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On a stock bike, Chris is correct. If the headlight has been replaced with a 55W unit, then the idle voltage can fall off, draining the battery if left idling for an extended period.
If LED lights have been installed, then the draw on the system, and the idle voltage, will be similar to stock. 35W headlight and LED's will be less draw and slightly higher voltage at idle than stock.
If LED lights have been installed, then the draw on the system, and the idle voltage, will be similar to stock. 35W headlight and LED's will be less draw and slightly higher voltage at idle than stock.
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
Wow, it's been a while...
I've been so busy with work, I've barely had time to even see the xs, let alone work on it
Took some time to research a little bit on how to test the charging components and am going to run some tests tomorrow or this weekend. The idea is to determine what works, and maybe even do a stator/magneto rewire. I'd rather do it right and remove all doubt
My main concern is the rewire itself. I'm not well versed in soldering
I've been so busy with work, I've barely had time to even see the xs, let alone work on it
Took some time to research a little bit on how to test the charging components and am going to run some tests tomorrow or this weekend. The idea is to determine what works, and maybe even do a stator/magneto rewire. I'd rather do it right and remove all doubt
My main concern is the rewire itself. I'm not well versed in soldering
Almost a ditto here to Vroom,started a side job of sorts helping a electronic recycler mainly deals with computers so I have been sorting processors,then doctors appoinments,running errands praticaly nonstop.took.Going to be nice this weekend so hopefully I get to fix my sticking throttle cable.Going to be ordering some blue flamed grips with chrome ends probably Monday.
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
Okay, so i was able to run some continuity tests. Results were as follows:
Alternator(3 white, 1 yellow) - 0.001 ohms across all 3 white wires
Field coil(green, black, yellow, blue) - 0.004 ohms between green and black
Rectifier - so the manuals say there should be continuity when linking positive to red and negative to whites. Mine does the opposite. Cont with negative on red and poz on whites. Then when putting poz on black it has cont againsf the whites but not when negative is on black. Im posting this on my phone so i hope it makes sense.
Manuals say ohm on alternator should be .72, field coild should be 4?
Ive read that the # isnt as important as them being the same?
Any suggestions?
Alternator(3 white, 1 yellow) - 0.001 ohms across all 3 white wires
Field coil(green, black, yellow, blue) - 0.004 ohms between green and black
Rectifier - so the manuals say there should be continuity when linking positive to red and negative to whites. Mine does the opposite. Cont with negative on red and poz on whites. Then when putting poz on black it has cont againsf the whites but not when negative is on black. Im posting this on my phone so i hope it makes sense.
Manuals say ohm on alternator should be .72, field coild should be 4?
Ive read that the # isnt as important as them being the same?
Any suggestions?
Last edited:
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
So the more I read on the subject, the more I think either my stator and field coil are shot, or they need to be re-wired. I tested both per the manual yesterday. Maybe I should be pulling them and testing closer to the unit?
What's concerning me is that when I did the tear down and rebuild, I opened case and removed the alternator and coil. It was working fine when I took it apart... maybe I messed something up when I put it back together? This may sound odd, but could I have put the alternator in backwards???
Currently, when the bike is on, Im getting 11.85v and slowly draining... also, no increase with revs... seems like an alternator problem right?
What's concerning me is that when I did the tear down and rebuild, I opened case and removed the alternator and coil. It was working fine when I took it apart... maybe I messed something up when I put it back together? This may sound odd, but could I have put the alternator in backwards???
Currently, when the bike is on, Im getting 11.85v and slowly draining... also, no increase with revs... seems like an alternator problem right?
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
So I had some time this Sunday to tackle the charging system
Big thanks in advance to Drewpy, Drewcifer, and a few others. Your write-ups made tackling this possible
Pulled the cover and it was fairly obvious the wiring to the stator was shot.
Considering the small space the have to crawl through, it's almost a given these wires need to be replaced.
My stator wires actually snapped in my hands...
Pulled them off the cover for cleaning and inspection. The stator is a very snug fit, so you need to be very steady pulling it out and putting it back in. The trick is being 100% even on all sides and it slides in and out fairly easily.
Pulled off the loom and it only got worse
Soldered new wires on, shrink wrapped each one, and slid the wires through little rubber square which prevents oil loss. Didnt have yellow, so went with green.
My field coil wires were actually in perfect condition when I pulled off the old wire cover. I decided to just re-shrink wrap them for new protection.
I re-routed the wires in a way which would let me start doing some diagnostics.
