old school electrical help (generator+points style regulator)

[thefitisgay]

so on my bike whenever im not spinning enough rpm my lights go out completely now the best i can hope for is them flickering on and off at idle but this is an issue now and it seems to be getting worse

i think all my wires are ok so i think its between my comutator in my generator being dirty or the points in my regulator being dirty i popped the band off my generator and the mica between the copper plates is lower than the copper plates and the regulator is supposedly a never service sealed unit....

i noticed my tire has been eating the wires coming out of my tail light but i dont think they are shorting even thought they are bare on the tire side

what do i do.... idk where to turn cuz pretty much everyone that knows about this set up is dead....

[firehawk618]

Do you have a good battery in it? That's the main purpose of the battery in a kick-start only bike. Yeah most will keep the lights going even without the battery however yours might be too weak to do that, either just because it's designed to ONLY be run with a battery, or just becasue it's old.

The battery not only keeps things going when the voltage from the charging system is low, but it also acts as a surge protector so to speak. Prevents light bulbs from popping etc should the generator / alternator spike voltage for whatever reason.

[thefitisgay]

no battery lol forgot that

never had one never will... my capacitor however is like 45 years old... and the problem started showing up around the time i put a halogen headlight in it... but it was sorta like a gradual thing like the headlight could have wore someting out but it wasnt an instant change

i kept popping headlights then i rubber mounted my regulator and switched to a halogen headlight at the same time cuz i ran outa sealed beams and hasnt popped a headlight since...

what would a short act like?

[firehawk618]

Short will act like smoke and stinky wires.

[thefitisgay]

so i guess im boned

[gears351]

What bike are you dealing with?

If you upgraded to an H-4 style halogen replacement to the old sealed beam it's likely your generator (sounds like an old brit bike to me) can't keep up!

Even through the 80s the Jap bikes didn't put out enough juice for an H-4 upgrade - most of those upgrade bulbs are 90/140 for great night visibility. Your machine is likely having difficulty with even the lower output 55/60 watt standard bulbs.

Tell you what - I'll help you with this if you can help me find a SMEC for my project :thumb:

The mica insulator should be lower than the copper contact pads on that commutator btw.

Have you checked voltage at your capacitor (while running)? - many older bikes will only put out 12-13 volts until the revs get up around 5k, and even then they won't approach the 14v common to car alternators. Are you sure it's a generator and not an alternator (again, what machine are you dealing with?)


When you rubber mounted your regulator did you run a ground wire? Most of those regulate by dumping excess voltage to ground (typically through the finned aluminum case) - Ironic as you don't have enough voltage to power your lights.

[johnl]

Yeah, teling us what make model & year would help. It is common that the magnets in the rotor need to be re-magnetized.

[thefitisgay]

What bike are you dealing with?

If you upgraded to an H-4 style halogen replacement to the old sealed beam it's likely your generator (sounds like an old brit bike to me) can't keep up!

Even through the 80s the Jap bikes didn't put out enough juice for an H-4 upgrade - most of those upgrade bulbs are 90/140 for great night visibility. Your machine is likely having difficulty with even the lower output 55/60 watt standard bulbs.

Tell you what - I'll help you with this if you can help me find a SMEC for my project :thumb:

The mica insulator should be lower than the copper contact pads on that commutator btw.

Have you checked voltage at your capacitor (while running)? - many older bikes will only put out 12-13 volts until the revs get up around 5k, and even then they won't approach the 14v common to car alternators. Are you sure it's a generator and not an alternator (again, what machine are you dealing with?)


When you rubber mounted your regulator did you run a ground wire? Most of those regulate by dumping excess voltage to ground (typically through the finned aluminum case) - Ironic as you don't have enough voltage to power your lights.

i have an 89 smec

65 sportster

i have 1 ground wire on the reg and i looked through the peephole on the generator and the mica looked lower than the copper but i didnt jam anything in there to be positive

today they went out completely twice what gets me is they never did that before and never again and both times it was goin down the same exact strip of road i think its effin haunted

[gears351]

Have you checked the voltage coming out of the generator yet? I'm guessing yours has been switched over to the 12volt generator? There's one on ebay right now for $10 (Item number: 160445461159).

Did you tape those bare wires in your inner fender yet?

You said it's the same section of road.... is it smooth or bumpy? Any big dips? I'm betting those wires going to the taillight are shorting out killing your headlight.

How much for the SMEC?

[thefitisgay]

mine was 12v from the factory and nah didnt tape my fender wires or check the discharge it got checked a few months ago and was fine the road wasnt really bumpy or anything there was a big steep hill but i think they went off before the hill.... but i went down steeper hills and bumpier roads without them going off... and they went off and back on in like the same spot... ghosts

man it was so dark i was standing on the yellow lines and could just barely see them it was scarey

idk on the smec i think i still have it

[thefitisgay]

still got the smec uh hows 50 sound?

[gears351]

Where's sucktown PA? I run to Mckean and Erie from time to time... You ever go out to Summit Racing? I live right around the corner.

$50 sounds good, so long as I can find out if it'll work on my application - I don't know if they're different from the Daytona to anything else - my wiring is for the Daytona.

Any ideas what yours is out of? (Auto or Manual 2.2 or 2.5)

You wouldn't let me try it first would you?

I'm betting you've got a short in that rear harness where it's grounding out. Does the bike die too or just the lights?

[thefitisgay]

its a mag so charging system is like pissclams to me uhm im next to jersey... i was told it came out of an 89 daytona i cant remember if it was auto or what id love to let you try it but every time im nice to someone i get screwed lately

[thefitisgay]

well my lights went out and stayed out so i checked the generator at idle and it was puting out about .25 soooooo the generator is bad? would the regulator turn the generator off?

[gears351]

Generator is bad, the regulator just dumps EXCESS voltage to ground. If you're not getting at least 10v at idle it's dead!

As for the SMEC, I found I only had 10psi of fuel pressure so I'm hoping that its the pump - I've got one on order, if that don't fix it can I look you up for the SMEC?

[thefitisgay]

Generator is bad, the regulator just dumps EXCESS voltage to ground. If you're not getting at least 10v at idle it's dead!

As for the SMEC, I found I only had 10psi of fuel pressure so I'm hoping that its the pump - I've got one on order, if that don't fix it can I look you up for the SMEC?

sure

so the generator will charge with no wires on it?

[gears351]

yep, spin the generator and 12vDC will come out, spin it fast enough and you might hit 14 or so, that's when the Regulator kicks in, it dumps anything much more than 13 to ground - that's why it gets so hot!

You got the link to the one on ebay right?

[thefitisgay]

yup i know i know someonethat has one i just gotta wait it out

or i could pop mine apart... who knows could be dirty brushes

[gears351]

it's worth taking apart and cleaning for sure, if you're lucky its just a brush hanging up or worn out.

[thefitisgay]

if its not just dirt idk where to turn... the repair manual is pretty much useless lol