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Charging System Problem
I am not sure how the others feel but my feeling is that that only ones really needing to hardwired are the stator wires due to them carrying so much power through them..
Johan
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#16 07-14-2012, 12:00 AM,
hardwire(solder and heatshrink) all connections,using spade connectors again is just replacing the original with a new failure prone connection
1987 Aspencade 129K
1986 SEI 93K
2014 Tri-Glide HD 17K

Hancock,MD
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#17 07-14-2012, 06:38 AM,
Well that is the fifth LTD ive seen, four in person and now this pic of the fuel pump that looks alot different from mine. The cover is the same pump is the same but routing is different and mine has an extra chrome part at the rear of the pump.
One old old Honda mechanic in Texas told me that it was a factory refit under warranty that was supposed to stop the vapor lock problem some had when they were new. I dont know for sure. It looks factory but its the only LTD ive seen and ive seen about four in person since i got mine that has it :-\ Not getting off topic here just an observation. Carry on with the voltage chasing :lol:
Ghost.President: G.M.M.C.C.
Member:Patriot Guard Riders
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#18 07-14-2012, 07:35 PM,
BikerNewsman Wrote:Wow! I'm really impressed by all the assistance. Smile :YMAPPLAUSE: After reading about all the problems with the dogbone fuses I re-checked mine (had checked all fuses at the start of this problem) and noticed the second time around it was bent. When I touched it the thing fell apart, but..... it's not the one in question. It's another one further up-line. Since to me a picture is worth a thousand words, please see the attached pic(s). Can this be wired around the same as the solenoid plug??? Anybody know what purpose this fuse has? Also, there's a little (approx. 2.5" x 4") plastic box tucked away behind all of this assembly with what looks like 5 wires going in/out of the back of it. So... what's this? Again, please see the attached pic.

ghostrider52005 Wrote:I was just re reading your first post for the umpteenth time and noticed something i hadnt before that you said.

You state that at one point you turned on the ignition and the starter hummed???? Then you hit the starter button and it worked fine. The starter shouldnt be making any sound or doing anything when you turn on the key until you hit the button. Are you sure it isnt the fuel pump your hearing?

If it really is a humm from the starter when the key is turned on then that could well be your battery drain right there. It shouldnt do diddly until the starter button is actually pushed. :-\

Ummm, I mispoke on this one. The hum seems to be coming from the right side of the bike (not the left) near the footpeg, behind a chrome shield. I hadn't noticed this hum before. There's always been the brief "pressurization" sound, but no hum. Once more, please see the attached pic.

I know I've asked a lot here so please bear with me. It's the only way I have to learn these things. None of my previous bikes had all of these "contraptions". :oops: While I'm at it I want to take care of all the soldering so (hopefully) it will be a while before I have to do any of this agan, so.... the PO made the wire block mod(s) pictured below. Said it was done while replacing the Stator. In any case, I want to hard wire both of these. I know the one by the battery can (should) be done, but how about the one next to the voltage regulator???? BTW, I repaired the worn/broken wires in the pic with crimps. Going to go back and solder them.


I have to make a comment: in the second picture, the one of the top of the rectifier where a section of the green wire insulation has been cut off, see how the wire has oxidized? THAT’S BAD!!
Oxidation is a form of corrosion and corrosion causes resistance and resistance causes heat and too much heat can cause what occurs at the stator plug next to the battery.
This oxidation is not just confined to the area missing the insulation, it goes up the wire, inside the insulation.
Even a nick in the insulation will cause oxidation which is why it is recommended to solder even when using solder-less connectors and proper fitting heat shrink tubing.

I ride an ’84 Interstate, no radio, no compressor, no computer and extra lighting.
Not completely true, I swapped out the reflectors on the side of the fairing for some LTD side lights – I wanted the car next to me to see a light and not a dull reflector.
(And besides, reflectors don’t work without a light shining at it)
I monitor my volts off the accessory terminals of the fuse box and battery tender the battery every night. (can’t afford the Poor-Boy just yet) but the charging system seems to be doing well – knock on wood

Just remember what our Grandparents used to say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Do it right the first time and do it 100% and then reap the rewards.
~O)
enjoying the view from the saddle....... due mainly to the people and information found within this site
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#19 07-17-2012, 01:50 PM,
if you dont hardwire the connections you'll end up burning up those in short order,take to time to do it right the first time,you'll be glad you did a month from now

the 2nd fuse ends up sending power to the cfi unit and others,without that circuit you will not have any power to the injectors and lights,among other things
1987 Aspencade 129K
1986 SEI 93K
2014 Tri-Glide HD 17K

Hancock,MD
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#20 07-17-2012, 02:05 PM,
firstwing85 Wrote:Classic music and working on a classic bike sounds good to me.
good luck with your project.
that's what we are here for to help each other out whenever we can and if I can help someone else with what I have learned,
that's good enough for me.. :YMAPPLAUSE: :YMAPPLAUSE:

Johan I think by classic tunes he meant. The good old Rock & roll or the like. I think you thought Mozart, Brahms or the like. :YMHUG:
Angela(fysty-1) & Dani
Surrey, B.C., Canada
'85 Honda GL 1200 (fully dressed) I. (sold)
pres. 95 Virago 1100
"No matter how blue life may get always remember that there's a rainbow in the sky."
"Grab life by the handlbars an hang on."

