help - troubleshootin Suz. GS1000 charging syst.

[at100plus]

I just bought a 79 Suzuki GS 1000 cheap to keep at the summer house.

It doesn't seem to charge the battery. The owner thought that the stator was bad, but he gave me a box of old parts that included a stator. I took the side cover off and the stator looks like new.

Where should I start in troubleshooting the problem. The three wires from the stator lead to an aluminum block with fins bolted to the side of the frame. Could it be this?

[Rickracer]

The finned box would have to be a rectifier and/or regulator. There has to be a rectifier somewhere in the system. If you can find it and figure out whether it's working properly, that would be a good start. If it was a Kawasaki, I've got a manual for them. :D

[at100plus]

It's a 79 Suzuki GS 1000E

Yes I think it is a rectifier. How do I troubleshoot it. Do they make a generic volt guage for motorcycles?

[Rickracer]

2 AC wires in and one DC coming out. :cool:

[at100plus]

So can I test it with a voltmeter? When I get home I'll post some pics.

[Rickracer]

It should be virtually the same as a Merc. :cool:

[beko21]

Mike, go to your search engine and type in Suzuki gs1000 charging system, I found several articles to help diag. your problem, if you can't find it I'll foward them to you.

[beko21]

http://faq.f650.com/FAQs/VoltageRectifierFAQ.htm

[moore]

There's a good Suzuki site at ,

http://www.thegsresources.com/

Check out the Garage section theres an in depth section on
stator issues ,

http://www.thegsresources.com/gs_garage.htm

ttyl
Dean.

[at100plus]

Thanks,

I'll check em when I get home later. I just talked to the prior owner again. He said he brought it for a new stator and it hasn't charged since. He put it off for the past two years and didn't ride the bike. It looks to me like a wiring problem. The stator is brand new, he gave me the old one which you could see was fried. He also put an MSD ignition on this bike prior to the stator situation....

I'll check those links later.

[mercstv]

all you need to do is put one of these on it:eek: :D

[mercstv]

:D

[mercstv]

well after you put that on you will need this;)

[mercstv]

good luck with your bike.

[at100plus]

Not quite the same model

[at100plus]

Beko, thanks a million, I did a google search and never found that GS Garage website. It looks like the ticket. Lot's of info, apparently charging/stator/rectifier problems are common on this motor, and they have aftermarket fixes and instructions on the site. Good to know too that this motor is known to be quite reliable. Looks like I got a great bike for $450 and a little troublshooting.

[beko21]

Glad I could help, $450? that my friend is a steal, you will have a ton of fun on that badboy, goodluck I hope you get it fixed.

[at100plus]

Thanks and thanks again.

[Jason Huber]

Nice looking GS. I've owned & restored a few of those over the years - the blue/white version GS1000s - Wes Cooley Replica is still one of my all-time fave's!!:cool: The 8 valve motors were pretty-much bullet-proof like the big Z1/KZ motors, but they were prown to coil failure. Buy a set of Dyna's or Accels and you eliminate that potential long-walk. ;) BTW, did you get your motor from Brad C yet?

[at100plus]

Thanks, It has Accell coils now. There's a Dyna sticker on the inner fender, (I don't know why) the guy said it had the points removed. Right now I I'm having a problem with weak or no spark on the outside two cylinders, so now that's interfering with troubleshooting the charging problem. I'm not sure if it's the charging problem that's causing the running problem. The battery is charged up, showing 12 volts, and the voltage changes when I rev the engine (even though it's only running in two or 3) but it only goes up to about 13.4 but at 2500 RPM it's less than 13.5 (see this chart) so I guess there is still a problem. I hooked the R/R up directly to the battery and removed the weak ground to the frame. I think my headlight circuit has already been overridden.


http://www.thegsresources.com/garage/gs_statorfault.htm

[Jason Huber]

Replacing the OE points with a Dyna "S" unit was pretty typical also in old Kaw's & Zuki's... easy bolt on. If you pull the points cover it is easily ID'd. 13.4-5 is within usable output range from the Suzuki stator. IMO, if there were still an exhisting prob in the charging syst, it would not descriminate to only the 1-4 coil. If the coil-connections are good, there still may be a weak coil. Possibly caused before the ignition was replaced(?) Someone has probably been chasing this already if the coils AND ignition are non-OE.

[at100plus]

So do you think I should start by replacing the coils? Can I test the 1/4 coil with an ohmmeter?

