Charging question

[bork]

Hey guys i'm new here as you can see and i've been reading old threads for awhile and cant seem to figure out how to fix my charging issue with my 08 avenger 750. I replaced the battery because the one it had was going dead and it wouldn't fully charge on the charger so I thought that was the problem. Then I found a blown fuse and replaced that but I don't think the problem is fixed. It starts fine with the new battery but when I put it in the gauge was reading 12V and now its reading 10.5 and it never moves even at full throttle. I know next to nothing about electrical stuff so i'm not sure what to do next. Any help would be great. Thanks

[guyfox]

Check all the conections to make sure nothing is loose and also while you are doing that make sure that they are clean. Test the battery with a voltmeter to ensure you are getting a charge when engine is running.

[swfleur]

On your charging problem - your engine has stator coil somewhere -usually under the flywheel where you cant see it - but you should see some wires coming out of the engine somewhere - usually 2 yellow wires - this stator coil is also sometimes called a generator ( similar to an alternator in your car )

- this stator coil creates AC voltage when your engine is running - the voltage varies from 15 volts AC to 50 volts AC - and then the ac gets converted to DC 12v by your rectifier / regulator - this is how your battery gets charged - from the DC rectified voltage.

When your charging circuit is working correctly - you can simply put the volt meter on your battery - with the engine off you should read 12v dc - when you start and rev your engine - your 12v dc should increase slightly up to 13 volts dc - showing that the battery is charging

Your problem could be that ...
1- the rectifier / regulator is going bad and needs replacing - easy fix
2- the stator coil under the flywheel is damaged or a wire came loose - test it by unhooking all the connections to your rectifier/ regulator and measure for AC voltage ( yellow wires ?) when you turn the engine over with the stater - you should see some AC voltage on a meter. - replacing this is harder since you may have to pull your flywheel.
(Pull your spark plug wire off before you start testing so you dont start your engine by accident and scare the bejesus out yourself
3 -the wire harness that goes from your rectifier / regulator to your battery is broken or came loose.

hope this helps

[rapidroy]

Bork does this machine have an external alternator or just the stator behind the flywheel? If this thing an alt then check the alt drive belt. It needs to be tight and fit properly in the groove, if it is worn to a thin edge at the bottom replace it.

[JohnF]

On your charging problem ...

hope this helps

For those without alternators - everything he said except:

Most small engine repair manuals have you check the stator by disconnecting the plug (like mentioned above) and measuring for a specific voltage at a specific engine RPM.

For example, the Kawasaki FD661D service manual states 26VAC at 3000RPM.

[bork]

Thanks for the help so far and explaining it so well. No alternator in this one yet. I will do some checking and report back.

Thanks for taking time to help, i'm learning

[powerzap69]

do yourself a huge favor and DO NOT try to crank this or anything else that uses a cdi ignition over with boost mode or another running vehicle unless you don't mind replacing your cdi box. The cdi box cannot handle to high of range voltage coming through and will overheat the transistors that then cause an occasional missing spark then no spark at all.

[bork]

powerzap69

Are you talking about those portable jumper units, if so to late I did this a couple times before I got a new battery a couple weeks ago. I havent noticed any diff. yet so hope I dont. They should really tell people these things somewhere, maybe they do. Thanks for the tip hope i'm not to late.

[msafi65]

I keep a voltage regulator/ rectifier for the Kohler engines in my tool box for the Argos with fuel injection. They die when voltage goes below 9 volts. I think it's the same part on the carb models. Part # is 41 403 10-S. aluminum looking thing with three wires going to it. I think two coming from the stator are yellow?? The other one should be hot(12volts) all the time. It sounds like you have already done so but test all the fuses. Good luck chasing this one down

[bork]

Well, just a quick update, I started by going over all of the connections again and this time even a few I hadnt cleaned yet. I did that and that seems to have solved the problem I think. I charged my battery fully and when I start it it reads 12V and when I rev it it goes up to 14V. I did order a voltage regulator and will just stash that in my spare parts box. I will give it a good test in the next few weeks and see if everything is still ok. Thanks for all the help on this.