Mystery generator, and problems charging

Scrap or repair generator?

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RooDog
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Re: Mystery generator, and problems charging

#16

Post by RooDog »

Did you get a good price for that defective genny? No numbers necessary.
Did the seller know it was "bad"?
Maybe you got a good deal, eh?
....RooDog....
TMIB
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Re: Mystery generator, and problems charging

#17

Post by TMIB »

RooDog wrote: Mon Jul 18, 2022 6:15 pm Did you get a good price for that defective genny? No numbers necessary.
Did the seller know it was "bad"?
Maybe you got a good deal, eh?
....RooDog....
The price was pretty good. The listing said "shaft spins, but untested. Sold as-is, will need restoration."

I'm happy with what I paid for it, particularly considering that it got my bike back on the road again!
RooDog
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Re: Mystery generator, and problems charging

#18

Post by RooDog »

Good deal....
I usually take it when a vendor says "untested. Sold as-is", they mean it don't work, they know it, but don't want to admit it.
But you were knowledgeable and lucky enough to save that puppy. Another good deal gone our way.....
....RooDog....
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Re: Mystery generator, and problems charging

#19

Post by TMIB »

So after all this, I am still having problems. Bike runs great with the headlamp off. After running on a hot day at varying speeds, parking the bike and turning it off, I measure 5.78v at the battery.

But if I switch the ignition switch all the way clockwise to turn the headlamp on, the bike will start missing after about 3 minutes of driving, and will eventually stop firing altogether. If I switch it back fast enough and downshift to "bump start" the bike again, it will run fine and keep going.

I've replaced the generator and the voltage regulator. Now I am starting to think maybe the battery just isn't holding a charge under load.
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Re: Mystery generator, and problems charging

#20

Post by awander »

Wish I was closer, I'd come over and we would figure it out.
1950Panhead
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Re: Mystery generator, and problems charging

#21

Post by 1950Panhead »

Good deal....
I usually take it when a vendor says "untested. Sold as-is", they mean it don't work, they know it, but don't want to admit it.
But you were knowledgeable and lucky enough to save that puppy. Another good deal gone our way.....
Some words of wisdom Roodog, how to gamble on ebay.

I've replaced the generator and the voltage regulator. Now I am starting to think maybe the battery just isn't holding a charge under load.
Likely, time for new battery.
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Re: Mystery generator, and problems charging

#22

Post by awander »

Once the bike is running, the generator should be able to supply all the juice needed to run the ignition and lights.

The battery should really only be needed at very low engine speeds.

If there is a battery problem, I don't think it's the whole story.
RooDog
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Re: Mystery generator, and problems charging

#23

Post by RooDog »

A quick internet search shows this:
"Using a multimeter, you can measure the voltage of a battery, and your fully charged 6V battery must show a value between 6.3 and 6.4 volts."
So, it looks like your battery ain't up to snuff.
But none the less, the genny should be able to run both the iggy and lights, so I suspect there is a problem in the lighting circuit. How many amps are the light pulling?
TMIB
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Re: Mystery generator, and problems charging

#24

Post by TMIB »

RooDog wrote: Sat Aug 13, 2022 2:57 pm A quick internet search shows this:
"Using a multimeter, you can measure the voltage of a battery, and your fully charged 6V battery must show a value between 6.3 and 6.4 volts."
So, it looks like your battery ain't up to snuff.
But none the less, the genny should be able to run both the iggy and lights, so I suspect there is a problem in the lighting circuit. How many amps are the light pulling?
I added some distilled water to the battery and charged it overnight. Now it is showing 6.3. Not sure if it'll hold under load, but I think you hit the problem with your second sentence.

With the engine off and the ignition on, I see a draw of .18 Amps. As soon as I switch it to the "light on" position, it draws more than my 10 Amp meter can measure. I'm guessing that means I have a short in the lighting circuit somewhere.
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Re: Mystery generator, and problems charging

#25

Post by awander »

I think 10 amps is more than the lights should draw, for sure. Figure on 4 to 6 amps for the headlight, and maybe 2 max for the tail light.

Also, I think that when you measured the 0.18 amps with ignition on and engine off, the points were open. I'd expect to see more like 3 to 5 amps draw for the coil itself with points closed.
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Re: Mystery generator, and problems charging

#26

Post by TMIB »

Solved!

I dug into the lighting wiring and figured out that the headlamp and hi/low switch were wired wrong. Both the high beam and low beam were coming on at once.

I've got it wired up correctly now. At low beam, I am seeing a total draw of 6.2 Amps, and high beam is showing 7.4. That's much more reasonable! (also of note, with the headlamp wiring disconnected I was seeing 1.0 Amps, which would be the taillight and anything else in the system, presumably.)
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Re: Mystery generator, and problems charging

#27

Post by awander »

Alright!

Be sure and let us know for sure after you do some riding.
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Re: Mystery generator, and problems charging

#28

Post by animal12 »

I've made amp meters for testing on vehicles by buying a 30 or 60 ( the 15's are kinda hard to come by these days ) amp like you mount under your dashboard & Mount the gage bracket to a block or wood or something that won't tip over & install the meter facing up with the block down . Then I attach some 10 ga wire to the gage with some good heavy duty clamps /alligator clips . You can move it around to just bout any machine you want to test current on . I've also seen problems with some digital volt meters & motor electronic interference . I have a Simpson 260 I use a lot on older vehicles .
animal
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Re: Mystery generator, and problems charging

#29

Post by TMIB »

awander wrote: Sun Aug 14, 2022 1:15 am Alright!

Be sure and let us know for sure after you do some riding.
More time will tell for certain, but initial evidence looks good. I just did a 20 minute ride to the store and 20 minutes back. That consisted of a short strip of 60 mph highway, stop & go traffic and stoplights in town and 30 mph backroads. The final 2.5 miles home is a 20 mph dirt road, and I also had to let the bike idle for a short bit while I opened the garage door. The whole time I had the low beam headlight on.

No stalling problems, and the battery measured 5.74V when I checked it after shutting down. A little low, but it also had the GEN light flickering as it ran at sub-20mph speeds through several of the corners on my dirt road, as well as idling.

I'll do a longer drive early this coming week and see how it does.
panheadrider1961
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Re: Mystery generator, and problems charging

#30

Post by panheadrider1961 »

Known full charged battery, crank motorcycle hold meter wires to positive and negative read voltage at 1500 rpms should read 7.1-7.7 if this is not reading these numbers possible shorted battery, bad regulator if known generator is in good condition also are you arcing the regulator when you remove and replace any components in charging system even if you disconnect battery from circuit a temporary flash at regulator as specified in manual
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