Is this the points cover on the right side indicated in the picture below by the big arrow?


The small arrows show the wire that someone installed from that to the coils under the tank.

[Jason Huber]

YES - thats' the points cover... You could test the 1-4 coil by switching it with the 2-3. If the no-fire condition moves to the 2-3, than that coil would be suspect. If someone replaced the points & there IS a Dyna in it - check the output-to-coil wires for breaks or opens. These wires (your other arrows) were very thin & prone to getting pinched or broken. BTW - that "RC" Engineering pipe on your GS is a RARE piece! Ross Collins (RC) was the guy who got Terry Vance & Byron Hines started back in the 70's. Terry rode, Byron wrenched... They both owe alot to Mr. Collins - one of the true pioneers of modern motorcycle dragracing, with radical bikes like The Sorcerer, and a crazy triple-engined Honda Top Fueler appropriately named the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe! :cool:

[Jason Huber]

Thats' an E-model GS1000 - they were the ones with Mag-type wheels, as-opposed the the laced wires featured on the standard GS. Also - ditch the stock buckhorn handlebars in favor of a set of K&N Superbike Bars. These are an upgrade in both the asthetic and the fucntionality departments! Vintage Superbikes are COOL! Slap-on a Yoshimura sticker or 2, an it'll look like it came right off the track at Daytona in 79"!! ;) :cool:

[at100plus]

When I bought this bike, he told me he thought the stator was bad again because it wasn't charging. He also told me that he had a Dyna ignition installed to replace the points, and Accel coils.

It ran fine coming home. Next time I tried to start it, very hard to start. Found the problem, needed to adjust the choke cable, it wasn't opening all the way.

Now with all that trying to start the battery was weak. I tried to jump it on an automotive battery charger, and now I realize it must have blown something out.

I got it started and it ran poorly. 1 and 4 pipes were not getting hot.

Checked spark, none on 1 and 4.

Today I swithed the coils to see if one was bad. Again, it looks like it was a big mistake to use the charger to start the bike. I got it running long enough to see that now 2 and 3 were not firing so it was the one coil that was apparently bad. It stalled, I started it again (I had a voltmeter hooked up and it was reading 16+ volts while running with the charger on it still). Apparently that was too much cause it stalled and wouldn't start again. I could tell it stalled for a reason. No more spark.

The fuse block with the main, HD light, signal and IGN. was very very hot.

HD lights still work, signals work. Test light on fuse panel shows hot to everything. Test light shows hot on all low voltage wires on the coils.

Did I ruin the coils or did I melt something down in the bike's harness

[Jason Huber]

1) Dont' run the charger on "Boost", or ANY higher settings for any extended length of time - it likely would (has?) take out the rectifier/regulator first (finned box under l/h sidecover), then boil the battery... 2) IGNITION: Unless the ignition was mis-wired (very hard to do...) there is probably nothing wrong w/it, & you have isolated (at least 1) ignition problem to the 1-4 coil. 3) CHARGING: The bike WILL run with a bad/weak stator, but with no charging capabilities - only until battery-power is used up. You need to get the ignition gremlin diag'd first, then once the bike is running on all 4 - you can test the stator output and diagnose that issue. I hate throwing parts @ things, but I'd start with a good, fully charged battery and a different set of coils to get it running again. Then move on to the charging issue, starting with the rectifier/reg. A good Haines or Clymer manual will be invaluable as-well-as the GS Owners Website that someone mentioned earlier - http://www.thegsresources.com/garage/gs_statorfault.htm

[at100plus]

I've been all over that website, read the stator papers, and was discussing the problem on the forum with someone last night.

I'm going to get new coils, new battery, the Electrex R/R and then solder all wire connections, then I will test the stator.

[stokernick]

screw that,get the boat ready.

[Jason Huber]

You'll be wakin' the neighbors & riding power wheelies up & down the block before you know it!... Keep us posted on the Virage progress too. ;) :cool:

[at100plus]

There hasn't been any Virage Progress yet. I'm trying to get this bike done so I can get to work on the Virage once my motor and other rigging parts arrive.


Here's my game plan.
I Just ordered an Electrex R/R $127 shipped.

and I'm trying to find some coils on ebay for around $30 you can get used Katana or GSXR coils that will work fine according to forum members at GS Resource page.

I'll solder all connections, clean fuse block and other connections, test the coils when I receive them, install the R/R and coils at the same time, test the voltage, make sure the battery is good and charged, then test the voltage while running and then test the AC output on the stator