levdir
Rounded bolt brigade
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Vroom4
XS400 Addict
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
Checked the plugs. Reg, Rec, Light Switch, Stator, & Field Coil are all 6mm males spades for the terminal connectors.
The connectors which will need to be interchangeable on the reg and rec are female side.
I'm considering picking up these:
http://www.amazon.com/Brass-Crimp-Terminal-Female-Connectors/dp/B009PMD2W2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1417904963&sr=8-5&keywords=6mm+wire+terminal+connectors
http://www.amazon.com/Spade-Cable-Crimp-Terminals-Connectors/dp/B00ACD9T16/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417905002&sr=8-1&keywords=6mm+wire+terminal+connectors
Fairly cheap and free 2-day shipping.
My thinking is that this way I can test different setups without needing to solder every time...
The connectors which will need to be interchangeable on the reg and rec are female side.
I'm considering picking up these:
http://www.amazon.com/Brass-Crimp-Terminal-Female-Connectors/dp/B009PMD2W2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1417904963&sr=8-5&keywords=6mm+wire+terminal+connectors
http://www.amazon.com/Spade-Cable-Crimp-Terminals-Connectors/dp/B00ACD9T16/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417905002&sr=8-1&keywords=6mm+wire+terminal+connectors
Fairly cheap and free 2-day shipping.
My thinking is that this way I can test different setups without needing to solder every time...
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
Actually, I'm just realizing that those will not do... they don't have the little wedge to lock them into the block connectors...
Crap. I'll prob just get the mikes xs ones then.
Crap. I'll prob just get the mikes xs ones then.
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
Success!!! We have VOLTS!!! 
Wow, you can't imagine how thrilled I was when I saw those 14.5v! Sweet, sweet, glorious VOLTS...
In the end, I had to wire everything back to stock. Reg, Rec, Light Switch all back to oem units and I also went into the harness for the ground and resoldered the connection, then retaped it up, and and resealed the harness.
I believe my final problem was the headlight switch I wired in to replace what I thought was a bad headlight switch. So my '79 model(SOHC) actually has 4 wires from the stator(3 white, 1 yellow). The yellow wire runs to the headlight switch, tripping it on. What I did, was try to combine that yellow wire with the blue wire on my switch. My thought was that this would allow the power to continue to flow to the light once the switch was flipped. Apparently, that is not the case. I also now realize that the yellow would put out AC not DC, so that shouldn't even be tried right?
I'm kinda bummed about the combo reg/rec and also the r292 I got. In the end, it all worked without either one... May give the manual switch another try down the road, but for now am just glad to have her charging again.
I'll be cleaning up the wiring and posting some pictures soon
Also, a big thanks to everyone here in the community. I really couldn't have gotten this far without all of your help.
Hope everyone has a great holiday. Cheers
Wow, you can't imagine how thrilled I was when I saw those 14.5v! Sweet, sweet, glorious VOLTS...
In the end, I had to wire everything back to stock. Reg, Rec, Light Switch all back to oem units and I also went into the harness for the ground and resoldered the connection, then retaped it up, and and resealed the harness.
I believe my final problem was the headlight switch I wired in to replace what I thought was a bad headlight switch. So my '79 model(SOHC) actually has 4 wires from the stator(3 white, 1 yellow). The yellow wire runs to the headlight switch, tripping it on. What I did, was try to combine that yellow wire with the blue wire on my switch. My thought was that this would allow the power to continue to flow to the light once the switch was flipped. Apparently, that is not the case. I also now realize that the yellow would put out AC not DC, so that shouldn't even be tried right?
I'm kinda bummed about the combo reg/rec and also the r292 I got. In the end, it all worked without either one... May give the manual switch another try down the road, but for now am just glad to have her charging again.
I'll be cleaning up the wiring and posting some pictures soon
Also, a big thanks to everyone here in the community. I really couldn't have gotten this far without all of your help.
Hope everyone has a great holiday. Cheers
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
Glad you got it. Keep in mind that stock will always work if the parts are good
Thanks. I had a chance to do a full test ride around the block and shes charging, which is a relief. Though, the headlight relay is def busted. Considering how much grief that switch I put in gave me, I'm wondering if I should try to replace the relay instead of trying to wire in a switch again.
Anyone know the proper way to bypass the headlight relay with a flip switch?
Would a simple headlight relay work as a replacement? I've seen them in auto stores, but not sure how compatible those would be...
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
Pics as promised
Headlight relay & oem wires
How my switch was previously wired(messed up my charging like this)
How I temporarily mounted the reg & rec. Much easier to test and work on them this way
All back together for test rides...
Headlight relay & oem wires
How my switch was previously wired(messed up my charging like this)
How I temporarily mounted the reg & rec. Much easier to test and work on them this way
All back together for test rides...
jthiessen
XS400 Addict
Pics as promised
Headlight relay & oem wires
How my switch was previously wired(messed up my charging like this)
How I temporarily mounted the reg & rec. Much easier to test and work on them this way
All back together for test rides...
Nice work! I hope your tests go well.
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
Thanks.
I also found a headlight relay on ebay for $10! I'll be posting up more as it arrives and I have a chance to test it.
I also found a headlight relay on ebay for $10! I'll be posting up more as it arrives and I have a chance to test it.
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
Relay should have been here Saturday... didn't show up though.
Since it didn't arrive I got bored & also fabed up a new battery box I used a junker I picked up and tried to go as minimalist as possible with it. The tabs for the wires and screw holes for the reg and rec are still there too so it retains most of the functionality. My idea was to have something that would just pop out of the top of the frame, instead of being a small puzzle to wiggle it out every time...
I also repainted it black after this pic was taken...
