Funny Smell

Ok I got around to checking things out out today. With the tank lifted, an inspection mirror, and a flashlight I saw nothing. I started my R3C. After about 3-5 minutes I started smelling that same weird electrical/plastic smell. I decided to get my fluke meter out an check the charging voltage. When I first touched the leads what I saw scared the crap out of me. Initially it showed 24 volts, but started dropping steadily. Once it got to 11.9 volts I shut the bike off. What's fried because a -12V system from what I know about cars should be between 13.8 - 14.5 VDC? From my limited knowledge about charging systems anything below 13.8 means the alternator is getting weak and anything above 14.5 volts means the voltage regulator is cooked. I needed to know what I'm dealing with before I turn it over to the stealer, or an independent shop.
 
Mmm. Back to my original suggestion!! A crook regulator/rectifier won't smell. Because you have the smell, it is most likely burnt insulation on the stator windings.

As a first check, find the regulator/rectifier - it's behind the LH side cover, mounted flat up under the airbox. It has two harness plugs connecting to it... the one with three wires is the one from the alternator.

Disconnect that three-wire harness, put your ohm meter between each pin in the harness plug, and ground on the crankcase, one at a time. If you have a short on any of the three wires, the insulation on the stator coil windings is burnt, the windings are earthing, and your stator is rat****.

Yell out when you do that. There are more easy tests, but they are pointless if the stator's stuffed.

WHILE YOU'RE AT IT.... if there is no short....check the resistance between each pair of pins in the harness plug .. e.g.... 1-2... 2-3...1-3. Should be 1 -1.5 ohms, and all close to the same figure.
 
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This check I can do. Thanks Ruzzle. I guess it's a given that you disconnect the battery first? What is the resistance value of the three prong harness when going to ground? My gut tells me that when the system spiked to 24V it trashed my battery? I'll put it on the battery tender and see if I get a fault. If it's the alternator I don't have the required special tool, bike stand, and some sort of tripod to support dropping out the engine. With my back I'll be forced to go to the stealer, or a local independent shop(don't know one I can trust right now and the stealer is, well a thief). It sounds really expensive no matter how I look at it. How painfull is yet to be determined. I don't usully keep vehicles around with low miles that are giving me this kind of trouble(had to replace a head gasket as well on this bike at 17,xxx miles), but I really like this bike, plus you can't sell it broke either. Time will tell.
 
NONE of the wires in the three-wire harness should go to ground. If they do, the stator windings are burnt, and shorting to ground. Have you done this yet???

That test is simply to confirm/eliminate a burnt stator. Nothing else. If it is NOT burnt, there is more testing you can do.

If it is burnt, it will be difficult to determine what caused it, and it would be prudent to replace not only the stator, but also the regulator/rectifier and battery. If you just replace the stator, and re-install a crook reg/rec, you'll burn the new stator too.

A bad reg/rec, or even a bad battery, can continuously draw maximum output from the alternator, and fry all three components - stator, reg/rec, and battery.
 
Not yet ruzzle will do this weekend. When I showed him the diagrams froms from the Triumph service maual a guy I work with who owned a BMW bike dealership back in the 80's said that picture don't look like no zenor diod. He said it looks more like a voltage regulator, but he agreed with the resistance check to determine if the stator windings are burnt. idk, I'm about 50 miles west northwest of Virginia Beach.
 
I ain't no expert, but.......

In the 80's voltage regulation and rectification with a three phase alternator would generally have been by means of a Silicon Controlled Regulator, and three diodes. The diodes rectify the AC voltage to DC and the coated silicon semiconductors in the regulator dump excess current from the alternator into the heat sink body of the unit. Which is why it gets bloody hot in normal operation.

The Rocket reg/rec is (& always has been) the later MOSFET type.... voltage rectification is by means of field-effect switched transistors (the FET part) and the more modern Metal Oxide Semiconductor is a better & cooler-running regulator.

So the ex-BMW guy is right - there ain't any diodes....

I think!!

When you do your windings resistance check, make sure you get a good earth onto the engine crankcase... scratch a bit of paint off a bolt, or something......
 

So where are you Richmond is about 90 miles north west it sounds like your near Yorktown or are you further west like in line with Petersburg?
 
I'm in suffolk. Well I have tell on myself just a little bit. Last night I went to put my battery tender on my R3C, but before I did that I checked the battery with my Fluke Mutimeter(AN77). It read 24VDC. I'm like what the heck is going on so I touched the leads to the battery on my old hot rod that has an Optima Red Top battery. It read almost 29VDC. So I figured it must be the 9V battery in the meter(had never gave me an eronious reading before. It either worked, or it was dead). Sure enough it was. I now get 12.7 volts very cold as in 4 days in the garage cold. I turned the ignition on and it dropped to 11.9 and stayed rock solid no matter what I turned on without starting the bike. I figure my battery is ok. Tomarrow I'll start the bike again and I'm thinking about rigging up some wire leads to my meter and going for a quick ride with the multimeter strapped to the gas tank and see what I get. I'm still doing the resistance checks, but right now I'm almost back at square one.
 
Well Ruzzle I did the resistance checks today. Nothing, but zero's on all three sets of windings and only .5ohm's of resistence between pins for the harness. So the alternator is f----- as well as the harness. At this point might as well throw in a new battery(chump change at this point). Yea I'm f------ pissed. I know if you want to play you have to pay, but I'm getting a little tired of my two toys costing me so much money when I don't even beat on them that hard and not that often. Plus they get treated with kid gloves. I'm just going to say f--- it until after New Year's. I think I'll just have another Aventinus(I've had two already) and chill out now if i can. Maybe crank up the stereo until i'm deaf to get my mind off it all. Lot's of BS going on right now and didn't need this s--- on top of it.
 
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