Bess did say if it ain't broke don't fix it. But I thought whilst I'm in the primary chaincase I may as well reposition my alternator stator, as it had been put in the wrong way round by a previous owner. Last time I was in the primary chaincase I just put it back in the same way (if it ain't broke...) but this time I decided to reposition it so that it would be as its supposed to be. As part of doing that I decided to replace the old, hard, brittle sleeving through which the three wires run. To do that I took the stator off completely, ie disconnected at the bullet connectors above the primary chaincase and pulled the sleeved wires through the grommets. On the bench, looking more closely, I see that there are some bare wires. If you look at the photo you'll see (arrowed) the insulation has split where the wires bend, exposing the bare copper strands. Could someone kindly advise me what to do please? This is new ground for me, so please assume no previous knowledge! It just looks like a little jumble of wires and blobs of solder to me. Thanks very much in advance. Phil
Hi,
Opps ;)
Carefully cut off the black outer insulator to expose the wires. Individually fit closely fitting shrink sleeves over the full length of each of the wires, shrink them with a hairdryer. Then fit an outer sleeve of your choice over all three of the wires.
You might consider finishing with strain relief as suggested in your other post.
Best wishes...
Hi,
Make sure the wires are very clean so that the heat shrink will stay in place. Electrical contact cleaner will do a good job. This could be the original stator so check that all the coils are very secure and that the lacquer on the coils has not started to come off. These were superseded by the encapsulated type.
Dave.
Things have taken a turn for the worse. :(
When trying to very carefully remove the outer sleeving (quite difficult in that it's rock hard, softens when heated with a hot air gun but then cools and hardens almost immediately), here's what I found (see photo.) A broken wire, and another that's bent sharply and not looking great. I must have done it, despite being very careful. To make myself feel a bit better I think the copper might be brittle.
Help!
Phil
Hi,
How good are you at soldering? If the rest of the stator is in good condition and you like a challenge cut off the wires and start with new wires and sleeving. If not get a new encapsulated stator. Personally that is what I would do as I am not that good at soldering.
Dave.
Not sure how to check if the rest of thevstatorbudbinbgoid condition.
I used to be able to solder after a fashion, when I worked in a metalwork/ machine shop, but that was decades ago and I never did an alternator. But I've been thinking about buying some soldering gear. Maybe I should do that and have a go - assuming lots of forum advice! - and if I fail then buy a new stator. I guess just melt the existing joints and solder on new wires? Is it a bit more difficult than that? Are there any parts of the stator which don't like heat? Phil
By the way, that gobbledegook in my last post was meant to say " the stator is in good". Phil
Hi Phil,
I would be looking at the coils - are they loose? Are the insulating cards in good condition and all there? The wires in the coils are coated with, I think a shellac lacquer, which should be intact so no bright copper visible. The wires connecting the coils need to be in good condition with the insulation intact. If it has over heated it may have a smell to it and be discoloured. Ultimately if it looks good then it can be checked electrically but some one else will have to advise on this but there could be info. in you workshop manual re testing a stator.
Dave.
Hi Phil,
Try these:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/373132761327?var=641920042931&chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&itemid=641920042931_373132761327&targetid=1140163973729&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9045303&poi=&campaignid=12128858833&mkgroupid=117045676459&rlsatarget=pla-1140163973729&abcId=9300480&merchantid=6995734&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7NKBBhDBARIsAHbXCB5KM5OwObiV5WabS1rCeu2sdCQi3BDU51dvj4AAbox8TRZU5BoDHj8aAt61EALw_wcB
Or send it to me, I'll have a go for you.
Best wishes...
Never seen those before. Had to Google them to see how they work. So Bess you're suggesting I simply join the two ends of the broken wire with a solder sleeve, using a heat gun to make the joint and seal. Seems temptingly simple. Do you reckon the material is oilproof and okay in prolonged heat inside the primary chaincase? Phil
Hi Phil,
They will be fine, probably best to use Duraseal for your particular application. They are good from -55degC TO +125degC, resistant to motor oil, diesel etc. See data sheets on this page.
