Low Voltage
- TeK9iNe
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Re: Low Voltage
09 Nov 2009 10:21 - 09 Nov 2009 10:37
Rebuild/Clean EVERY electrical connection and wires on the entire bike!
Make sure there is a good clean ground to both frame and engine. Metal on metal.
Pull the individual wires out of each plastic connector and metal brush them till they are shiny new. All connectors need to be crimped snug, nothing loose. Put a little di-electric grease on them before reconnecting to keep out moisture.
Replace any crusty, rotted (green) wires.
Charge the battery full, not connected to bike. Then hook up to your "new" wiring harness, and everything will work better, and you will have elliminated alot of possibilities.
Or... keep screwing around with variables in the wiring.
Start from the very beginning with a multimeter and check the stator condition, voltage output. The stator connectors should have infinite resistace (no connection) from any of the connectors to ground.
If the stator is not grounding, and is sending out good voltage then the RR pack IS to blame. Replace the RR with an origional RR pack with a sense wire and install correctly.
Here's the Rectifier/Regulator
Do you have an owners manual with a wiring diagram?
Here's the wiring diagram: kzrider.com/index.php?option=com_docman&...d&gid=269&Itemid=108
Best of Luck!
Don't go cheap!
Cheers.
Make sure there is a good clean ground to both frame and engine. Metal on metal.
Pull the individual wires out of each plastic connector and metal brush them till they are shiny new. All connectors need to be crimped snug, nothing loose. Put a little di-electric grease on them before reconnecting to keep out moisture.
Replace any crusty, rotted (green) wires.
Charge the battery full, not connected to bike. Then hook up to your "new" wiring harness, and everything will work better, and you will have elliminated alot of possibilities.
Or... keep screwing around with variables in the wiring.
Start from the very beginning with a multimeter and check the stator condition, voltage output. The stator connectors should have infinite resistace (no connection) from any of the connectors to ground.
If the stator is not grounding, and is sending out good voltage then the RR pack IS to blame. Replace the RR with an origional RR pack with a sense wire and install correctly.
Here's the Rectifier/Regulator
Do you have an owners manual with a wiring diagram?
Here's the wiring diagram: kzrider.com/index.php?option=com_docman&...d&gid=269&Itemid=108
Best of Luck!
Don't go cheap!
Cheers.

Motorcycle Shop Owner/Operator
79 Kawie Z1000 LTD
81 Kawie Z1000 CSR
83 Honda VT750C A
85 Kawie GPZ900 A2
86 Zukie GS1150 EG
93 Yamie XV1100 E
Lucky to have rolled many old bikes through my doors
79 Kawie Z1000 LTD
81 Kawie Z1000 CSR
83 Honda VT750C A
85 Kawie GPZ900 A2
86 Zukie GS1150 EG
93 Yamie XV1100 E
Lucky to have rolled many old bikes through my doors

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Last edit: 09 Nov 2009 10:37 by TeK9iNe.
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- ssalyer
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Re: Low Voltage
09 Nov 2009 10:55
Well, I just inspected the coil with the bad reading. There is a huge crack in the green plastic body. I'm thinking that is not good. What causes this and what effects could it have on the system?
Charging issue aside, the bike has moments of running really great and moments of running kind of shitty. Misfiring
Tek, Every inch of wire on this bike is 2 months old. All the connections are from Vintage Connections using their crimping tool. Every connection was put together with di-electric grease. I'm confident that the wiring is good. BUT, I will continue to check and recheck the connections.
I'm going to run a ground strap directly to the motor. Seems like that should be done
Once again thanks for the input.
Charging issue aside, the bike has moments of running really great and moments of running kind of shitty. Misfiring
Tek, Every inch of wire on this bike is 2 months old. All the connections are from Vintage Connections using their crimping tool. Every connection was put together with di-electric grease. I'm confident that the wiring is good. BUT, I will continue to check and recheck the connections.
I'm going to run a ground strap directly to the motor. Seems like that should be done
Once again thanks for the input.
1978 KZ1000 A2A
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- Patton
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Re: Low Voltage
09 Nov 2009 11:55
ssalyer wrote:
What black box?
ssalyer wrote:
quote]Well, I just inspected the coil with the bad reading. There is a huge crack in the green plastic body. I'm thinking that is not good. What causes this and what effects could it have on the system? Charging issue aside, the bike has moments of running really great and moments of...Misfiring.[/quote]
Yep -- the crack is definitely not good. :lol:
The analysis is imo correct with regard to charging system being independent of the ignition system. With a good fully charged battery, the bike should perform perfectly well without any charging system components at all, at least until the battery runs down.
The coil crack would at the least allow moisture into the windings. Maybe resulted from overheating due to a short in the windings.
Just guessing.
Good Luck!
Which wires would the primary circuit be? Each coil has a wire coming fron the ignition switch and one coming from the black box....

