Some 3 Phase Alternator Findings, 82 1100 A2

I haven't seen that one at our Harbor Freight store, and they won't do special orders any more. Maybe one of the stores up in Denver would have it. It is a China copy of testers that have been around for many years, @ a 1/10th of the cost. This carbon pile with the adjustable load is perfect, of course. Price is cheap enough, although I was hoping to set up a lower cost test. Also someone not familiar with these would have to be careful not to apply to much load, that tester can load 500 AMPs. But to be able to also load test the small motorcycle battery would be great, as this is also very important to see if it has the storage capacity.

OK I just finished with the (RATED OUTPUT LOAD TEST) for this bike. The spec is 20 AMPs of current flow, with 14 volts DC at the same time.
I got a nice load coming from my stock electrical system when running, about 9 AMPs, but I want to take the LOAD up to what the system is rated at. After some discussion and testing/ measuring, I found that hanging on the Garage wall was a perfect candidate. It is a 12 cooling fan module from a car, and 1 fan motor has a 10 AMP steady draw. This added to the battery creates the extra load needed to test for the rated output.
So with my cheap $5.99 HF AMP meter hooked into the Red/white wire that comes off of the R/R and back to the bullet plug Y, this where all of the testing was done, it shows me the current that the charging system is putting out. Now I also have a volt meter hooked between ground on the frame,and the R/R side of the Red/white wire, where the AMP meter is connected. This is at the male bullet end.
I'm in process of posting some lousy pic's.
So to the test, fist with only the Stock bike stuff, at Idle, 1000RPM, I get a AMP flow exactly matching my already know system usage, about 9 AMPs and 14.02 DCV. Next to take it up in RPM, voltage increased slightly right away, to 15 DCV, revving higher there was no change.
So now we do the FULL LOAD TEST, adding 1 electric cooling fan from a car, which increases the current flow load to real close to 20 AMPS we do it again, Idle= 20AMPs and 14DCV, rev to 3400 and hold it there, 20AMPS and 15.02 DCV, then disconnecting the additional load after 3 minutes, with it still running 3400RPM, AMPs dropped back to 9, and volts lifted slightly to 15.37.
So once I spent the time to set up this test, the measuring and buying the HF cheap AMP meter, testing the Car Cooling Fan Current Draw in AMPs, the actual testing was less than 10 minutes, once the bike was warmed to temp. Oh and the cooling fan is what I use to place in front of the bikes engine when doing stationary testing/ tuning. It was $20 at the U-Pull & Pay Wreckers. You may have a car with a fan in it at the radiator or AC condenser you can use, without removing it, just unplug it and jump it, or use the pins at the fuse/ relay box under the hood.

Pic 1 Idle Load, and Voltage

Idle with extra load of AMPs

3400 RPM loaded to and producing 20 AMPs and 15 DCV

Cooling FAN

OK so I don't post it all again. Go to #390092 in this thread for how to test for the RATED OUTPUT of your charging system.
kzrider.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&...limitstart=20#390098

That's awesome. So I take it you had the reg/rec hooked up completely and to the battery? Does it usually get up to 15v on the battery?

Isn't 15V the point at which bulbs start blowing?

And on a somewhat related note, will the cheap DMM's read to .4 ohm accurately? I have a $450 Ideal (comparable to equivalent Fluke), and I know it will, but I question the accuracy of the cheap ones at that level of resistance.

I was going to mention using lights for a load tester, but you done covered that, then I was going to mention the Harbor Freight load tester, but you covered that one too :laugh:

Well as to the Cheap HF DVOM, it will NOT measure the resistance @.4OHM correctly, I used it and doubled checked with Mr Fluke, HF was double the resistance: 1. something, as it jumped constantly. 15v output from the system at the Red/ white output from the R/R is because all other wiring is connected, brown switched wire, (Charging Sense)is seeing slightly less and making up the difference. If I take and put a wire from the Positive Battery terminal to the Brown wire on the R/R the voltage drops back down to 14.3 steady with this load on it. Cleaned up the main fuse, and other, clips but it didn't change. Remember it is a 28 year old Harness so there will be resistance higher than when it was new. So I have to get into the connectors to find if I can make it clean up to get the correct voltage on the Brown Ignition circuit, so charge voltage will drop.
On my 82 1000 K2, which I just took to Seattle and back 3600mi RT, I had a boiled battery @15.4DCV @ battery terminal test, but never blew any bulbs. I didn't catch it in time and it cost me a new 18-LA. That is why in some of my posts I keep talking about how important the voltage on this wire is, it is the main Ignition switched power running most the electrical. Resistance at the main fuse was this bikes problem, once that was taken care of charging voltage across the battery dropped to 14.2, yes about a full volt. I had replaced the fuse panel with a good used one when I had put the bike together the year before, and had been riding with no symptoms of a overcharge. But found, as with the one that was in the bike when I got it,this one too had been getting hot at the main fuse clip after the fuse. This was about 1200mi into my trip, at my friends in Bend Oregon.

Ahh yes, the drop at the fuse holder is usually the culprit. Going brown wire direct to battery, 14.3 is what I get on the reg rec too.

I've stopped using the cylinder fuses and use the blade type now. Though, they could just be better because they are new.

One thing on this loaded AMP test was at what RPM the System Rated Output was reached. Book clearly states that the output is rated at 8000RPM, I never had half of that to get my MAX current flow and still hold voltage. I mean really they wouldn't expect everyone to be running around with there Motors turning that. So as we had been discussing, while the NO LOAD test of the Stators 3 yellow wires in pairs at 4000RPM to find ACV, can tell you if the problem is the stator if it is WAY off. But when Full output of current and voltage from the entire system is actually at a lower RPM than that one specific test, shouldn't the course of action be a LOADED TEST? This is all that is ever done with my end of a charging system test, what does it do when loaded, record the Voltage and Amperage and compare to the Factory Spec. If it is out, then you would test pieces to find the reason. Once the repair is made I would go right back to the LOAD test to confirm my repair, as without confirmation, is it repaired?