I usually read the voltage from stator to the regulator which should be a high number in AC voltage in all 3 wires.
Now check the voltage coming from regulator to battery, the stator is working correctly if your battery is showing high numbers while the bike is running.

You might want to load test your battery if its not acting right

Charging current seems ok, so check the battery. You should get 12.6-12.8V over the battery.

The 11.2 was the dead battery voltage after it just barely started to get me home.  The battery tests fine.  After charging for several hours, it's fully charged and the voltage numbers are back to normal.  Voltage dropped just a little after taking it off the charger then has held steady all day. Starts like a champ.

All of the voltage readings referenced were with the battery at its near dead state.

R/R output 12.6v at idle getting up close to 13v when revved to ~3500 - 4000. Charging output amps were also with the low battery.

The 12.6 to 13v was at the output terminal of the regulator.  It lost .5v by the time it got to the battery and was only 12.1v. Charging amps were also taken at the output of the regulator.  I couldn't find an easy way to check at the battery.

Should I have a low ohms connection to ground through the stator? It measures ~2 ohm to ground through all 3 leads.  It measures ~2 ohm from lead to lead.  No opens measured.  No dead shorts measured.

I don't remember the exact readings but I had good, high AC volts coming from the stator on all 3 leads so I just went on to the other side of the regulator.


OldNSlow:
Looks like I worded that very confusingly.  The engine off battery voltage when I got home was 11.2. With the engine running after jumping from a car battery to get it started and disconnecting the car battery, I had 12.1 at the battery with engine running and 12.6 and the output of the regulator.


The battery is just over a year old. I had it load tested after charging it and it tested fine.
There is a .5v drop between the reg output and the battery terminal.  I'm wondering if this is normal or if I have a bad connection somewhere in between.  Seems like I would have to have a high resistance in that short amount of wire somewhere to lose that kind of voltage.

Quote:


I'm not 100% sure about this as it pertains to a savage, but I don't think so. In most alternators that  I'm familiar with the stator winding  shouldn't show a connection to ground. I can't find anything in my clymers that gives me a clue, but I don't think any of the three yellow wires should show a connection to ground. There should be continuity( low resistance) between any two pairs of them, which apparently you have.

With the engine running at 5000rpm( according to Clymers, but I'm not sure how you are supposed to determine the exact rpm) the AC voltage between any two pairs of the yellow wires should be above 100 volts.

According to the manual, with a fully charged good battery, headlight on HI beam, and engine at 5000 rpm, a voltage reading between 14 and 15.5 volts measured across the battery terminals indicates that the charging system is working properly.

I wouldn't expect to see a wye config tied to ground either in a situation where rectification occurs between the 3 phases not between each phase and ground.

I have over 100v AC between any 2 stator leads. No problem there.

I could find nothing in Clymer's either about a connection to ground.

Kris01:
From the output reading I was getting the other day, 5.6amps at 12.6v, that's 70w, you should barely be charging at idle. I would like to see the voltage be a little higher but I think my dead battery was pulling it down consuming all the power it could get.

Looks like it might be charging now.  I ran a bypass through an inline fuse straight from the regulator output to the battery bypassing the ignition switch and the harness wiring back to the battery. Now, I'll just have to ride around a while and see if it fixed it or not.

It seems like losing .5v in 1.5ft of wire is a little excessive. I also noticed a couple times while testing that if I moved the key a little, I would notice a slight but noticeable flicker in the lights...especially with the engine off and key on.

Hope it's either fixed or I can get it fixed soon...prime riding season is just around the corner.

Mike, that's a WorkAround solution. It's a compromise. I do it.
The backhoe has leaky rear axle seals,,, repairs would cost in excess of three thousand dollars.. I just check and fill the oil..

Steve H wrote on 04/05/15 at 21:24:43:



Thanks.