Main Menu

Stator question...

Started by inanecathode, May 27, 2009, 12:53:38 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

inanecathode

So i rolled up yesterday and the volt meter was saying it was at 12 volts at 5k rpms. Not charging, right?

Well, earlier that day it had done the same thing and i thought for sure i'd be towing it home, except for a couple miles into the ride i noticed the volt meter was back up to 14.something.

Just now i started it up and the volt meter was at 12 again, only after a minute of revving it and checking the battery with the volt meter it went back up to 14.something.

What gives, right? Maybe a loose plug or something?

Well i took the battery out and took the holder out to poke some wires, all the plugs are fine and even the stator plug is in good shape. I probe all the stator wires to ground and guess what, they're all shorted to ground!

This means its a dead stator, right? But how is it still charging if theres an almost 0ohm short to ground with all the phases!?

I'm a tad confuzzled, i dont know how i'm getting any of these numbers, can anyone help?
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
If you can't tell your friend to kiss your ass then they aren't a true friend.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Kid Jedi

Sounds like the same thing that happened to me. My stator slowly failed, generating less and less power  till it finally bit the big one. When I disassembled my cooked stator I found about 10 points where the stator wires shorted to the core. I wonder what yours will look like...
Loves to over think things.

carld

Hmm, yup, looks like the stator is about to give.  When it warms up, I imagine the windings expand a bit and in doing so disconnect any shorts you may have.  As the bike cools down though, the windings may be contracting and you have your short again.

Just a thought.

Coil Coyle

Quote from: inanecathode on May 27, 2009, 12:53:38 PM
I probe all the stator wires to ground and guess what, they're all shorted to ground!

Inane,
           The wires are all connected together. The stator is a circuit that generates in three phases.
;)
Coil

carld

Inane,

when you say almost 0 ohm, how close to 0 are you talking?


Coil,

is that a delta or a star?

Coil Coyle

Carld

From the home page click the Technical icon and then Wiring Diagram over on the mid-right side it is drawn as a star.

;)
Coil

Coil Coyle

Quote from: inanecathode on May 27, 2009, 12:53:38 PM

This means its a dead stator, right? But how is it still charging if theres an almost 0ohm short to ground with all the phases!?

Inane,
         The three phases of AC that the stator produces are not referenced to ground before the Rectifier Section. So, as long as there is only one grounded point you have no problem. This happens all the time in 3ph motor circuits.

         With one leg grounded it's really hard to find the ground and often it is just allowed to stay that way, waiting for the second ground.
???
When the second leg grounds, both of the grounded points are very easy to spot, by the smoke and flames.

:o :D ;D
Coil




inanecathode

I think it is dead/dying. I rode it around a bit yesterday and it would go up to 13.5-14 then suddenly drop to 12, then go back up and stay there. I think it's just that with a volt meter i'm noticing the minutia of stator failure instead of without a volt meter i'd suddenly just have a dead battery.
I've got some stator parts coming, hopefully i can eek by with a home wound one before i have to drop some serious dough on a ricks :O
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
If you can't tell your friend to kiss your ass then they aren't a true friend.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Kid Jedi

if you want a ricks, have me get it for ya. I can get em at cost!
Loves to over think things.

inanecathode

Well, i'll probably try winding my own first. Who knows, i could get lucky and it will last and last!
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
If you can't tell your friend to kiss your ass then they aren't a true friend.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

carld

Quote from: coilXZcoyle on May 29, 2009, 06:46:41 AM
Carld

From the home page click the Technical icon and then Wiring Diagram over on the mid-right side it is drawn as a star.

;)
Coil

Thanks, I haven't gone through all the resources yet. :)  And thanks for pointing me to the diagram, I may need it soon. :)