian and Hugh

Took the flywheel off with a three jaw puller and found a bad connection between where the magnet wires are soldered to the electrical wires that run to the reg/rec combo. It may have always been a bad connection or I may have damaged it on install the first go around. In any event, I appreciate everyone taking the time to help me out.

Hugh offered to send me a new PMA but I have the original one soldered up and seemingly ready to go. I'll kick the bike over in the morning and make sure I'm getting 10 AC volts from all three yellow stator wires. Pic attached for reference, thanks again guys!!!!
 

Attachments

  • PMA wire.jpg
    PMA wire.jpg
    197.7 KB · Views: 442
In reading your posts, in post 11 you say you had the meter in ohm and saw no current.
Ohm readings are not for reading current but conductivity. In testing the stator. Engine not running, unplugged from reg/rec, number the three yellows 1, 2, 3. Test from 1-2, 2-3 and 3-1.
With the engine running test for voltage use the AC scale on your meter and test the output the same way as the ohms test.
Ohm is resistance, volts is electricty, current is amps, how fast the electricity is flowing.
The bad spot in the wires is probably the problem. You just need to put it back together and see if it has output.
Leo
 
Sigh..... Lights flickering when bike idling and headlight shines brighter as you roll the throttle. Also had my (new) battery load tested and its apparently garbage!?! Wonder if my reg/rec is fried and detroyed my battery?

Anyone have any ideas? How can I test Hugh's reg/rec combo? What kind of output should it be putting out when the bike is running?
 

Similar threads

Dxs650
HHB PMA over charging issues
Replies
11
Views
695
arcticXS
A
Dxs650
Hughs hand built PMA wiring diagram
Replies
9
Views
949
Dxs650
Dxs650
2XSive
Over-charging? Reg/Rec Mod
Replies
5
Views
383
2XSive
2XSive
G
Weak charging system or mechanic with weak skills?
2
Replies
23
Views
1K
Jim
Jim
G
Wiring Gremlin
Replies
12
Views
306
geeskeet
G
Back
Top