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#21 07-17-2012, 07:25 PM,
BikerNewsman Wrote:Hey firstwing. Thanks for the offer. Are you sure you want to deal with my myriad of questions??? lol Just got back from town with 2 bags of goodies to work on this. Sorta feel like it's Christmas with the new sordering iron (had a stick-type but it's not strong enough) and all the other miscellaneous items, but I'm the Santa. :d Wish me luck! :YMPRAY: I'll post the results (with pics) when I'm finished. Perhaps someone else with the same problems can learn from this experince too. It's certainly an eye opener, and learning experience, for me. Now - - - it's time to crank up the classic tunes and get back to work on a bike that's newer than the music I listen too!!!!
Johan is great! he live just up the road from me & has been a Godsend for this old broad. And the best thing is that he knows what he is talking about. :d :d :d :d :YMHUG:
Angela(fysty-1) & Dani
Surrey, B.C., Canada
'85 Honda GL 1200 (fully dressed) I. (sold)
pres. 95 Virago 1100
"No matter how blue life may get always remember that there's a rainbow in the sky."
"Grab life by the handlbars an hang on."

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#22 07-17-2012, 07:28 PM,
I've taken care of replacing both of the dogbone fuses with spade fuses and am working on eliminating the plug and the wiring block at the regulator. Found more wire damage that had just been taped up (no solder, no connector), and a loose connection in the wiring block, but no more corrosion than previously discussed. When I took all the PO's tape off the harness I found this buried in there. I started to pull it apart because it looks like there's a bit of corrosion around where the two portions fit together, but thought better about it... at least until I know what it is and if it's something that can be fairly easily replaced. What is it, and what purpose does it serve?


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"It ain't about the miles, it's all about the smiles".
My (non-commercial) motorcycle blog - http://www.dixieriders.com/purpose
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#23 07-21-2012, 12:08 PM,
Ok, now it's starting to pi...., uh, tick me off. Got everything back in place, hooked up the battery (checked it first - 13(+) volts), turned the key, no hum like I mentioned in the July 13th post above. Bike cranked fine, fired a couple of times so I let go of the starter button, bike died. Tried it again. Same thing. Checked the 2 new spade fuses and the CFI fuse in the fuse box. All ok. Tried it again, holding the starter button a little longer. Bike started, ran a little over 1200 rpms. Let go of the starter button. Bike died. Tried it again, runs as long as I hold the starter button. Yes, I know I'm not supposed to do that. Revs up like it's trying to charge the battery, but dies the second I release the starter button. Never had a problem getting it started before, even when running it would discharge the battery. Oh, and apparently it's trying to charge the battery because the battery isn't getting run down as fast as it did before while trying to start the bike. Sooooo, any ideas about what's going on? Is there anything else I should check short of basically starting over and checking all of the connections again??? Checked each one before applying the heat shrink and wrapping the harness. Also checked to be sure it has plenty of fuel.
"It ain't about the miles, it's all about the smiles".
My (non-commercial) motorcycle blog - http://www.dixieriders.com/purpose
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#24 07-23-2012, 02:19 PM,
That sounds like a dead short in the wiring from the starter button... When you release the button it is disconnecting the power from the ignition key switch or is crossing with the red engine run/off button on the right controls.
Vegetarian: Old Indian word for Bad Hunter

[Image: VisitedStatesMap.jpg]
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#25 07-23-2012, 03:07 PM,
Ok. Here's where I stand with this. When checking my wiring against the original pics of the solenoid
[attachment=2]
I found I had placed the CFI lead on the wrong solenoid terminal.
[attachment=1]
I moved it to the terminal closest to the battery (the POS terminal???)
[attachment=0]

Now my bike starts as quickly as it did before (barely thumping the start button), and continues to run, however instead of a constant discharge I'm getting a steady reading of 12.15V at the battery & 11.5V at the on-board meter @ 1400 rpm. After running a few minutes it slows the rpms down to about 1100 (as it did before when the battery was recharged), but the voltage drops to 12.03V at the battery and 11.4V at the on-board meter. These readings do not change even when I manually increase the rpms. In case it makes a difference here - the rpms fluctuate a little (about 100 - 150 rpms on either side of 1100) which is much better than before. They had been fluctuating 300-400 rpm.

I'm at a loss as to why the charging system seems to be somewhat holding it's own now, but not actually charging. I've checked the trunk light. It's off. While doing the wiring I checked the 3 yellow stator leads. They checked out ok. Also checked them at the regulator connector (which I replaced by hardwiring). Checked out ok there also.

Soooo, does anybody have any suggestions as to what the problem is now?


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"It ain't about the miles, it's all about the smiles".
My (non-commercial) motorcycle blog - http://www.dixieriders.com/purpose
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#26 07-24-2012, 11:12 AM,
Found the problem! :d Well, with the help and patience of another member found the problem. It's the regulator. Everything about the stator... continuity, lack of continuity, and AC voltage all check out correctly. I'm certainly glad it's not the Stator. I'd be bikeless for quite a while had that been the case.

Thanks to everyone for their input regarding this problem. None of my previous bikes had all the "do-dads" this one does, so I'm sure I'll be asking a lot more questions in the future. Glad I have somewhere to turn for the answers.
"It ain't about the miles, it's all about the smiles".
My (non-commercial) motorcycle blog - http://www.dixieriders.com/purpose
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#27 07-24-2012, 08:35 PM,
BikerNewsman Wrote:Found the problem! :d Well, with the help and patience of another member found the problem. It's the regulator. Everything about the stator... continuity, lack of continuity, and AC voltage all check out correctly. I'm certainly glad it's not the Stator. I'd be bikeless for quite a while had that been the case.

Thanks to everyone for their input regarding this problem. None of my previous bikes had all the "do-dads" this one does, so I'm sure I'll be asking a lot more questions in the future. Glad I have somewhere to turn for the answers.


:d Happy Trails to You, Until we meet again............
enjoying the view from the saddle....... due mainly to the people and information found within this site
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#28 07-25-2012, 03:32 PM,


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