Not charging but….

[Dynamohum]

Out riding and I noticed my volt meter was below 12, 10-11 even. I have a ten LED array on top of my radar detector and it was blinking faintly as well. Turned around, got home and the first thing I looked at was under the right side cover (see pics). What is that round object with what appears to be a single ‘strap’ 30amp fuse. It looks kinda bowed. It also has some white stuff on its side.

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Is it still good? Also noticed a female connector that isn’t connected. Pulled the alt off and found the brushes were very worn, one at the limit line and the other close. Replaced them and scotch brited the surface where they make contact. The alt plates looked great. Put it back together and now the volt meter shows just a tick above 12v where before it showed around 13v. Seems kinda coincidental that the charging issue was the brushes along with something else. Any comments?

[Dynamohum]

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This shows the bow more clearly. Still good or not? Almost forgot, when I got back I put it on my battery tender and in six hours it was still showing red. The battery was fully charged, fired the engine right up as usual but still, no indication that it was taking a charge as the tender hadn’t turned green. Normally it’s just a few minutes before the red turns to green. This tells me something else is wrong.

[tevan]

The right brush is bad. Common …while you are in there check your stator across the copper rings. Should be around 4 ohms. Also check the bearings or replace. There is plenty of threads to help you on this.

[Dynamohum]

Well thanks? You didn’t answer any of my questions. I already put things back together as I mentioned. The bearing spins freely and I’ll get another for the next time I open it up. Good news so far is that the tender went green after I buttoned everything back up and fired the motor for a bit and reconnected it. I’m going for a short ride to see if the volt meter gets any higher.

Went on a lil putt and everything seems ok. Charging just a tic above 13v. I guess the brushes (were) the only cause.

[JoeInTUS]

The "round object" is the starter relay.

I would replace that fuse and get a spare. They are about $1.50 from Honda.

[Larry Zimmer]

Next thing to do is disassemble the connector that comes from the alternator that is behind that right cover. Completely disassemble and superclean the pins, both male and female. Then reassemble with plenty silicon grease. 1/2 ohm resistance through those pins makes a big difference in things. And, they do corrode even if it is not particularly noticeable.

[Dynamohum]

The "round object" is the starter relay.

I would replace that fuse and get a spare. They are about $1.50 from Honda.

Thanks, it sure looks wonky even though it isn’t broken thru. Speaking of starters, unlike my others, when I press the starter button there is about a one second delay before I hear anything. Then it fires right up.

[Dynamohum]

Next thing to do is disassemble the connector that comes from the alternator that is behind that right cover. Completely disassemble and superclean the pins, both male and female. Then reassemble with plenty silicon grease. 1/2 ohm resistance through those pins makes a big difference in things. And, they do corrode even if it is not particularly noticeable.

Would that be one of these connectors?

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[daves79x]

Respectfully, you are evaluating electrical issues in a somewhat haphazard fashion. There are dozens of threads here detailing servicing the alternator and diagnosing problems, as well as the entire electrical system. The first thing beside the brushes that you should have checked is the resistance across the slip rings. As mentioned, it needs to be around 4 Ohm. The rotor is the most common failure apart from brushes. Next, as also mentioned, is the alternator connector shown in your pics. It often gets hot and melts from high resistance. Service as required per Larry's direction.

As also mentioned, the 'round thing' is the starter solenoid. Remove both leads (careful - the one from the battery is hot). tighten the nuts on top of the solenoid, check for corrosion, then tightly reinstall the leads. Then check your battery connections for tightness - I'll bet they are looser than you think.

Then start the bike and put your voltmeter directly across the battery terminals. It should show 13.5-14 volts at anything above 3000 rpm. If not, back to diagnosing the alternator.

Your starter switch at the handlebar also needs completely disassembled and cleaned. The old grease gets hard and burned and contact is not good. This is a bit fiddly if you've never done it, but it has to be done. Won't hurt to do the same with your ignition switch. All the power to the coils goes through the above switches and any voltage loss is not good. Check the voltage at the low side of the coils with the key on, compared to measured battery voltage (not the bike's voltmeter). You should not be dropping more than 3/4 volt from the battery to the coils.

Lots to do on a 45 year old bike if you want it to be reliable.