09 intermittent charging issue - VR or stator

[lancruza]

OOPS! I left this out originally. 2009 XB9SX - Ok, so I bought this bike on Tuesday and have been enjoying it. The guy I bought it from said that it needed a stator and that he could ride the bike for two weeks before he would have to charge the battery. I didn't question what he was saying. I just nodded my head and said "OK". Not being the trusting kind, I'm wanting to check things myself to verify if it is the stator or not. Last night for the first time, I think I noticed the problem. On the way home the bike ran fine. About 10 minutes into the ride, I saw the headlights go dim. I rode for about a mile and they came back to regular brightness. This happened 3-4 times on the way home. I did not have a voltmeter with me or I could have pulled over and checked the voltage. When I got home I checked the voltage on the battery and it was 12.6v with the bike off and 14.1v with the bike running. I've checked the voltages today and they are the same, 12.6 and 14.1. I also checked the stator voltage at idle and it was 28v AC. I've been reading online where some other people have had this problem. By it being intermittent, it's probably going to be difficult to diagnose. I'm thinking about mounting a small voltmeter on the handlebars connected to the battery so I can monitor voltage as I ride(I got this idea from lunatic). I'm also going to carry a small DVM with me so if I see the voltage drop I will be able to pull over and check the voltage coming out of the stator. Any other thoughts or ideas on how to find this intermittent problem? I did check the 77 connectors and they looked great, absolutely no signs of bad connections or melting. My battery connections are also good and tight. I am however thinking about running an extra grounding strap from the - battery to the frame. Thanks for any advice in advance.:eagerness:

 

[lancruza]

Here's a couple of pics of my 77 connectors -

 

[ztied]

What model bike

 

[Sirius815]

It could be a bad or corroded connection somewhere, including a bad/loose ground. At the same time, it could be VR, possibly overheating and then subsequently cooling - I doubt it'd be the stator itself.

 

[lancruza]

OOPS! Sorry, I left this out originally. I have gone back and corrected my first post. It's a 2009 XB9SX.

 

[lancruza]

Battery connections are tight. I'm going to do a search later tonight to find out how many grounds there are on the bike and where they are. Hope to check them tomorrow.

 

[ztied]

Had a simular issue kinda, ended up being the 2 wires that are crimped to the main battery wire terminal at the battery end.My wire was at a weird angle, and I guess they werent getting a good contact all the time.

 

[Cooter]

Thanks for the detailed Post and the search before posting :angel:I highly doubt it's the stator but this will be hard to find.
You'll need to be able to test the charging system components right when it acts up (lights dim).
I'm against random parts swapping, but you could eliminate some inexpensive possibilities by getting new relays and testing the fuse sockets for good connections.
If you can check the stator output while the bike isn't charging that will tell you right away if it's the VR or stator. Not much else in the system.

 

[lancruza]

Thanks for the detailed Post and the search before posting :angel:I highly doubt it's the stator but this will be hard to find.
You'll need to be able to test the charging system components right when it acts up (lights dim).
I'm against random parts swapping, but you could eliminate some inexpensive possibilities by getting new relays and testing the fuse sockets for good connections.
If you can check the stator output while the bike isn't charging that will tell you right away if it's the VR or stator. Not much else in the system.

Yeah, I agree. I put a small DVM in my tailbag and I mounted a temporary voltmeter at my handlebars so I can monitor my voltage when I'm riding in the daytime. I hooked the voltmeter to a small switch and then to the battery. This way I can turn the meter off when the bike isn't running. When this happens again I can hopefully, pull over, grab my DVM, and check my stator before it clicks back to normal.

 

[user_deleted]

remove fusebox cover and find the "battery" fuse. blade style. remove....discard....replace. costs about 10 cents. carefully check battery terminal and cable connections. don't just view them....remove, clean, replace and re-tighten. check negative cable ground-to-frame connection . anything is possible but never ever saw a VR work, then die, then come back to life, then fade away again. that is a stator symptom due to its inherent design of windings over coils as opposed to sealed integrated circuitry as in the VR. anything of course always possible but focus on stator.

 

[ztied]

Make battery posts are good, been having slightly same issues thought I fixed it, then got stuck today negitve battery post broke internally. Lots of good advice from peeps above.

 

[lancruza]

OK, I tightened my grounds and battery connections after installing my voltmeter and so far so good. I have had no voltage drops and no dimming headlights since. Only time will tell. Maybe it was just some connection problems.