Safety Relay gone bad?

[xs650dude63]

OK, i tested the stator 3 white wires per leos instructions, I touched the testers probes together and got 1.5 OHMs, I touched white wire 1 and 2 and got 02.0 OHMs, I then touched 1 and 3 white wires and got 02.0 OHMs then I touched 2 and 3 white wires and got 02.0 OHMs.

When I did this I would touch one of the wires with the red probe and the other with the black, the numbers jumped around a bit then settled on 0.20.

Then I went to test the whites to ground, I put the meter on 20K, then I touched the first white wire with the red probe, then touched the black probe to the frame of the motorcycle, I got the same reading on each wire 004.

I will perform Brassnecks tests tomorrow and get back with my results.

Just a thought, when I bought this motorcycle, it kept blowing the main fuse, I removed the stator cover and found a little screw that came loose and was lodged between the brush area and the stator cover, it was arcing for quite a while, is it possible this shorted out my stator? Thanks!

 

[gggGary]

You are doing good! What brassneck sez voltage on brown at brushes, would like to see a pick of your brushes, slip rings. Then do a voltage drop test at the ignition switch? red to ground then brown to ground at the connector inside the headlight shell. Water fro rain and 30 years cam be mighty hard on the contacts inside. An R&R isn't that hard to do. Usually no parts needed. cleanup and polish, reassemble.

 

[xs650dude63]

I did check my brown wire at the brushes a few days ago and got 5.7 Volts, I have brand new brushes, I cleaned up my slip rings with chrome polish and got 5.3 OHMs, I will do a voltage drop test as well as the other tests and get back with you guys, might not be till Sunday though, going out of town. I do appreciate all the help!

 

[Brassneck]

5.7? It needs to be way higher...you should check and clean all connections going from that wire all the way back to the battery. So that there is very little resistance going to that brush.

 

[xs650dude63]

OOps, my bad I meant 12.7, the same voltage as the battery.

 

[Brassneck]

LOL...ok, and I'm assuming that your battery is on a charger to have that reading, right? It should be more like 12.5 or around there..at rest.

If you keep the kill switch off and try and start the bike (so it doesn't start but puts a load on the battery for about 6 sec)...does the battery naturally come back to 12.5?

 

[xs650dude63]

I kept the kill switch on off held the starter button for about 10 seconds and check the battery and it was still 12.7.

When I had the kill switch off, nothing happened, the motor didn't turn over or anything, thats right...right?

 

[xs650dude63]

How do I test the rotor against ground? What I did was set my meter at 200 OHMs touched the rotors outer ring with the red probe, then touched the black probe to ground and got 13.3, is this right, its not infinity.

I did test the 3 white wires on AC 200, with the bike running I got A+B= 7.3 B+C=7.0 A+C=7.1

 

[Brassneck]

I kept the kill switch on off held the starter button for about 10 seconds and check the battery and it was still 12.7.

When I had the kill switch off, nothing happened, the motor didn't turn over or anything, thats right...right?

Shoot, you're right, the kill switch being off won't crank the motor... and won't put a load on it...sorry, wasn't thinking clearly on it. There's probably a way to put a load on the battery (short of taking it to a shop to test it)...like removing the spark plugs (keep them on their wires and ground then out so you don't fry the ignition...then start the bike...and see if the battery comes back on it's own. Not sure if your battery is of issue...but might be worth a check.

 

[xs650dude63]

To ground off the spark plugs I need to hold them close the the engine fins so when I turn the motor over it will spark against the fins?

 

[Brassneck]

To ground off the spark plugs I need to hold them close the the engine fins so when I turn the motor over it will spark against the fins?

Yep, you can use a jumper wire, it's easier.

Let's back up...your rotor to ground should be infinity...that may be the issue if you're getting 13.3 ohms...

Also, when you got 5.3 on the rings, did you also subtract the ohms of the leads?

 

[XSLeo]

Rotor test is 5.3 ohms, leads test is 1.5 ohms, 5.3-1.5 = 3.8. Recheck your rotor, do the touch the leads first then the check, subtract the leads from the rotor to get the actual reading. If it comes out to 3.8 as I just did, your rotor is bad.
Buying a used rotor is a crap shoot, buying some of the after market rotors is about the same. I would get it rewound. Gary at Custom Rewinds, 1-800-798-7282
If you post a wanted add in the parts wanted section on here you might find a good one that someone took off to install a PMA, a poor choice in my opinion.
Leo

 

[xs650dude63]

I just rechecked my rotors OHMs, I got 1.1 on the leads check and 5.7 on the rotor check which equals 4.6 is that good or bad?

 

[XSLeo]

Marginal. It will charge some but not good like it should.
The amount of ohms effects the current flow through the rotor. Lower ohms =less current, less current = lower magnetic strength, low magnet weak charging.
The stator puts out power by being excited by the magnetic field of the rotor, the stronger the magnet the stronger the stator output.
Leo

 

[weekendrider]

Unless you have a rewound rotor from Custom Rewind?
Their rotors show a lower ohm due to larger wires?
So don't be all alarmed if one of theirs ohms in the 4's.

 

[Brassneck]

So it sounds like the rotor needs to be replaced/rewound. The good news is you've now effectively learned how to test your charging system and have a much better understanding of your electrical system.

 

[xs650dude63]

So I should send my rotor to custom rewind and get it rewound? Will I need to buy a rotor puller? Mikexs sells one, do you guys recommend that one?

 

[XSLeo]

Mikes works ok as long as you use it right. One guy was complaining about how it pulled his rotor apart. Turns out he never took the nut off.
In my last post I think what I said was misleading. A low ohm rotor does create a weak magnetic field but it can also draw more amps, enough to blow the main fuse.
This is often a result of not only the wires shorting together, thus the low ohms, but to ground, thus the high amp draw.
Hope this clears things up.
Leo

 

[xs650dude63]

So, if i get it rewound will I be experiencing problems like blowing main fuses, is this the best way to go, or should I buy a used or aftermarket rotor, what does the majority of you guys do?

 

[xs650dude63]

Just received my rewound rotor from custom rewind, It looks great! I need to understand this correctly.

Tested the probe leads....got 1.1 Ohms
Tested the slip rings........got 5.5 Ohms
which gives me a total of.....4.4 Ohms

Now, does this mean I am going to have a weaker magnetic field, which means the charging power of the rotor is going to be weaker also???

Or, does it mean that all that doesn't matter because, since custom rewind uses bigger wiring in their rebuilds I should get good charging power because of the bigger wiring?

When reinstalling this new rotor, do I just slip it on over the key way and tighten down the nut, is there a certain torque for the rotor nut, should I use lock tight?

Thanks