Changed Stator houseing, now have charging issues

[Flafaloon]

Hey everyone, I am restoring an 81 XS400 Special 2. Its been running like a champ for a few months, the other day I got all new crancase covers and the one on the left side of the bike had the stator in it.

Since i replaced it the bike hasnt run the same, its taken allot of spins to get it started and has occaasional backfire. Today the bike slowly died out like it ran out of gas, but it appears to be that the system wasnt charging and the battery drained. Runs perfect if I hook up the bike with jumper cables to a car so im sure its the stator thats messed up or something around it.

Anyone have any suggestions on what this can be? Do you think perhaps i screwed something up so minor when i changed the left crancase cover with the stator that it took a few weeks to finally die?

 

[hmusket]

Welcome to the forum. When you replaced the stator cover, did your replace the whole housing, removing your original stator and putting it in the new housing, or did you put the housing you received along with any wiring that came with it onto the bike?

 

[Flafaloon]

Hi Husket, thanks for the welcome!!

I replaced the whole housing, removing the original stator and putting it into the new housing. It was a little tough getting it out and back in due to the magnetism it had. I didnt use any special tools just did it as carefully as i could with my hands. The bike ran afterwards but never ran the same, now the battery is drained and i realize there is a charging issue. Not sure what you would suggest I look at?

 

[hmusket]

The first thing I would do is check the plugs coming from the stator and make sure the connections are clean and tight. The white wires go to the rectifier, the green and black to the regulator. If you are satisfied the connections are good, then test the stator. Download this manual from the tech section:
View attachment 3882
Starting on page 23 of the PDF it talks about the charging system and how to test it. You'll need a multimeter, which will come in handy for other testing. Since the bike was working OK before the housing replacement, I would probably also double check the reassembly of the stator system, to make sure there are no crimped, cut or open wires. Hang in there.