regulator help!!! 1978 goldwing

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trouble

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Clovis CA
ok i recently got my first goldwing. i have ridden them often but this is my first i have owned (i got 2 more but ill talk more on them later) the issue here i have is the regulator has 2 red wires with white lines that were both connected to the solenoid. one of them heated up when i installed a battery to the point of melting the plastic cover from the wire. i need to know where they go please. any help would be appreciated.

ps: it is a 1978 gl1000 (sorry forgot to put that in the original post)
 
Red with white stripe goes to the B post on the solenoid. Red with no stripe goes to 30 amp fuse to same post (if original, the fuse is a dogbone on the side of the solenoid). BUT! Red with white stripe does not go to the regulator, it goes to the rectifier. Regulator get black, green, and yellow wires to it. The regulator is mounted in the shelter. The rectifier is mounted in front of the battery. Unless someone has replaced your stock system with one from a bike with combined regulator/rectifier. BTW, before you go any further check the three yellow wires from the alternator to the rectifier. An all-to-common failure is the melting of that connector due to oxidation, followed by alternator failure.
 
[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=202228#p202228:2thpn8b9 said:
pidjones » Today, 4:35 pm[/url]":2thpn8b9]
Red with white stripe goes to the B post on the solenoid. Red with no stripe goes to 30 amp fuse to same post (if original, the fuse is a dogbone on the side of the solenoid). BUT! Red with white stripe does not go to the regulator, it goes to the rectifier. Regulator get black, green, and yellow wires to it. The regulator is mounted in the shelter. The rectifier is mounted in front of the battery. Unless someone has replaced your stock system with one from a bike with combined regulator/rectifier. BTW, before you go any further check the three yellow wires from the alternator to the rectifier. An all-to-common failure is the melting of that connector due to oxidation, followed by alternator failure.

ok i was going by what it said on the bike lol up top under the false tank it has what i thought was the rectifier as it has a sticker that says rectifier and i was told that the one next to the battery was the regulator. (he wasnt looking at the bike just going off memory) sorry about the confusion and u r right. the dual wire connector going to the rectifier literally melted together the moment it had current running through it and melted the coating off the wire. not the greatest feeling smelling smoke come out of a bike u just got right when u hook it to a battery :thanks: and i am going to check the alternator as soon as i find out how lol youtube here i come i guess
 
ok gonna do a search now. i love working on bikes but hate electrical lol. im sure this wont be the end of my electrical issues though as the bike is about 40 yrs old and i picked it up from someone that had had it sitting for 15 years. (interesting side note: i found out that i know this particular bike. about 21-or-22-ish years ago it belonged to my neighbor and he was selling it. it was the first wing i ever rode and i wanted it baaaaaad. sadly he sold it 3 days before i got the money. now im more determined than ever to get it back in the condition it was in when i fell in love with riding it)
 
ok so i did the conductivity test and the results are in the pic (excuse the sloppy image. i just used paint to draw a quick map of the results(yes means there was conductivity no means there was none)
conductivity test.png
so im figuring this means the alternator needs replacement? and if i do have to replace the alternator would that fix the issue with the wiring?
 
Is the circuit test of the plug wiring to the bike? If so it looks like you have a faulty stator or stator connection.
 
I would work back towards the alternator to see if there is another connector or maybe a splice. My '77 had a bad 3 pin connector inline that I replaced with a splice and all was good. If that phase is open all the way to the alternator, you may need a new one. But, just be sure yo check wiring back to it first. Do a search on GoldWing sites for "three yellow wires".
 
I don't know if the '78 has this same plug

viewtopic.php?p=141325#p141325

mine was toast. It's the stator wires plug, near the stator. I replaced mine with a trailer plug, weather tight and I can still test if required. This plug, if you have, is the closest to the stator and could be the source of the connectivity issue.
 
[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=202277#p202277:3m4dwyxu said:
julimike54 » Today, 5:13 am[/url]":3m4dwyxu]
I don't know if the '78 has this same plug

viewtopic.php?p=141325#p141325

mine was toast. It's the stator wires plug, near the stator. I replaced mine with a trailer plug, weather tight and I can still test if required. This plug, if you have, is the closest to the stator and could be the source of the connectivity issue.

checked for that plug. apparently one of the former owners cut the plug out and wired it direct. i haven't taken off the years old electrical tape yet but that's probably going to be my next move. should i run another conductivity test from there when i have it apart? i know that wires that are just spliced together can have issues after they age but could this still be the issue with the conductivity i didnt find?
 
[url=https://www.classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=202278#p202278:2z75li85 said:
trouble » Tue Apr 24, 2018 1:36 pm[/url]":2z75li85]
[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=202277#p202277:2z75li85 said:
julimike54 » Today, 5:13 am[/url]":2z75li85]
I don't know if the '78 has this same plug

https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewt ... 25#p141325

mine was toast. It's the stator wires plug, near the stator. I replaced mine with a trailer plug, weather tight and I can still test if required. This plug, if you have, is the closest to the stator and could be the source of the connectivity issue.

checked for that plug. apparently one of the former owners cut the plug out and wired it direct. i haven't taken off the years old electrical tape yet but that's probably going to be my next move. should i run another conductivity test from there when i have it apart? i know that wires that are just spliced together can have issues after they age but could this still be the issue with the conductivity i didnt find?
Definitely.
 
ok soooooooo took off the (very old) electrical tape and found they had attached some old tongue n slot electrical connectors.and as i pulled the tape off of one it had melted the tape so i literally had to take a razor blade to it to get it out. that connector got no conductivity until i touched the electrode end directly to the wire end. the screech from the tester was music to my ears! all 3 wires had conductivity at that juncture. so gonna head to harbor freight and get a new connector for it. now i have a question. the original issue i had was the melting of the red wire with the white stripe. could this short have caused the wire to have so much load on it that it melted the wire the moment power was applied to the system? (it literally burned the plastic off the wire and melted the 2 wire connector in the line before i could remove the positive wire from the battery)
 
What I gathered from your description is, you have a dead short on the wire that melted (my guess). start by removing the wire and check the wire for continuity to ground, also do the same for the wire termination point! To melt wiring at the speed described, it has to have a short. Wiring diagram shows a few items that could have a short, plugs (think wire and housing melting), rectifier and starter magnetic switch. Good luck
 
Agreed. Plus, don't waste your time with another connector. If they all test Ok (not shorts or opens) The very best is to solder & crimp splice or "Western Union" splice (Google it). The melted connector may have been caused by poor contact and oxidation in the conector - common on these connectors near the battery.
 
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