1979 Charging System

[Ken in Oklahoma]

Can I detect a failing rotor with an ohm meter without having to pull it from the bike?

The answer would have to be yes. By simply lifting the brushes from the slip rings you can measure the rotor for resistance (or an open) and shorts to ground. The problem, of course is that would be a static test and centrifugal force could be opening something up. But it's easy to do and better than no test and while it can show up a fault it won't prove the rotor good.

If it were me, while I had the front cover off, I would similarly evaluate the three pahases of the stator. And lastly I woull pull the diode board and check it out. Rob Frankham's test for a diode board is straightforward and easy. Plus I get confused when looking at a schematic and then trying to relate it to where to put the probes on the board itself.

And best of all it will be a good reason to put your bike on your fancy schmancy lift and smugly watch it save you labor.

Back to the rotor. Do you have a known good spare. And if not, why not?

P.S I'm going to miss you at the rally.

Ken

[Jean]

You said the voltage dropped to "12" after a (very?) short time but the bike started.
The voltage SHOULD have stayed closer to 13 unless there is some "always-ON" load...and on a '79 bike, that's doubtful.
I think your battery has some high resistance internal short and if you let the bike sit for a while, you'll find the battery has gone down to some voltage that will not start it.
If the charging system is givng 13.2 at the battery terminals, it is likewise doubtful that the diode board has a fault.
Is your headlight ON all the time when the engine is running? If so, 13.2 is pretty good. I get 14+ when I turn my headlight OFF...but I have a switch that does that. You probably don't.

[bbelk]

I just checked the voltage after several hours and its holding 12.8 volts. I read the book and all the helpful ideas from you guys, then my wife reminded me that our entire house looks like this:



After 30 years, the floor has given up and is being replaced in the entire house. Which of course means we have to paint everything and change out all those old fixtures, etc. etc.

So we are camped out in the back yard and unless I want another demotion to the dog house, I better not start another project just yet.

So watch for this thread to reappear in another month or so.

Brad

[SteveD]

I feel your pain.

[Jean]

12.8v is OK. Your other post only said "12".
Are you installing some sort of "wood" flooring or carpet?
Looks like lots of fun for cold, rainy days.

[bbelk]

12.8v is OK. Your other post only said "12".
Are you installing some sort of "wood" flooring or carpet?
Looks like lots of fun for cold, rainy days.

I think I had either turned the key on or just misread the first reading.

We were going to put in hardwood floors, but after some research, I have found that hardwood floors on peir & beem houses in Texas require you to run your air conditioner forever. If it stays off for a couple weeks the wood soaks up the humidity in the air and then you turn the A/C back on, the floors cup. I am told it happens quite often.

Then we did a bunch of research on laminant flooring and found that it is super water sensitive and unsuitable for kitchen space and also suffers from the need for the A/C to stay on. I also don't like the way it looks or sounds under foot.

Colleen said there was a divorce associated with sheet vinyl, so we went looking and found vinyl planks. There are thinner ones at Home Depot, but the commercial ones are an 1/8th inch thick, have a good wear layer and look a lot more like wood flooring than laminant does. They are also unharmed by water unless you have enough of it to mess up the plywood subflooring. They come up with a heat gun so if you ever wipe one plank out, you can replace it. It costs about the same as good hardwood installed, and does not add the same resale value to your house, which may be why they don't sell as much of it for non-comercial applications.

Resale is not an issue for us as, 1) we don't plan to move and 2) we live in a scraper. A scraper is a house that is no longer matched in value with the land its on. Anyone who could afford my land, would not live in my 1,200 square foot house.

The floor goes in tomorrow and Friday, so I will let you know how it comes out. I guess I have to wait a couple years to see if this stuff peals up like a bunch of Fritos in a few years. It has a lifetime warrenty, but only two years on the installation.

[Jean]

SEAL THE SUBFLOOR and use the best glue you can get, but sparingly. (so you CAN replace a "plank or 2 if you have to for damage)
I only use commercial grade materials...if I'm going to abuse my knees, it has to be worth it!!

[Garnet]

I LIKE thread degradation!

[Jean]

Yeah. Just LOOK at what we did with Rob's tranny thread!!
Better than any OIL-THREAD ever!!

[Garnet]

Rob's thread (head) was so big I couldn't follow it.

This on the other hand covers both an airhead problem and impending home renos, somtehing I need to pay attention to, if I wish to stay ridding AND out of the doghouse.