Charging issues Maint BEFORE it Happens

[macmac]

ASAP I am going to give my 06 1600 a good look over because i do not care to deal with a charging system failure.

The plan is to open the ground gang of wires at the battery box, the starter relay, the 2 connectors under the left side cover and inspect, clean and die electric grease all of these parts, and by hand wire brush the cooling fins on the 2 rec regs.

98% of the time these failures are caused by crudlings and heat, known in the tech world as high resistance connections. Heat makes the contacts oxidize and that makes crudlings. Simply cleaning and stopping more crudlings works and well if you beat the problem so it never becomes a real problem.

Age has something to do with it as well, and since there is a burst of activity just now, Now seems to be the time to get on this and deal with it.

Besides fried orange connectors off color wire at the connectors is another sign. The wire insulation will turn tan, or be some other color that the rest of the insulation, shrink back from the crimps and just be different from what it should be. This happens to just about everything sooner or later.

So if you want to beat the charging system gremlins before they bite you, get this done ASAP.

A can of electrical cleaner, a roll of tape, sand paper, and some grease made for wiring is all you need.

[recumbentbob]

Very good advice

[JD Hog]

macmac, thanks for the great advice.

I will do this soon as I am "almost" done with my garage now and will have a place to work on my bike.

I'm also looking forward to installing the items that I have picked up since I purchased the bike from Cliff aka cliffordgos.

[macmac]

For trouble shooting this see Jared's Thread.

With any luck at all doing what i said on this thread will habve it so no trouble shooting will ever need to be done.

One thing i forgot to mention is a good wire brushing on the rec reg fins with a brass or stainless steel tooth brush is a good idea. road crud can build on the fins and they wanna be clean if not shiny. it might also be a good idea to unbolt the rec regs and clean their back sides and where their backside mount as all of that is heat sink. I have never dropped my rec regs, but i have cleaned the fins several times.
!/2 of the AC volts is just about dead shorted to ground on the rec side of the regulators. The regulators allow the + side to pass to feed the battery and the bike. So there is a lot of heat to get rid of.

[pjandbee]

Seems the more I do the more my "MAN" Mr. MacMac gives me another item to put on the need to do soon list. I'm not complaining as I've accomplished a lot of maintenance based on the advice and guidance of MAC and his endless information.....and I must also mention all the other members too.

So, here is the new list, 1.Pull side cover clean the stators (2ea), 2.Check connections, coat with die-electric, 3.Clean rec.reg. and connections, Clean all bolt connections / dielectric, 4.The Clutch thing. looking at it like this it doesn't seem like much, Look's like another month on the jack.......

But, hey THANKS for the information making the Beast safer. I'm planning a long trip to any where and would like to know that I have every chance to make it home. At 41,600 mi every thread seemed to apply and instil confidence = fun.
BIG Thanks, but I reserve just alittle because of all the work!



03 Nomad 1500fi

[macmac]

Originally Posted by pjandbee

Seems the more I do the more my "MAN" Mr. MacMac gives me another item to put on the need to do soon list. I'm not complaining as I've accomplished a lot of maintenance based on the advice and guidance of MAC and his endless information.....and I must also mention all the other members too.

So, here is the new list, 1.Pull side cover clean the stators (2ea), 2.Check connections, coat with die-electric, 3.Clean rec.reg. and connections, Clean all bolt connections / dielectric, 4.The Clutch thing. looking at it like this it doesn't seem like much, Look's like another month on the jack.......

But, hey THANKS for the information making the Beast safer. I'm planning a long trip to any where and would like to know that I have every chance to make it home. At 41,600 mi every thread seemed to apply and instil confidence = fun.
BIG Thanks, but I reserve just alittle because of all the work!



03 Nomad 1500fi

Almost. under the left cover are 2 orange gang connectors. Clean these. You won't see the alt stators since they are under the next cover. The wiring is getting to be OLD. OLD has a need to be cleaned, and protected from the elements. Be a real good idea once that cover is off to look at it then take a photo to reference back to. Things are tight in there and a error can result in a pinched hot wire and don't even ask How I Know. (guilty as charged) I have seen lots of old wiring and the Japs have a big problem with old wiring. Lucas was no better. In fact if not for Lucas we would have eternal day time. Yes Lucas invented dark, and warm beer.
The reality is oxidation.

If you want no wiring oxidation get the bike re-wired in 24 k GOLD.....

[VulcanJeff]

Yup, mac rocked this thread hard.

I have yet to come across ramblings as to why the rec reg is hanging off the bottom of the frame behind the engine. What gives? Did Momma Kawa have a brain fart and say omfg we forgot that little doohickey....hey let's put it THERE!?

[macmac]

Originally Posted by VulcanJeff

Yup, mac rocked this thread hard.

I have yet to come across ramblings as to why the rec reg is hanging off the bottom of the frame behind the engine. What gives? Did Momma Kawa have a brain fart and say omfg we forgot that little doohickey....hey let's put it THERE!?

coldest place Ma could find I guess.

If I was half as smart as you mugs think I am, I would get one of you to come do this to my bike while I sat drinkin' a La Batt's in a lean back foldin' chair directin' Fat chance of that happenin'.

[mick56]

Originally Posted by pjandbee

Seems the more I do the more my "MAN" Mr. MacMac gives me another item to put on the need to do soon list. I'm not complaining as I've accomplished a lot of maintenance based on the advice and guidance of MAC and his endless information.....and I must also mention all the other members too.

So, here is the new list, 1.Pull side cover clean the stators (2ea), 2.Check connections, coat with die-electric, 3.Clean rec.reg. and connections, Clean all bolt connections / dielectric, 4.The Clutch thing. looking at it like this it doesn't seem like much, Look's like another month on the jack.......

But, hey THANKS for the information making the Beast safer. I'm planning a long trip to any where and would like to know that I have every chance to make it home. At 41,600 mi every thread seemed to apply and instil confidence = fun.
BIG Thanks, but I reserve just alittle because of all the work!



03 Nomad 1500fi

Have you read his advice on camchain extender's,at 41,000m maybe you should.