Bringing up an old subject. " The Stator"

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quennc

quennc

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 13, 2011
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Location
Barrie,Ontario
I've been reading alot on this site in referrence to the stator. But can't seem to find an explanation in a language that i can understand as to why these things die. So far what i'm understanding is if you draw to much power you're causing the stator to overheat which in time will just die. Also read on a few post about the 3 yellow wires. I've just purchased an 82 gl1100. And the guy i bought it from has no clue on whether or not the stator has ever been replaced and has no clue about the 3 yellow wires. He's replaced the startor and the coil and installed a new battery 2 years ago. But he's had no issues with the bike since. So i guess what i would really like to know is, should i be overly concerned about the stator, should i check these wires. I read on here that if i hook up my tester to the battery and the voltage is around 14.5 at 3000rpm that i shouldn't worry. Didn't really want to bring this subject up again but me and my wife just need a peace of mind on this. The bike does have 100300 km on it. But there are no over whelming amounts of lights on this bike. Mainly just what's required to allow the bike on the road.
We were also thinking of replacing the standered bulbs with LED's.
Any advise on this would be greatly appreciated.
 
Like you, I was worried about the stator issue before I bought my 82 Aspencade. People have even went to the trouble to convert to automotive alternators which run off of the crankshaft off ot the front of the engine.

What I have gathered so far is the following:

1. The 1200 is more prone to stator failure than the 1100

2. Electrical overload, usuually in the form of too many lights and/or the regulator's method of reducing excess voltage, namely, shunting excess current to ground, causes the damage to the stator

3. The yellow wires and their connector are of importance because, a) the connector, which can be found under the left side cover can become corroded and cause a charging issue, and b) can be used, with an DVOM to test each leg of the stator, (3 yellow wires for the 3 legs of the stator) for shorting to ground which means the stator is bad.

4. To replace the stator, the engine must be removed from the frame

Before purchase, take a DVOM (Digital Volt Ohm Meter) with you and 1) pull the left side cover, disconnect the connector for the 3 yellow wires and check for continuity to ground on each wire. The meter should read infinity or no continuity, continuity in this case means shorted stator. If that checks good, start her up with the left side cover still off and check voltage, the volt meter on the bike is slow.

I hope this helps and be sure to check back in the morning for more info, these guys are helpful and knowledgeable and you can rest assured you will be armed with good information to check out that bike before you buy it. Good luck.
 
I've never seen where the wires come from for that 3 wire fix. I've seen pictures of three wires twisted together and soldered, but it was "just that" a close up of soldered wires(could have been from anywhere on the bike). Some good pictures are needed here, since we are on the subject.

I have a large blade fuse near the battery and wonder if that is normal.


Other side of the battery I see something with what looks like three yellow wires.



Is this the thing that needs to be soldered together? Then what do you do with the wires, those wires, used to go to?

~O~
 
The Brown connector on the right are your stator wires, the brown connector should be white which probably means it has heated up at some time all you do is solder each top wire to each bottom wire doesn't matter what order. The blade fuse is just a fix for the dogbone fuse that goes there, easier to replace, I would pull it off and clean those connections though.
 
All that info about the yellow wires is great....However if the charging system is holdnig your battry charge at 14.5 or close I personally would not wory untill you have battery problen...It is ok th do preventive things before a problem developes however why kick a good horse in the a-- ..don't be afraid of problens they are what you learn from...Dive in the water is just fine and the level won't be over your head. If it gets too deep we will throw you a set of water wings. :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy:
 
So just out of curiousity, Is this a really big common thing for the 1100 and also how many of you have not yet run into this problem of replacing the stator on the 1100? Show of hands if you please. :clapping:
 
The 1100 stator is pretty reliable if not overloaded.

~O~ the one on the right!!! And yes Randy....yours is about fried! That discoloration is from the wires heating up at the connectors. Cut them and solder them! (And of course the soldered connections need insulation).

It makes a world of difference in charging after they are soldered and it also stops that slight sputter/spitting at high RPM because you are now getting full voltage and amperage past the connectors to the regulator which in turn gets the battery up and full voltage to the coils. Low voltage can do a lot of damage!
 
That's exactly right about that connector, Omega Man.
It is brown and I can bet if you unplugged it you'd find overheated/corroded contacts.

I believe THIS is the primary source for 1100 stator problems.

Electrically speaking, a given design is considered adequate for it's purpose under normal conditions.
Connectors and wiring are kept to the minimum to save cost and weight, this is especially true on motorcycles.

Once that connector get's dirty from lack of maintenance (periodic cleaning) and moisture the solid connection the plugs were designed for start to loose conductivity.
Since the design is already at a bare minimum, loss of conductivity means the stator is dying a slow death.

It's the nature of current flow in wires and connectors.
What happens is the deteriorating conductivity is causing the stator to continually work harder and harder to "push" past that resistance. Resistance translates into heat at the stator which cooks it.

I do low voltage (12 volt) landscape lighting repairs at times and most repairs I trace back to an overheated connector which finally let loose completely.

I have a stator in my garage that is very cooked, all of the windings are black and all insulation is gone.
Unfortunately I don't have a history on the engine it came out of. I would have loved to see the connector.

I have an external alternator on mine because I like to run alot of lights.
The other reason is when I first got the bike I was using it to make short city runs for parts pickups, looking and jobs etc. One day it was hot so the cooling fan was running a lot and after 5 stops the battery was too low to start.
Loving the bike and wanting to continue running it around like this I decided to install an external but if I didn't run it like this I would have left it on the stator.
 
To add,
I don't believe installing LED's to lower draw will do ANYTHING for stator life.

Keeping the engine clean, in good tune, and taking care of the cooling system so it's not running hot all the time, and frequent oil changes (every 3k miles) will take care of the stator.
 
I would also add that making new connections using butt connectors or blade type quick disconnects can cause big problems! On my '81 engine, the connector was already toast when I got it. Battery keep dying, bike would not start after hot..... :cheeky:

I cut out the connector and used butt connectors (yes they were the correct size for the wire). BUT....the connectors created resistance and while I was riding down the highway, I smelled rubber burning. Pulled over and the wires were melting!! (It was a real hot day in summer no less). Got home and cut the wires back to good wire going both ways and spliced in new wires and soldered them in. (6 solder points now instead of the 3 if I had done it right the first time!)

Moral of the story....cut the connector clean and solder the wires correctly the first time!!! :rtfm: :hihihi:

BTW...even after the wire melting, the stator was OK. It did not run like that very long.
 
Well I'm glad quennc brought this up. I'll clean up the blade fuse connections for now, but repair the stator wires tomorrow or Wednesday(don't own a soldering iron).

I'll take some close up pics of the connector afterwards.

~O~
 
Hey Dan, is that the preferred style of soldering iron? I have the trigger operated kind and it is kind of awkward to use. It looked a lot easier using the type you are using in that video. Is there a disadvantage to using that kind?
 
dan filipi":pm3tha9a said:
The heat source doesn't matter, personal choice.
You could use a propane torch if you want just don't overheat
Click to expand...
The one I use has a built in breaker that shuts it down if I keep it on for more than a minute or so. I think yours looks less complicated.
 

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