I'd been pondering the same thing and was going to post but you beat me to it. Interested to hear a reply on this one.
So that might be why the charge light kept coming on!
- Thread starter mr_magicfingers
- Start date
I'd been pondering the same thing and was going to post but you beat me to it. Interested to hear a reply on this one.
If you remember i told you about the alternator terminals being corroded and your alternator not charging when i changed your gearbox
I cleaned them up and put new terminals on. I've got a few low mileage alternators kicking around, you can have one for £50 (£110 at motoworks), might be cheaper than buying testing equipment and then finding you still have to buy an alternator at the end of it all.
If you remember i told you about the alternator terminals being corroded and your alternator not charging when i changed your gearbox
I've got a few low mileage alternators kicking around, you can have one for £50 (£110 at motoworks), might be cheaper than buying testing equipment and then finding you still have to buy an alternator at the end of it all.
Sounds like a decent (and practical) offer to me
Pauly S
Registered user
sounds good too
also there is also thee offer of the loan of a dc current clamp if you want to loan it, thats just as good, and will show how much current its whacking out, like this one,its here and free to loan, no cost apart from petrol, hell i'll even sort the hobnobs and tea.
I bet youve a diode gone open circuit thus knocking out a phase, many vehicles run like this for years and years without ever showing a problem.
Its not until you turn it into tinseltown that the max power of the unit isnt available and the fault appears.
TBH i would bite Neils arm off at £50, fit it and keep the old one, and stick it under the bench for laters.
TBH Neil, if you sort me one out i'll have one at that money.
cheers Paul
also there is also thee offer of the loan of a dc current clamp if you want to loan it, thats just as good, and will show how much current its whacking out, like this one,its here and free to loan, no cost apart from petrol, hell i'll even sort the hobnobs and tea.
I bet youve a diode gone open circuit thus knocking out a phase, many vehicles run like this for years and years without ever showing a problem.
Its not until you turn it into tinseltown that the max power of the unit isnt available and the fault appears.
TBH i would bite Neils arm off at £50, fit it and keep the old one, and stick it under the bench for laters.
TBH Neil, if you sort me one out i'll have one at that money.
cheers Paul
If you remember i told you about the alternator terminals being corroded and your alternator not charging when i changed your gearbox
I've got a few low mileage alternators kicking around, you can have one for £50 (£110 at motoworks), might be cheaper than buying testing equipment and then finding you still have to buy an alternator at the end of it all.
I did remember Neil & I thought it might have been that connector. Hopefully the new connection I've put on will last a while now. Sounds like a great offer, my only concern is that if it's not the alternator then I'm spending money for no reason, hence wondering how best to test the alternator first.
As you say though, better to just buy a newer one from you and have done with it, I'll contact you directly to arrange it. Do I understand correctly that the regulator is integral to the alternator on the GS so new alternator also includes new regulator/rectifier at the same time?
Just looking through the manual, do you actually need to take off the front shock as it suggests to replace the alternator?
Thanks again for the kind offer, I'll be in touch.
Paul, thanks for such a kind offer. As you say though, I think I'll go straight with a new one from Neil and then I can take my time to test the old one and explore a bit, never pulled an alternator apart, then I can test it at my leisure and, if it's a diode gone, I can fix it , replace bushes etc and have a spare sitting on the shelf, though hopefully never need it.
I don't run with all the lights usually but early winter starts i the dark to out of the way places with heated jacket and grips mean it's worth making sure I've got the charging circuit running properly.
Also this might be of interest to people, no idea how they make these things for the money. I'm sure they're not professional standard but for the occasional test at home they might be worth the money.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Portable-...ltDomain_0&hash=item2c5f8e15b1#ht_2784wt_1141
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Portable-...ltDomain_0&hash=item2c5f8e15b1#ht_2784wt_1141
Pauly S
Registered user
You pay peanuts
you get monkeys..
All things have a cost and at a fiver delivered, dont expect much..
If you got it in a cracker, you would be chuffed.
If you take a reading and that "device"/ lottery selector, indicates xyz is at fault, and you shell out loads of dosh for a new xyz, and its not the problem after all, you'll be going out to buy a new current clamp.And aiming this one in the bin.