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/splice-connectors/0533673/
I would practice a few times first as you don't want to overheat them during installation.
Best wishes...
Actually, just noticed one of the wires has insulation damage very close to the stator, so maybe it's either soldering on new wires or buying a new stator. Need to think and decide. Phil
:) :) :)
I would consider it in these terms.
If you do a repair will you be 100% (or close) happy with it. if you are never going to be more than a very few miles from home try the repair.
If no to either of these points. Personally I would fit a new one. Worth it for the time alone that it takes to sort it next time round.
Mike 8) 8) 8) 8)
Thanks Mike. Dave also said he'd go for a new one. I'm going to get a cheap little soldering iron and see how I get on, and if it doesn't go very well then just buy a new stator. Should be interesting. Actually someone told me this morning that new 6volt, 3 wire stators are a bit hard to come by at the moment.
Phil
I seem to recall that there was a section in the Rupert Ratio book that specifically dealt with fitting new wiring to a B40 stator. It was quite fiddly but not especially difficult - the main thing was to get enough wire exposed on the stator to get a good soldered joint. If the bike has been running ok then the chances are that the stator insulation is ok so definitely worth trying to solder in new wires first. If your soldering is a bit rusty try some practice joints first. Whenever I do any I find it best to tin both wires first so that everything has solder on it before you heat it, and make sure the soldering iron is clean with a good coating of solder on it to conduct the heat into the wires. And plenty of flux to clean it.
The solder wire I'm getting has a flux core. Do you think that's enough? Hopefully, if everything is clean. I remember cleanliness being crucial in soldering.
Thanks for the tip about Rupert Ratio - I'll have a look.
Phil
Even with a flux core I would still use flux. Applied with small brush it gets in amongst and cleans the separate strands of the wire. You can get little tins of flux in B&Q.
Actually, yes, that's what I'd have done when I worked in a workshop. I'll get some passive paste as well.
Evening all, My soldering iron arrived in the post today, so tomorrow I'm going to have a go at removing the old wires from my stator, and replacing them with nice new ones. Having a look at the stator just now, I was a bit confused (no surprise there, I hear you say.) Please bear in mind I know virtually nothing about alternators. Anyway, what struck me as a bit odd was this: the three wires should each be attached to the winding wires. Right? One of my three wires is already disconnected, the other two not yet. But (see photo) it looks to me like the disconnected one must have been attached to just one winding wire (see it in the murky darkness, foreground left), whereas another of the three (green/yellow) seems to be soldered to two winding wires which can be clearly seen running parallel next to each other. The third one I'm not sure about. In my ignorance I'd have thought that each of the three wires should be soldered to the same number of winding wires, be that one or two. Could someone explain please? I'm praying all is well and that there is a simple answer! Phil.
Hi,
There are 6 coils arranged in pairs. One side of the 2 coils (1 pair) have a green/black wire, as are the other 4 coils (2 pairs) are joined by a green/yellow. The other side of the 6 coils (3 pairs) are connected to a common white/green wire.
Best wishes...
Thanks Bess. Let me check I'm understanding this right. My new green/black wire should connect to one single strand coil wire at the stator; my green/yellow to two coil wires; and my white/green to three coil wires. Is that correct? Phil
Further to my previous post, yes, that seems to make sense, even to me. It's about output control, yes? All three pairs connected to one wire, two pairs to another, and just one pair to another. Phil
Funny thing. Soldering my new wires onto my stator, the one that went to the three coil wires was fine, so was the one that went to two, but the one that went to the single wire kept being contaminated, black muck in the joint when I was soldering. Re-did it several times. Flux-cored solder (I think it's lead-free, judging by the full finish of the joints), flux paste as well, cleaned the single wire (emery, wire wool, carb cleaner), tinned it, clean hands. Can't make it out. Seems to be a secure joint, but a bit annoying. Any thoughts? Phil
Oh dear, it broke. The actual winding wire (single strand), with its new multi-strand wire soldered to it, broke. Maybe not supported well enough? A bit disappointing. I'll solder it again, but I'm wondering is the single strand is strong enough to bear the weight of the new wire and solder. Any advice anyone please? Phil.