baked stator

[Night Vision]

cracked open the left case on the project bike tonight to replace the stator and do the starter clutch bolts...

guess what?

this isn't the first stator bake this V has been to.... 8500 miles and it looks like this is the second OEM stator she's had... someone has been there before... clear silicone on the gromets was a dead give away, not to mention the semi stripped stator screws..... there is an (oem?) part number stamped on the stator (2021) ... 

anyway... the thing I found interesting was.. which posts and insulation were the toastiest....

on the last three I've done (replaced the original on SmokeBomb with an electrosuck, which was later replaced with the Virago stator, and the original I replaced on CherryBomb with an electo-not-as sucky)
all had the upper posts / insulation puffy-toasted-shorted.....

this stator seems more randomly / unevenly toasted ........

4:00 , 6:30, 8:30 & 9:00 posts were the worst... I think 8:45 sealed the deal  ::) . some of the upper posts were charred, but not touching....

this is kinda opposite of what I thought was killing off the specices... I assumed the top of the stator was cooking faster than the bottom.. this one had more damage on the bottom half  ??? ??? ???

[YellowJacket!]

I think the stator gremlins have been reading our posts and changing their tactics.  Just to confuse us you know.

David

[Night Vision]

good theory  :D .... 'cept this stator was last licensed/tagged in 1985

[Lucky]

guys, look at the oil diagrams in the factory manual, these stators do not sit in an oil bath, they don't even get splashed, the rotor throws oil away from the stator via centrifigul force. look at the oil level window compaired to the bottom of the stator.  if anything, they get 'mist'...

the fact that it's usually the top that toasts first has nothing to do with oil level.

--Lucky

[kwells]

so if we filled the crankcase entirely with oil the stators will survive.....

[h2olawyer]

But your airbox will look like Prince William Sound after the Exxon Valdez passed through!

I haven't noticed any particular pattern to my failed stators.  Have three in my garage to compare right now.

H₂O

[Night Vision]

guys, look at the oil diagrams in the factory manual, these stators do not sit in an oil bath, they don't even get splashed, the rotor throws oil away from the stator via centrifigul force. look at the oil level window compaired to the bottom of the stator.  if anything, they get 'mist'...

the fact that it's usually the top that toasts first has nothing to do with oil level.

--Lucky

I realize that there is no direct oil cooling on the stator.... however, when we took temp readings on the side case during an OnRov ride.... the case opposite the top of the stator was the hottest spot... maybe because it is father away from the oil pool.... all I was saying is that all the spent stators I've seen so far have had more damage on top... this one didn't... 

[supervision]

  Maybe we need a special low performance wound stator.    Or big ass cooling finns on the end of the case     
   Or just carry your bike in the back of the truck, like I do.

[visionless]

  Maybe we need a special low performance wound stator.    Or big ass cooling finns on the end of the case    
   Or just carry your bike in the back of the truck, like I do.

Except they might want to carry a ramp.

[YellowJacket!]

  ... Or just carry your bike in the back of the truck, like I do.

You mean you have a Harley?  I thought you had a Vision.  :o

David

[Superfly]

Anyone run a extra ground wire from the RR to the neg. battery post?

[supervision]

 If you just keep driving in a big circle you don't need to unload, thus no use for the ramp

[Ron_McCoy]

Or maybe just find some courthouse steps to unload on..........

Extra ground from the RR to the stator on mine.    Oops....make that to the battery negative. ::) ::) ::)

[h2olawyer]

Extra ground from R/R to stator?  How did you route the extra wire through the grommets?  ;D

Am adding the extra ground this week, but going from R/R to battery negative.  Will tap into the ground connection that sits behind the TCI.  I cut that one & soldered it when I repalced the original R/R.  Will cut it apart & use a posilok connector to run the extra ground wire.  EZ to get to, run the wire & connect to the battery.  I know the battery to engine ground is great - I have one of Tiger's awesome 6 gauge cables there.   8)

H₂O

[Night Vision]

Am adding the extra ground this week, but going from R/R to battery negative.  Will tap into the ground connection that sits behind the TCI.

H₂O

that's what I did to my last one.... so far I have nearly 4k miles on a used Virago stator and it looks just like when I put it in

[supervision]

   It is important that all the wires make their way effectively.  I believe we need a method of relieving the heat from the stator.. I think the temperature of that area is causing short life for the insulation... maybe fin the case, pant it black ect.  Or turn down the out-put a bunch, with less winding.  Or do like honda did with my old chickenhawk, hook it for only two legs then three legs according to need, use a relay when the fan comes on, to bring in the other leg, come back

[Superfly]

I am not sure if it is heat or electricity.  If we can get some more members to add a ground wire, we can get a bigger case study to see when & why the stators are frying.  Mine always tended to look like a electrically fried wire (remeber.. when we were younger and installing that nice new car stereo into your car... the type of stereo that was worth more than the car we were putting in in!) and all the sudden you get the smell when a wire grounded itself, and the wire was fried.  IMO, my stators always looked like that. 

[Twinmoon]

Didn't Yama change the bolt for the stator to one w/ a hole or something to allow oil thru to help cool it. A "fix" due to Visions and Ventures cooking stators?

[h2olawyer]

That happened only on the Venture.  Visions were out of production by the time they came up with the attempted repair. - At least, that is true of US models.

H₂O

[Lucky]

Jason has (had?) both bikes & iirc he had his center bolt on the V drilled, but later had it welded back up