As i said in a previous post theres an AVO one here to loan for free.Post it back when youve finished.
Motto.... Buy cheap....buy twice...
Before you change the alternator, take some current readings first, theres nowt like getting it right.Test it on full load, in blackpool mode,(full load) that will give some indication of what its doing
What current and what voltage.
As i say its here and free..
you get monkeys..
All things have a cost and at a fiver delivered, dont expect much..
If you got it in a cracker, you would be chuffed.
If you take a reading and that "device"/ lottery selector, indicates xyz is at fault, and you shell out loads of dosh for a new xyz, and its not the problem after all, you'll be going out to buy a new current clamp.And aiming this one in the bin.
As i said in a previous post theres an AVO one here to loan for free.Post it back when youve finished.
Motto.... Buy cheap....buy twice...
Before you change the alternator, take some current readings first, theres nowt like getting it right.Test it on full load, in blackpool mode,(full load) that will give some indication of what its doing
What current and what voltage.
As i say its here and free..
You're not wrong.
I've just replaced my aged fluke meter with another fluke that does 'open jaw' current (no need to clamp, just push the jaws over the cable). If it lasts any where near as long as the last one (20 years), then I'll be happy.
I might even be able to repair the old one - the rotary selector has gone a bit iffy on continuity.
Use a scope across the battery. Chek pattern with a high load switched on.
I think the idea was to check each phase as it exits the alternator prior to rectification by the diode pack (which is not practical anyway). Cant see why you would put a scope accross the battery to check this
maybe someone could enlighten me.Steptoes offer is the one to take. At that price, even if yours was fixable, you could sell it on again easily. Besides, you have only a few wires to check. The feed to the battery, earth and the blue wire which spits to go to the underseat service plug and the warning lamp. I beleive that the bosch alternator differs from the earlier Denso types in that the denso used an extra feed for excitation. The blue wire is just for the charging light on the bosch, and a blown bulb should not effect it charging.
The blue wire is just for the charging light on the bosch, and a blown bulb should not effect it charging.
Sorry, to clarify, many alternators often have a feed to provide initial excitation via the lamp. However, once spinning, they become self exciting.
Have you ever used a scope?I think the idea was to check each phase as it exits the alternator prior to rectification by the diode pack (which is not practical anyway). Cant see why you would put a scope accross the battery to check this
Steptoes offer is the one to take. At that price, even if yours was fixable, you could sell it on again easily. Besides, you have only a few wires to check. The feed to the battery, earth and the blue wire which spits to go to the underseat service plug and the warning lamp. I beleive that the bosch alternator differs from the earlier Denso types in that the denso used an extra feed for excitation. The blue wire is just for the charging light on the bosch, and a blown bulb should not effect it charging.
I use my scope across the battery and it shows how many phases the alternator is charging on. It will also identify a shorted diode or an open diode.
Before jumping in and buying another alternator, ensure your battery is fully charged then test the voltages with the engine running and various combinations of load. If the battery is low it can take quite a high charge current from the alternator and it will bring down the terminal voltage until it is fully charged and this prevents you obtaining reading you can rely on.
Have you ever used a scope?
I use my scope across the battery and it shows how many phases the alternator is charging on. It will also identify a shorted diode or an open diode.
A few times
, but never applied accross a connected battery. For some reason I recall that this test needed the engine to be running, the terminal then disconnected and with the scope on AC you can see the signal and determine any descrepencies (should be nice rounded humps if its ok). An erratic pattern pointed, as you say a possible defunct diode or it could be problems with the windings. Never applied this to a petrol engined vehicle alternator though, hence my asking.
Nothing disconnected, engine running, load applied (that is lots switched on). Disconnecting alternator when running will blow something for sure.A few times
Never applied this to a petrol engined vehicle alternator though, hence my asking.
Totaly agree, never run with the alternator disconnected. The only problem with leaving the battery connected is that it can smooth the signal to an extent that its difficult to determine the humps. However, I never tried it on a bike/car. Time to dig the scope out for a play .
.
I used to own a fluke multimeter. It was stolen from my van and I never had the wherewithal to replace it, not being a professional etc. Cracking piece of kit.
I posted readings from the battery and under load in the first post.
