cbr f3 regulator problems.....

ssimon · 03-17-2008, 3:38 PM

Hey guys.....My bike died on me a couple weeks back. I hooked a multimeter up to the NEW battery and found out it was not being charged between revs. So i moved on to the regulator....all the wiring checked out good coming from the stator. So i hooked it up to a battery tender to fully charge it and took it down for a short spin. Came back AND THE REGULATOR WAS SMOKING!!!

My old regulator died on me a year ago so im thinking its something else thats causing it to die. I took an ACVolt reading of the wires coming from the stator (ground cable to battery negative and + cable to one of the 3 yellow wires coming from stator). Around 9V idle and 11.5 at best when its revved up. Are these reading right or are they suppose to be a lot more than that? Am i even taking the AC voltage right? If there is not enough voltage going through will it cause the RR to burn like it did?

<<I'll post pics soon as i get it off my camera>>

PEPCBR · 03-30-2008, 11:05 AM

You have to unplug the regulator and jumper the three yellow wires together two at a time with your multimeter to test your stator, set to AC voltage and hold rev @ 5000 rpm. Quote from service manual (IF the three readings are not equal or one of them is below 50 volts (AC) the stator is faulty, replace it.)

dattaway · 03-30-2008, 11:46 AM

I found unplugging the regulator at the stator was the best way. It should idle around 50 volts each phase. Each phase should measure about the same to the case. Be careful about reving the bike with this test. I've gotten nearly 500 volts.

You can also take the stator cover off and check it visually. If you see a few windings that are black, sooty, and smell terrible, go ahead and order a new one.

The regulator is a shunt type regulator, which works by using SCR's to clamp the waveform when the desired charging voltage is reached. Very simple, cheap, and effective.

lanbrown · 03-30-2008, 12:03 PM

If you need a new regulator, people have had good luck with these:
ElectroSport Industries - Motorcycle, Dirt Bike and ATV Electrical Parts
They are better than the OEM versions and most of the time, they are cheaper.

PEPCBR · 03-30-2008, 1:14 PM

How exactly do you test a voltage regulator? I have 2, both that I think are bad, one is intermitant, and one gets really hot fast and dosent supply enough out put voltage maintain battery.

dattaway · 03-30-2008, 1:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PEPCBR

How exactly do you test a voltage regulator? I have 2, both that I think are bad, one is intermitant, and one gets really hot fast and dosent supply enough out put voltage maintain battery.

Motorcycle voltage regulators will all get hot very fast. That's how they work. They short unused current right back to the stator. These are "shunt" regulators. They clamp the voltage down to battery volts, which should be about 13-15 volts above idle.

PEPCBR · 03-30-2008, 1:56 PM

I know it gets hot. I know what the charge voltage should be. What I dont know is what to look for as far as ohlms to test the regulators between the terminals

dattaway · 03-30-2008, 2:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PEPCBR

I know it gets hot. I know what the charge voltage should be. What I dont know is what to look for as far as ohlms to test the regulators between the terminals

If it gets hot, then you know it has some current to work with. You won't be able to test it by measuring resistance (ohms.) Its a semiconductor device that triggers on voltage: around 14 volts, so your ohmmeter will not be able to do this check. You have to understand how this type of regulator works to really test it. The best way to test it is with a working stator and a good battery. Otherwise you will be replacing all of them. Some times more than once. Many dealers diagnose poorly and do just that.

The service manual doesn't give a fair way to test to these components. The stator test they give can let bad stators pass.

ssimon · 03-30-2008, 2:16 PM

I got a new regulator and slapped it on. But i ran into even bigger problems....
Bike won't start. Please help! CBR f3
Any ideas on this part?

dattaway · 03-30-2008, 2:37 PM

If your bike hasn't been running in a month, it really might be a fuel problem. I had that kind of a starting problem, including backfiring after recovering my bike from theft. It took a few hours of purging fuel out of the cylinders and spark plugs and starting to get it going again. Riding it for the rest of the afternoon finally cleaned out the bad stuff from the carbs.

PEPCBR · 03-30-2008, 2:39 PM

The bike will start with or without regulator hooked up look for blown fuse or recharge battery.

PEPCBR · 03-30-2008, 2:46 PM

Dattaway
Do you know the voltage spec of a cbr f3 600 stator I only have a photo copy of the test for the voltage. Mine tested at 45.7 @ 5k rpm but all three tested the same. I think this is ok but not sure?

dattaway · 03-30-2008, 2:57 PM

Sounds like a strong stator to me! If you hook up the regulator, all three voltages should drop close to battery volts. If they are wildly unequal at that point, I'd start looking at the regulator.

nygreenf3 · 06-05-2008, 11:50 PM

hey guys, i just caught the same problem myself. and right when a cop ran out after me too... haha i think my bike was trying to tell me to fcuk myself. everyone's telling me it's the regulator but i think it might be the stator. battery is good so what's the best way to test the stator itself? detailed please haha i haven't run into this one before

nygreenf3 · 06-05-2008, 11:54 PM

o and ssimon the stock f3 regulators suck balls so get an aftermarket one next time it blows you won't run into it again after