At first, I was running at total loss. I jumped the field coil directly to the battery with the motor running and tested the white wires from the stator. 30 volts A/C during idle!!! Also jumped up as high as 50 volts A/C on revs(though I turned it off within a few seconds). This told me the field coil and stator were okay, which was a big relief.
Next test was to plug in the stator to the harness and repeat by jumping the field coil direct to the battery. Test the battery volts and still not getting the 14.5
Soldered all connections to the new Regulator per Drewcifer's write-up.
Now with this all soldered up and all the plugs in place as intended, something a bit interesting happened... kicked her over and she began to charge, but never as high as 14.5. She would climb as high as 13.2, which suggests it's charging, but not full volts. I'm wondering if this is maybe due to the stator not being 100%
I had to stop there, but I'm planning to trace the volts from the stator to each component to determine where I could be loosing the charge. I believe first step will be to get a reading from the rectifier which should be the needed 14.5 right?
I'm just glad all this charging system stuff is starting to make sense!
More to come soon... cheers
Big thanks in advance to Drewpy, Drewcifer, and a few others. Your write-ups made tackling this possible
Pulled the cover and it was fairly obvious the wiring to the stator was shot.
Considering the small space the have to crawl through, it's almost a given these wires need to be replaced.
My stator wires actually snapped in my hands...
Pulled them off the cover for cleaning and inspection. The stator is a very snug fit, so you need to be very steady pulling it out and putting it back in. The trick is being 100% even on all sides and it slides in and out fairly easily.
Pulled off the loom and it only got worse
Soldered new wires on, shrink wrapped each one, and slid the wires through little rubber square which prevents oil loss. Didnt have yellow, so went with green.
My field coil wires were actually in perfect condition when I pulled off the old wire cover
. I decided to just re-shrink wrap them for new protection.I re-routed the wires in a way which would let me start doing some diagnostics.
At first, I was running at total loss. I jumped the field coil directly to the battery with the motor running and tested the white wires from the stator. 30 volts A/C during idle!!! Also jumped up as high as 50 volts A/C on revs(though I turned it off within a few seconds). This told me the field coil and stator were okay, which was a big relief.
Next test was to plug in the stator to the harness and repeat by jumping the field coil direct to the battery. Test the battery volts and still not getting the 14.5
Soldered all connections to the new Regulator per Drewcifer's write-up.
Now with this all soldered up and all the plugs in place as intended, something a bit interesting happened... kicked her over and she began to charge, but never as high as 14.5. She would climb as high as 13.2, which suggests it's charging, but not full volts. I'm wondering if this is maybe due to the stator not being 100%
I had to stop there, but I'm planning to trace the volts from the stator to each component to determine where I could be loosing the charge. I believe first step will be to get a reading from the rectifier which should be the needed 14.5 right?
I'm just glad all this charging system stuff is starting to make sense!
More to come soon... cheers
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
Also, rerouted some wires here and there for the new blade type fuse box and extra fuse for the usb charger.
And one just for fun
And one just for fun
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
I was finally able to get cracking on the xs400 again! I'm happy to report the system is charging
I believe the culprit was a bad ground to the new reg. I opened up my connection for the black ground wire and soldered in an extra wire to ground it to the frame, while still keeping the ground into the harness. Might not be the ideal setup, but this way it also acts as an additional ground(for everything else connected to that ground circuit(I think?).
I only have one issue to report. It only charged as high as 13.2v when it was all said and done. No matter how high the rpm's. My understanding is it should be at 14.5v at around 3k? I'm wondering if my stator or rec is on it's way out, or if that new reg caps the volts lower than the oem one
Honestly, I'm just glad it's charging and less likely to leave me stranded lol
Having the option to do it all over again, I'd go with a two in one reg/rec and eliminate more potential problems down the road. Might have to put one on my wish list for now...
Anyone know a good spot to but a stator/field coil from? I'd like to get something aftermarket instead of an oem replacement should I need to replace it down the road.
I believe the culprit was a bad ground to the new reg. I opened up my connection for the black ground wire and soldered in an extra wire to ground it to the frame, while still keeping the ground into the harness. Might not be the ideal setup, but this way it also acts as an additional ground(for everything else connected to that ground circuit(I think?).
I only have one issue to report. It only charged as high as 13.2v when it was all said and done. No matter how high the rpm's. My understanding is it should be at 14.5v at around 3k? I'm wondering if my stator or rec is on it's way out, or if that new reg caps the volts lower than the oem one
Honestly, I'm just glad it's charging and less likely to leave me stranded lol
Having the option to do it all over again, I'd go with a two in one reg/rec and eliminate more potential problems down the road. Might have to put one on my wish list for now...