More to come when the relay arrives
Since it didn't arrive I got bored & also fabed up a new battery box
I used a junker I picked up and tried to go as minimalist as possible with it. The tabs for the wires and screw holes for the reg and rec are still there too so it retains most of the functionality. My idea was to have something that would just pop out of the top of the frame, instead of being a small puzzle to wiggle it out every time...
I also repainted it black after this pic was taken...
More to come when the relay arrives
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
Relay arrived and I had a chance to test it. All systems go!
Headlight now turns on and she charges with 14.5v @3k rpms. An interesting note though, I experimented with running it with the relay unplugged and it still charged just fine. I find that very odd since plugging the oem relay back in was what allowed the charging system to finally work?
I'm not entirely sure where the last gremlin remained to make her charge since I did several things at once Oh well, at least its all sorted and charging.
I also popped in the new battery box. Slides right in from the top and still holds the reg and rec in their original locations. It works great.
Here are some pics with it all mounted but the covers off.
I also learned something new I thought I would share. Welding Plastic! It's a fairly simple technique that involves using a soldering iron to weld the plastic together. Several videos can be found on youtube with instructions on what to do.
As you can see, my side cover cracked from pressure and was quickly getting worse every time they were removed from the bike.
I already tried gluing it, but that came undone after a couple removals
Here is the before with my previous glue repair.
Then the first round of melting the covers along the crack. I held the piece together tight while doing this.
To be honest, I could have been done here. It worked really well, but I wanted it to be as strong as possible. So next I cut little strips out of an old wd40 cap.
I laid the small strips over the original weld and slowly melted it into the cracks and all around. It worked really well and once you have a good rhythm going, it all blends together and reinforces the plastic into one solid piece again.
Here is the finished weld.
Hope this helps others. I thought it was too cool hahaha
Next comes the swingarm bushings...
cheers
Headlight now turns on and she charges with 14.5v @3k rpms. An interesting note though, I experimented with running it with the relay unplugged and it still charged just fine. I find that very odd since plugging the oem relay back in was what allowed the charging system to finally work?
I'm not entirely sure where the last gremlin remained to make her charge since I did several things at once Oh well, at least its all sorted and charging. I also popped in the new battery box. Slides right in from the top and still holds the reg and rec in their original locations. It works great.
Here are some pics with it all mounted but the covers off.
I also learned something new I thought I would share. Welding Plastic! It's a fairly simple technique that involves using a soldering iron to weld the plastic together. Several videos can be found on youtube with instructions on what to do.
As you can see, my side cover cracked from pressure and was quickly getting worse every time they were removed from the bike.
I already tried gluing it, but that came undone after a couple removals
Here is the before with my previous glue repair.
Then the first round of melting the covers along the crack. I held the piece together tight while doing this.
To be honest, I could have been done here. It worked really well, but I wanted it to be as strong as possible. So next I cut little strips out of an old wd40 cap.
I laid the small strips over the original weld and slowly melted it into the cracks and all around. It worked really well and once you have a good rhythm going, it all blends together and reinforces the plastic into one solid piece again.
Here is the finished weld.
Hope this helps others. I thought it was too cool hahaha
Next comes the swingarm bushings...
cheers
MitchMotors
XS400 Enthusiast
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I ordered here:
http://www.cycleterminal.com/bullet-connectors.html
They seem to have everything you can imagine when it comes to crimp connectors...
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
Updates are coming...
newbiexs400
XS400 Member
I wonder what happened...
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
haha, funny you should ask this today
Sorry for the lack of updates. I've actually been focusing on my zx6r and car for the last few months. I'm even considering selling the xs since I barely give it the attention it deserves anymore...
I went to start it up last week since its been a while and battery was dead as could be. It was standard water battery and it's shot. Tried charging it and topping it off but it barely help 6v
I finally nabbed an agm for a great price ($40) and when it started right up but wasn't running right.Last night and this morning pulled it up and have been poking around to see what's up. Long story short she's only running on 1 cylinder at the moment
Left side won't fire... not sure why. I swapped plugs side-to-side, pulled the bad side and it has spark same as the good side. Let it warm up on 1 cyl and couldnt get the other side firing. Pulled the plug again and it's wet, so it seems to be getting fuel...
My next move is to drain and pop off the bowl and check if either jet is clogged. I'll start there in a few mins once the bike is a lil cooler... unless anyone has some suggestions
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Vroom4
XS400 Addict
So this isn't the kind of update I had intended on, but anything is better than nothing...
Carbs are out and the diagnosis is gunked up left carb. Apparently I somehow didn't drain the left side completely when storing it and the varnish left behind was pretty bad
Gratuitous pics to appease the moto gods...
First sign of gunk
Confirmation
Get to cleaning!
No more sticky slides hopefully
You can see the varnish on the right side before cleaning. That stuff is just plain bad news...
But I'm happy the diaphragms are in great shape and I added some silicon to them to keep them soft and healthy
Everything is drying now and should be going back in for a test shortly...
GF currently needs attention for v-day though so progress likely won't be till post midnight EST
Cheers
Carbs are out and the diagnosis is gunked up left carb. Apparently I somehow didn't drain the left side completely when storing it and the varnish left behind was pretty bad
Gratuitous pics to appease the moto gods...
First sign of gunk
Confirmation
Get to cleaning!
No more sticky slides hopefully
You can see the varnish on the right side before cleaning. That stuff is just plain bad news...
But I'm happy the diaphragms are in great shape and I added some silicon to them to keep them soft and healthy
Everything is drying now and should be going back in for a test shortly...
GF currently needs attention for v-day though so progress likely won't be till post midnight EST
Cheers
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
Everything is clean and back together on the bike. Wish it wasn't so late or I would start it up...
Fuel and test start in the morning.
Fuel and test start in the morning.
