Killed 3 alternators in 3.5k miles?

[vinny]

As the title says, my GS500 has killed 3 alternator stators in around 3500miles..

The first one:
When i bought the bike it was running fine but unbeknownst to me the stator had blown and it wasnt charging the battery. I replaced the stator and all was good.

The second one:
A few thousand miles later, the stator i had put in failed, which in turn completely drained and killed the battery. I bought a new battery and complained to the company i bought the stator from, and i was sent a free replacement.
When removed the stator to inspect i found the wires had come loose and got caught on the rotor(thing with magnets?) and had shredded. Ooops, my bad on installation?

The third one:
The new battery AND new Stator installed (Carefully checking during installation that there was no way in hell any wires could get caught, anywhere, and making sure all screws and bolts were loctite'd in.
At this point i thought it best to check all connectors and the rec/reg'. So all connectors between the stator and the batter were replaced, the useless inline fuse the previous owner had used was replaced with a normal blade fuse and all wires were re-routed.

Finally, it was charging ok. (Well, the 3 wires from the stator showed 60v/75v/75v) at 14.2v @2.5k, down to 13.2v @7k. I figured it would be ok. I was wrong. It died on me about a week ago. I checked the battery acid levels, charged it overnight and tried again. Voltmeter onto battery, revved engine slowly from 1.5-7k, it showed a MAX of 12.8v @5k. Bummer.
Could be the regulator i thought, so i checked the wires directly from the stator, my results are below:
60v
75v
0v
Another dead stator then?

Note: between the 2nd and 3rd alternator dying i did replace the oil, it was clean. Well a bit dirty but clean of metal flakes etc..

Now im stuck without a running bike, again. Im fed up, i just want it to run.. Anyone got an idea of why it could keep blowing stators?


Short version:
3 stators died in about 3500miles
Battery is good
Reg/rec is ok
No heated grips etc
New connectors and fuse
HELP?

[burning1]

Charging specification is 13.5-15.5 volts at 5,000 RPM. Next time test according to that procedure.

My suggestion is to download or purchase the factory service manual and follow the diagnosis procedure for the charging system to the letter. A few things to keep in mind:

1. Batteries must be load tested. I've seen dead dead dead batteries that showed normal voltage after a fresh charge.
2. Grounding of the Regulator/Rectifier is critical, since it operates by dumping excess voltage to ground.
3. It's good to check the bike for shorts.
- Check your amperage draw with the bike off. Should be 0, unless you have an accessory clock or something similar installed.
- Disconnect the headlight and check your amperage with the key in the on position. Should be something reasonable, less than 10 amps. Hell, even with the headlight on I'd expect the bike to draw less than 10 amps.

[adidasguy]

If wires in the stators are getting ruined, sounds like you have lose magnets or other fragments in there. When the magnets are spinning, things move around and start cutting up your stator wires.

Stator wires never get damaged unless there is something lose or metal fragments or magnet fragments in there.

I believe some people call this "goats". Do a search for it.

[vinny]

Charging specification is 13.5-15.5 volts at 5,000 RPM. Next time test according to that procedure.

My suggestion is to download or purchase the factory service manual and follow the diagnosis procedure for the charging system to the letter. A few things to keep in mind:

1. Batteries must be load tested. I've seen dead dead dead batteries that showed normal voltage after a fresh charge.
2. Grounding of the Regulator/Rectifier is critical, since it operates by dumping excess voltage to ground.
3. It's good to check the bike for shorts.
- Check your amperage draw with the bike off. Should be 0, unless you have an accessory clock or something similar installed.
- Disconnect the headlight and check your amperage with the key in the on position. Should be something reasonable, less than 10 amps. Hell, even with the headlight on I'd expect the bike to draw less than 10 amps.

I followed my 'Haynes' manual to check the charging system. Followed it exactly.
I thought 13.2@5K would be ok, i seem to spent about half my time on the bike @3-4k - town riding.
With a voltmeter on the battery, cranking the engine to start it didnt drop below 10v, leads me to believe the battery is ok.
Like i said, every dodgy/corroded connector i could find was replaced. A check a few days ago confirmed they are all still ok.
No accessories, ill check the amp draw tomorrow though..

If wires in the stators are getting ruined, sounds like you have lose magnets or other fragments in there. When the magnets are spinning, things move around and start cutting up your stator wires.

Stator wires never get damaged unless there is something lose or metal fragments or magnet fragments in there.

I believe some people call this "goats". Do a search for it.

As i said, the wires got caught because they worked loose - probably my fault for not installing the stator with more care. I should explain, it was the wires going from the stator out of the case that were shredded, NOT the wires on the stator itself.

I did check the magnets when i last replaced the stator - tapping them gently, pushing them gently to see if they wobble, and checking for any missing chips etc. They all looked good enough to me. No missing chunks etc..

[Dizzledan]

Maybe it's possible you had a defective stator, then an improperly installed one, and now the third one appears fine, but there's actually a problem with your battery since it's been through so many deep cycles in such a short amount of time.

[sledge]

Some may say otherwise but my experience of non OEM electrical parts suggests they lack quality. I would choose a used but good condition secondhand OEM stator over a pattern everyday if it was at all possible, probably cheaper too.

[ojstinson]

Vinny, you could probably get a deal if you buy alternators in bulk---by the case maybe.

[vinny]

Vinny, you could probably get a deal if you buy alternators in bulk---by the case maybe.

Lol, i rather just have 1 that works though.

[the mole]

If I read this correctly, you have had the standard stator die, then killed the second one yourself and now a non-OEM part has died.
So if we leave out no.2, the original died and a cheap replacement was exactly that. Sounds like sledge's advice is good.

[vinny]

Time to look for a 2nd hand (but guaranted working) stator then?..Ill keep you all updated.

[adidasguy]

I don't think you mention the model bike you have.

Something to be aware of when shopping for used stators:

You can get any used stator with the 3 pin connector.

If your stator has 3 barrel connectors on it, then you have an adapter in your wiring harness that goes from the 3 barrel connectors to the 3 pin connector for the voltage regulator. If you have that, then either stator will work. If you get a stator with the 3 pin connector, simply go right to the voltage regulator and bypass the adapter in the harness.

If your stator has the 3 pin connector already, you can not get the older stator with the 3 barrel connectors unless you make an adapter or change the connector.

Simply: NEW = OK for old or new bikes.
            OLD Stator = only for older bikes because of the connector.

FYI: All voltage regulators are the same. 3 pin connector for stator. 2 pin connector to battery.