Regulator/rectifier?

[Silverlegacy]

Hi All,


Still working on getting my bike running right.
After ready a rather lengthy thread by Red98 I am hoping that I might be getting closer to sorting mine out?
I had checked over by a garage but at the time never thought to mention regulator/rectifier.
They said the engine was running fine, cleaned and synced carbs and checked over other things on the bike.
Guess my question is, is there any other way of knowing if the regulator might be faulty? i have noticed that  few times when i get on my bike the head lights look worse than usual (if that's possible) more of a yellow then a white light??
I don't have any electrical testing equipment to test the regulator with and probably wouldn't have a clue where to start?
I did buy one off eBay last year although it was a old one and not in the best shape so maybe it had a fault as well but didn't make any difference? so was wondering whether to try again with one? but was sure which one to buy as mine is a 1998 model and wasn't sure if i can buy a later mode version or if I need to stick to 1998's??
I appreciate any advice.

[Frosties]

Hi All,


Still working on getting my bike running right.
After ready a rather lengthy thread by Red98 I am hoping that I might be getting closer to sorting mine out?
I had checked over by a garage but at the time never thought to mention regulator/rectifier.
They said the engine was running fine, cleaned and synced carbs and checked over other things on the bike.
Guess my question is, is there any other way of knowing if the regulator might be faulty? i have noticed that  few times when i get on my bike the head lights look worse than usual (if that's possible) more of a yellow then a white light??
I don't have any electrical testing equipment to test the regulator with and probably wouldn't have a clue where to start?
I did buy one off eBay last year although it was a old one and not in the best shape so maybe it had a fault as well but didn't make any difference? so was wondering whether to try again with one? but was sure which one to buy as mine is a 1998 model and wasn't sure if i can buy a later mode version or if I need to stick to 1998's??
I appreciate any advice.

 
I know you say you don't have any testing equipment but you'd be surprised how easy they are to use, they make any electrical fault finding 10 x faster is with a multi-meter.
Is it worth asking around mates/neighbours to see if you can borrow one. Failing that, this one from Screwfix is more than you'll ever need for your bike and will solve endless problems  http://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-mas830b-digital-multimeter-600v/75337 Easy to follow instructions come with it and you won't blow yourself up 
With no multi meter, electrical fault finding is literally a case of swapping components out until you solve the issue which can be expensive. We can help you a dam site more if you had a meter.

[Silverlegacy]

Cheers for that Frosties.
I just found a video on you tube about testing the rectifier, and I didn't realise that mulitmeters were so cheap, think i might have trip out later with the company credit card.


I've tried as much stuff as i can with the bike and running out of ideas, least this way i guess i can test the regulator on the bike and also the one off eBay.
I really do like my bike and its in pretty fair condition compared to some i have seen around, so just want to iron out the little kinks and niggles, i know people say that the Fazer is a bit vibey but this issue goes a bit beyond that and on the occasion when the fault vanishes, its great to ride.

[His Dudeness]

Someone might be able to give you a lend of a known good one

[Silverlegacy]

Someone might be able to give you a lend of a known good one

I dont know anyone else with a Fazer, or many other bikers for that matter?
Might just have to try my luck with a multi meter?


I have seen a few second hand regulators on ebay but they range from 1998 - 2004, so wasn't sure if i bought a newer one with less miles on it whether it would work the same, or might be a different design?


Although some one might take pity on me and lend me one to try?

[darrsi]

I don't know how possible it is with Fazer ones, if at all, but I read on another forum of a fella with problems going over 6000rpm and he took his apart and re soldered the contacts and it cured the problem.

[sinto]

Is there any other regulator/rectifier that fits?

[crickleymal]

Is there any other regulator/rectifier that fits?

I would have thought pretty much any one would provided it's from a bike with the same load (eg. same number of headlights mainly) and with the same number of windings on the alternator.

[Jules-C]

Guess my question is, is there any other way of knowing if the regulator might be faulty? i have noticed that  few times when i get on my bike the head lights look worse than usual (if that's possible) more of a yellow then a white light??

Do you get the yellow light at tick over and does it improve when the revs increase and return to normal when the revs get above about 2,500rpm?  If it does then it looks like everything is OK. 

If you do get a multimeter check the battery voltage with the revs about 3,000 if it is above 13.8 then everything probably ok

[Silverlegacy]

Guess my question is, is there any other way of knowing if the regulator might be faulty? i have noticed that  few times when i get on my bike the head lights look worse than usual (if that's possible) more of a yellow then a white light??

Do you get the yellow light at tick over and does it improve when the revs increase and return to normal when the revs get above about 2,500rpm?  If it does then it looks like everything is OK. 

If you do get a multimeter check the battery voltage with the revs about 3,000 if it is above 13.8 then everything probably ok

I can come on yellow and stay that way for the journey i do to work, (about 7 miles)
I did put the battery on charge yesterday and seemed brighter this morning when i rode it.
The bike had a few bits wired into it when i bought it like an immobolizer and a LED gear indicator and a dash clock and oil temp gauge, so wasnt sure if this would have any impact on the battery or power usage.

[Jules-C]

The bits wired in shouldn't have any effect once engine running as they use minimal current.  The lights should brighten up the moment you rev the engine.  It sounds like a poor connection somewhere in the headlight wiring.

[Silverlegacy]

The bits wired in shouldn't have any effect once engine running as they use minimal current.  The lights should brighten up the moment you rev the engine.  It sounds like a poor connection somewhere in the headlight wiring.

I think i was guessing at the regulator/rectifier due to poor running, which after checking most things is still and issue and wondered if the R/R being faulty would impact the lights and other things.
The bike starts fine most of the time just runs rough between 6-8k rpm which a few other people have mentioned there bike did when the R/R was on its way out?
I will try and go through the electrics tonight as my multi meter was delivered today.