Sometimes things turn out simpler than you expect

[Ixion]

ffwabbitt has been naughty. His battery (almost new) going flat. Causing embarassing needs to borrow jumper cables etc.

Check wiring. Find a dodgy earth connection. Ah, that'll be it. Replace dodgy connector. Off we go. Come to turn homeward. Oh oh uhhh uhhhh uhhh is all the starter can manage. Luckily I'm on a hill.

Home. Out with the meter. OK. 10AMP setting of meter between battery +ve and main fuse. Hm. Constant discharge (with motor running). Bit of arithmetic. Not QUITE nothing coming in , but not much.

Find the wire from the alternator (easy). 3 white wires , as expected. Check voltage across them. 16V AC at fast idle across all three phases (A-B,A-C, B-C). Peaking to about 48V AC when revved. That's pretty much as per book

That's good, alternator's working. That's bad. Alternator producing output, nothing much getting to battery , usually means a shot recreg.

Bugger. Check availability and price (ex USA cos nobody in NZ has this on line cos we are an archaic third world country firmly stuck in the business practices of the 19th century). Double bugger. $200 US. That's over $400 landed , with exchange and freight. Ouch.

I'm a poor old man ekeing out an impoverished and penurious existence on the smell of an oily rag. I can't be having with paying $400 at my time of life.

Break the good news to Mrs Ixion. She is not amused. Once again , she expresses doubt about my theory that the bikes save money cos of being cheaper to run than a car. "I don't see how they can be cheaper than a car, if you are always spending money on them. I hardly ever have to spend any money on my little Sunny". "Yes, dear, but you never GO anywhere in your little Sunny. You have only done 50000km in the last 20 years! I can show the figures if you like, I have worked it all out". "No, don't bother, your figures always just confuse me, and they always show whatever it is you want them to show. Grump . Grumble".

She always says that, I don't know whay (about my figures). Anyway, she is now conditioned to my having to spend $400.

FInally actually FIND the damned recreg. It's hidden under the tail cowl. Very intuitive.

And what's this? The recreg should be secured by two 6mm screws. But one is missing completely, the other is half an inch undone and wobbling about. As is the recreg itself.

The recreg flopping about would not really matter, it's not easily bent and it can't go anywhere.

But, that very loose screw ALSO secures the wire of earthiness to the recreg casing. No wire of earthiness , no ampy things.

Replace screws with two nice new allen bolts, well loctited.

Reassemble. Start up. Huzzah . 2 amps charge at fast idle, lights on or not.

Sorted.

AND- best of all, I have a $400 credit in Mrs Ixions accounts which I do not now need.

I will not of course tell her this. That $400 will be a very nice contribution to my milling machine fund. All I have to do is realise it.

So, sometimes things work out easier than expected. Makes a nice change from the times when a simple little lask turns into a week long expensive marathon.

[Motu]

First time I saw that thing back there I wondered what it was.....couldn't be the reg/rec because they look scary with horns and fins.Piece of steel as a heat sink,no wonder they give trouble.It takes the Japanese a long time to learn the basics - like,things that make heat need cooling.

[pete376403]

Maybe the japs worked out that R/Rs produce heat but they still put them where they didn't receive any cooling airflow (GS Suzukis, anyway). tucked underneath the battery box. I relocated the R/R on my GS to underneath the steering head, easy enough to do and it gets a good blast of air now.

[Motu]

In the '80's and 90's cars used ''ignition modules'' instead of points.The Japanese mounted these inside the distributor....they overheat and die.The oh so stupidly engineered Lada Samara had the ign module mounted externally on a huge heat sink.