Technical Help: Rectifier Issues....long read

ajblbv

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Okay guys, has been a long journey.

Started off with charging system eating batteries, causing 2 to leak. Got a known to be good stator and rectifier from Daniel and while installing them ran into my first melted harness. https://www.hayabusa.org/forum/gene...9872-she-hates-me-she-tried-melt-herself.html
Daniel sent me a new harness...it melted even with new stator on. Had my roommate (high voltage electrician, highly doubt he could mess up this connection) do the new connector. Second one eviscerated itself more than the first one https://www.hayabusa.org/forum/gene...72-she-hates-me-she-tried-melt-herself-2.html and very quickly I might add.

After this I decided to take it to a well known dealer for service. They identified it as wires being crossed, and I walked away fine. They also said they checked the charging system. Okay, I take it at face value cross my fingers and walk away. Sure enough, the harness did not melt again, however my charging system still did not work. Batteries continually died, tried multiple batteries both new and known to be good.

After a few weeks of thinking through and researching along with taking voltage readings after rides (dead, idling, at 5k) I got readings that were all wrong, my voltage dropped under load and my battery lost a little juice every start/stop even on long rides which should have recharged it. I figured that the second melting harness fried my secondhand rectifier, so I decided to buy a new one since symptom wise the rectifier is indeed my issue. I bought part number 32800-33E21 as ronayers said this is the current part number for my 99. Then I read this thread https://www.hayabusa.org/forum/general-bike-related-topics/98877-rectifier-voltage-regulators.html. After finding that I had a few theories, amongst them that in fact my wires were not really crossed by my roommate, but the rectifier I got was newer, so some of the wires changed, and I was not well informed so did nothing to correct this. This also could explain the rapid melting of new connectors.

But that brings me up to now. I just hooked up the new rectifier as is, ran for a minute, and my idling voltage is 13.8 about, however does not jump at 5k. Also, the harness began to get warm again, and the wire harness going into the rectifier starting warming up. As soon as this happened, I disconnected the new one. I do not want to damage one.

If you have followed everything I just said, I guess my questions are: Do gen 1 rectifiers really have reversed wires at some point? If so, how do I go about figuring out what the dealership did? Would that fry a rectifier? Should the harness between rectifier and connector ever warm up itself (I know that obviously the rectifier puts off a good amount of heat) ? And should the voltage at 5k RPMs instantly jump from an idle, or not? If not, how should I go about testing this exactly?

At this point I do not have faith in the dealership, they had some fairly major goofups (like not reattaching my rear seat cable) and also they told me my charging system worked fine which I have seen no evidence of.

At this point I am just kind of banging my head. I have my bike running, but I have to charge the battery every night. The new rectifier I do not want to burn out.

I have used the search as much as I can, read a bunch of threads, and have been talked through a few things both by Daniel and by Gary. Yet here I am. Might end up taking this to the shop in MD that the board recommends, but I really do not want to have to do that.

All help is welcome, if nothing else thanks for reading this far :hijack:
 
Find the service manual posted on the .org. Review the eledctrical troubleshooting secdtion. Grab a digital multimeter. Harbor Freight has them on sale occassionally for 4 bucks. Go to the section on alternator and rectifier troubleshooting and start testing per the maunal. That's your only way out or take it to someone you trust. I don't think the VR is anydifferent from 99 to 07. Ron Ayers part number is superceeded by one new number as posted earlier. Good luck Wardie
 
Have done all of the above. All readings for the rectifier itself are within spec. Also have discovered for 30 seconds from a cool start, the system works. It will be 14.2 idling. 30 seconds later, drops to 13.3. About a minute later, 12.49. After going for a ride, the battery reads 12.00-12.13v running. After I killed the bike then read 12.5. The bike is running at less voltage than the battery provides sitting.

Any more thoughts? I have been through all the trouble shooting the manuals provide, using a multimeter. I do see what you say about it being identical part numbers, thanks Wardie.

Any other thoughts?
 
Well warm wires or cabling obviously means increased current flow. I would take the schematic diagram(s) to a technician or engineer and have them look at it, and get some advice as to how it operates. The charging system is not super complicated.
If the alternator is being turned on or run hard and it cooks the rectifier it needs to be diagnosed. If theres crossed wires re the rectifier then the rectifier may never have a chance. It also may come down to checking each wire in the charging circuit going "point A to point B", per the diagram. And at this point you realize the three main components need to be on the money, ie battery, retif. and alternator.
 
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