ssalyer wrote:
quote]Well, I just inspected the coil with the bad reading. There is a huge crack in the green plastic body. I'm thinking that is not good. What causes this and what effects could it have on the system? Charging issue aside, the bike has moments of running really great and moments of...Misfiring.[/quote]
Yep -- the crack is definitely not good. :lol:
The analysis is imo correct with regard to charging system being independent of the ignition system. With a good fully charged battery, the bike should perform perfectly well without any charging system components at all, at least until the battery runs down.
The coil crack would at the least allow moisture into the windings. Maybe resulted from overheating due to a short in the windings.

Good Luck!

1973 Z1
KZ900 LTD
KZ900 LTD
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- ssalyer
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Re: Low Voltage
09 Nov 2009 12:06
The Black box thst is part of the Dyna electronic ignition
1978 KZ1000 A2A
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- Patton
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Re: Low Voltage
09 Nov 2009 12:36
ssalyer wrote:
An "older" Dyna model perhaps? Maybe a Dyna III?
Dyna-S has no box.
Current more sophisticated Dyna model has a box, but am thinking it's not black.
Good Luck!
The Black box thst is part of the Dyna electronic ignition

Dyna-S has no box.
Current more sophisticated Dyna model has a box, but am thinking it's not black.
Good Luck!

1973 Z1
KZ900 LTD
KZ900 LTD
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- PLUMMEN
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Re: Low Voltage
09 Nov 2009 13:25
the old dyna III had a box that contained the brains in remote location away from heat

Still recovering,some days are better than others.
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- ssalyer
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Re: Low Voltage
09 Nov 2009 13:38
i actually prefered that older system ,but you should probably check with arai59 or trianglelaguna since they are the real experts on here.the rest of us are just waiting for our big break into capt morgan commercials! :laugh:
Still recovering,some days are better than others.
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- Patton
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Re: Low Voltage
09 Nov 2009 13:46
Here if needed are the Dyna III installation instructions.
Note specific emphasis on ground connection to engine case and not to frame.
Click here for > Dyna III Installation Instructions
Good Luck!
Note specific emphasis on ground connection to engine case and not to frame.
Click here for > Dyna III Installation Instructions
Good Luck!

1973 Z1
KZ900 LTD
KZ900 LTD
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- ssalyer
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Re: Low Voltage
09 Nov 2009 13:51
Ok, here's my question... The coil gets a short in a winding. This causes the coil to heat and crack. The coil is still working at least marginally because It's firing on all 4. It is still getting hot because of the short. Could the coil be pulling too much current?
1978 KZ1000 A2A
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Re: Low Voltage
09 Nov 2009 13:54
its pretty common for coils to get cracks since the heat from engine gets stuck under gas tank and bakes them,again check with the gurus though

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- ssalyer
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Re: Low Voltage
09 Nov 2009 14:05
Patton, very interesting. It used to be hooked to a lug on the engine. It got moved to the same lug on the frame as the other grounds.
1978 KZ1000 A2A
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