Anyone know a good spot to but a stator/field coil from? I'd like to get something aftermarket instead of an oem replacement should I need to replace it down the road.
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
Would something like this be a direct swap on our bikes for a 2-in-1 reg/rec? (When I say direct swap, I mean just wiring it up, not that the plugs would fit too)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-MOTORCYCLE-VOLTAGE-REGULATOR-RECTIFIER-FOR-HONDA-/171328355108?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27e3f73b24&vxp=mtr
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-MOTORCYCLE-VOLTAGE-REGULATOR-RECTIFIER-FOR-HONDA-/171328355108?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27e3f73b24&vxp=mtr
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
For the price difference, I'd go with the one from amazon. You may have to modify the wiring harness, but it should be worth the effort on the end.
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
I dont mind a bit of rewire at this point, but Ideally I would just be changing plugs to match the oem harness. Not cutting into the harness...
Im seeing the amazon has less wires... Could it just have one less ground?
How do we know if the voltage ratings are right? Does it matter that much considering both are designed for a motorcycle?
hmmm
Im seeing the amazon has less wires... Could it just have one less ground?
How do we know if the voltage ratings are right? Does it matter that much considering both are designed for a motorcycle?
hmmm
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
She died on me yet again
I started her up, let her warm and was idling great. I take her out onto the street and turn on the headlight. Within a hundred feet, she was dead! This is strange because I rode her up and down the block several times a couple days ago and all was well. The only difference I can think of was this time the headlights were on. IIRC when wiring in the headlight switch(when deleting the faulty headlight relay) there was an extra wire coming from the alternator which fed power to the relay, and opened the flow of power to the headlights. I assumed this wire was only for the relay and just left it off.
So here is where I could use some advice:
- Does that extra stator wire which activated the headlight relay also provide extra power to the headlights??? If so, could the headlight have killed my battery without it?
(Keep in mind I am running a lightweight ballistic battery, which so far has been a royal pain in my ass)
- Can I just wire in that extra power wire to the same power line for my headlight? I want to make sure I'm not creating a short or something by combining the wire from the stator with the power wire coming from the battery. Also, isn't that wire still AC current if it comes directly from the stator??? This is a guess, but wouldn't combining AC with DC be bad???
I'm not sure the best way to go here and the bike is currently at a friends storage unit where I need to ride it out of there asap. I'm planning on going today during the day with a fresh regular battery to try to make it home
I started her up, let her warm and was idling great. I take her out onto the street and turn on the headlight. Within a hundred feet, she was dead! This is strange because I rode her up and down the block several times a couple days ago and all was well. The only difference I can think of was this time the headlights were on. IIRC when wiring in the headlight switch(when deleting the faulty headlight relay) there was an extra wire coming from the alternator which fed power to the relay, and opened the flow of power to the headlights. I assumed this wire was only for the relay and just left it off.
So here is where I could use some advice:
- Does that extra stator wire which activated the headlight relay also provide extra power to the headlights??? If so, could the headlight have killed my battery without it?
(Keep in mind I am running a lightweight ballistic battery, which so far has been a royal pain in my ass
)- Can I just wire in that extra power wire to the same power line for my headlight? I want to make sure I'm not creating a short or something by combining the wire from the stator with the power wire coming from the battery. Also, isn't that wire still AC current if it comes directly from the stator??? This is a guess, but wouldn't combining AC with DC be bad???
I'm not sure the best way to go here and the bike is currently at a friends storage unit where I need to ride it out of there asap. I'm planning on going today during the day with a fresh regular battery to try to make it home
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
Anyone...
Requiem
XS400 Addict
Wish I could help, but my electrical know-how is very limited to say the least
Vroom4
XS400 Addict
Thanks for the suggestion. I would try that, but I believe my headlight relay is blown, which is why I wired in the headlight switch in the first place.
I'm wondering if my next best move would be a reg/rec combo unit to eliminate those as a factor, then see how she charges. If it's still giving me problems, then its the stator or field coil. I'm also fairly disappointed with the ballistic battery. I looses it's charge soo quickly it's retarded. Plus it doesn't have enough juice to even crank the starter at all, which is annoying b/c it's supposed to be 12v/12a and specifically rated for the xs400. It's the 4 cell type as recommended by Ballistic, but they prob should have spec'd the 6-cell for our bikes. Live and learn..
