Need a bit of help re the charging system if I put a meter across the battery it is fluctuating wildly i suspect ,tathe regulator , the bike still has the wipac regulator fitted,so recommendations for a replacement regulator that has clear fitting instructions for an old man who is colour blind
It would be worth disconnecting the rectifier and testing it. The rectifier basically consists of 4 x diodes and, with a DVM set on Ohms, if you connect the DVM leads in turn to each pair of rectifier terminals (3 x connectors + earth stud), you should get a low resistance with the leads connected one way round, and an open circuit with them connected the other way round. If you don't get this for a particular pair of rectifier connections, it means that diode has probably failed.
The 4 x diodes are between the following pairs of wires:
brown and white
brown and light green
light green and clear (earth stud)
white and clear (earth stud)
Measuring the resistance between each of these pairs of wires will test each diode - a good diode will give low resistance with the leads one way round and high resistance when connected the other way round
hi
here's a picture of a typical rectifier used on our bikes - replaces the original and potentially electrically superior - around £6
you can choose either NEG or POS earth (probably POS earth if keeping original) or NEG earth if you are using this opportunity to convert to 12volt in which case you'd need a small REG/REC £15 or so and then change bulbs and coil etc
if you have the wiring diagram follow the wires up from the alternator that go onto the original rectifier and change 1 x 1
when you say the meter is going wild - do you mean charging 1 minute and not charging the next? the usual charge rate is about 6.7 to 7.2 volts BUT ALWAYS start with a decent fully charged 6 v battery - you cannot do electrical tests with a battery of unknown quality or state of charge.
let us know how you progress
Fitted a new regulator and getting about 7 .2 volts on my meter ,but when I turn the lights on it starts to misfire, bug it runs nice so I am making progress
Ok well done,
I assume the battery was fully charged before checking and getting this voltage??? - very important this
the volts will start at around 6.3 and steadily rise to around 7.2 and hopefully stabilise there.
I believe the side lights and stop lights all come from the battery on the B175 - but I am unsure if the headlight comes from the battery as well
(on my D7 the headlight is fed from the AC source in the generator)
your misfire makes me wonder if the battery has not enough charge in it when you asked it to supply head + ignition
if you run it and then try side lights only , does it misfire then?
The D175 will be the same as my D14/4 with the alternator being conventional in design with 3 pairs of coils. With the lights off, only 1 pair of coils is used to charge the battery and it is only when the headlamp is turned on that the other 2 x pair of coils are switched in to help. It sounds at face value that the charging rate might not be adequate when the headlight is turned on.
You can check this by monitoring the battery voltage when you turn on the lights which should remain well above 6V as you rev the engine. If you connect a DVM set on amps between the -ve lead and the battery, you should also be able to see whether the battery is still being charged with the lights on.
Thanks for advice looking like the alternator is duff,I'm hoping to borrow another regulator just to check it's not that,I've searched for the part no of the alternator but not sure which one I need any one help me out please..
Can you give us voltages at these points please
1-- straight across the battery , nothing turned on , engine off ,
2 - across the battery engine running fast tickover , no lights
3- across the battery, engine running fast tickler, sidelights only
4 across the battery, engine running , headlights on
Must have a fully charged battery before you do these test readings , absolutely vital.
If the battery isn't being charged properly with the headlight on, I would start by checking the alternator first for continuity with a DVM. The common is the light green wire. If you measure the resistance between this wire and the other 2 x wires in turn, the orange wire should give you twice the resistance you get for the yellow wire. If you measure an open circuit, it will mean one set of coils has a wiring fault.
If the coils appear to be ok, it could mean that there is a wiring fault from the alternator via the ignition and lighting switches back to the rectifier. To work out whether this is the case, the simplest way would be to disconnect the alternator yellow and orange wires and to connect them directly to the rectifier after disconnecting its white wire. With both alternator wires connected, you should see the full charging of the battery as you rev the engine.
The Wipac service sheet may help.
As indicated in the service sheets, even if the coils are ok, if the rotor has lost some of its magnetisation over the years then you may get a reduced output which may then be insufficient to charge the battery with the headlights on. The best test is to connect up the DVM set on amps between the battery and its -ve lead. You need to see at least 1 A of current flowing into battery when the engine is revved with or without the headlight switched on.
Thanks for all your help, I've got a new solid state regulator does it need earthing through the mounting point the instructions that came with it are not very clear, if I need a new generator any one got the part no please, going to be a while before I get back to it as I've slipped a disc in my back, I will sort it and let you know the outcome, pete
Assuming it's the same as the D14/4, the alternator stator is a Wipac S4064 and the rotor is a S4063. As said, it's easy to test the stator is ok from the resistance measurements. The condition of the rotor is more difficult and you have to go by how much current you get from the rectifier when the engine is revved.
If the stator has a wiring fault then you may have no alternative but to find a replacement. However, with buying a replacement rotor it would be pot luck whether this would be better than the one you have since all of them will have been degraded to a greater or lesser extent.
I assume you were referring to a new sold state 'rectifier' of the type illustrated by rhyatt. If so, the case does not need earthing because a separate terminal is provided (+ve) that needs to be connected to your earth point or frame. The metal case of the rectifier is not connected to any of the internal components as far as I can remember.
when you are back on your feet - do remember to give us these figures - it will help us help you.
Can you give us voltages at these points please
1-- straight across the battery , nothing turned on , engine off ,
2 - across the battery engine running fast tickover , no lights
3- across the battery, engine running fast tickler, sidelights only
4 across the battery, engine running , headlights on
Must have a fully charged battery before you do these test readings , absolutely vital.
Back to the 175 charging after an enforced break due to back injury, 1 voltage nothing on 6.2 ,,, 2 engine running 6.4 ,,3 headlight on running 6.3, so all seems ok now,,I did remove the stator and clean the segments and check all connection again ,so what was wrong with it I don't know which is a pain ,thanks for all your help and info much appreciated,,Pete
The fact that you are getting more volts when it's running than just sitting doing nothing is good.
Next time you ride it, get back home after the ride, keep it running and then put your voltmeter across the battery, increase the revs to about 35mph and hold it there and see what volts you're getting then.
Quote from: Yeti341 on 22 Feb, 2023, 00:57
Fitted a new regulator and getting about 7 .2 volts on my meter ,but when I turn the lights on it starts to misfire, bug it runs nice so I am making progress
are you sure your not running with the ignition set to E for emergency and not I for ignition?