GhostRyder Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 So my girlfriends 2003 VFR 800 was running great, no problems. I started it a month ago and I smell burning plastic. Inspection reveals the connector above the radiator is shorting. (This connects the stator with the RR) Took it in for a new connector and shop says, "Oops that'll be $850 for new stator, RR, etc." I paid them their $39 and picked up the bike. Was that an attempt to screw me over? Can a bike run fine, blow the RR and cook the connector? A post on the VFR forum says solder the wires (or use a connector) and ride the bike, see what happens! Can I blow something else if it is shot? I'm not fully trusting this particular shop btw...........as you may have guessed. So need your thoughts on this. The RR and stator don't look too hard to replace for this backyard mechanic. The bike has 33K on it, well maintained otherwise. The battery is good, no worries or symptoms prior to the short at the connector. Thanks, Barry Sorry about posting on our BB forum. Bitch me out if you must. Anybody have a similiar experience with their Blackbird? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redxxrdr Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I haven't had the problem yet. But, here is the troubleshooting link for the charging circuit.troubleshooting I'm sure others will speak up, but the pictures I have seen of a cooked stator are just that, COOKED. I would follow the guide, checking for output and shorts. Pull the cover and look for a fried stator if you have to. There are a number of threads in the garage about where to get a replacement and how to install it. Edit, Hobi's replacement guide, These guys are good. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon haney Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I haven't had the problem yet. But, here is the troubleshooting link for the charging circuit.troubleshooting I'm sure others will speak up, but the pictures I have seen of a cooked stator are just that, COOKED. I would follow the guide, checking for output and shorts. Pull the cover and look for a fried stator if you have to. There are a number of threads in the garage about where to get a replacement and how to install it. Edit, Hobi's replacement guide, These guys are good. Good luck +1 If you visually check the stator and are not sure if it is "cooked", give it a sniff. If it's cooked, it will smell like................well, burnt. There really isn't anything to compare it to, but if you have a weak stomach, don't inhale too deeply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I just checked my system. Small mystery. Everything tested fine. Charges within normal specs. However, one of the three prongs to the stator have charring. Something happened, but the stator tests fine. The R/R is working fine. My best guess is that the R/R gets real hot and the wiring connectors are forced to sit right next to it. Maybe the lead closest got too hot? Maybe some water got into the connector and made a short? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I just checked my system. Small mystery. Everything tested fine. Charges within normal specs. However, one of the three prongs to the stator have charring. Something happened, but the stator tests fine. The R/R is working fine. My best guess is that the R/R gets real hot and the wiring connectors are forced to sit right next to it. Maybe the lead closest got too hot? Maybe some water got into the connector and made a short? Poor contact = heat. Check the connector for snugness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redxxrdr Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Poor contact = heat. Check the connector for snugness. I agree with Tim, I have had fuses on equipment actually unsolder from the links because the fuse holders had corrosion. The holders would get hot and heat the fuse. Same thing with dirty connections on my old VW's. You said the battery was bad. Could it have shorted a cell or two and caused a excessive load through the connector? This might be the time to follow your VFR buds advice and solder the connections. Or at least ( and best) get new connectors for all the connections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBR_Rod Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Has this VFR had the wire harness recall performed? Honda has a recall for the wire harness on 2002-2005 VFR's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Poor contact = heat. Check the connector for snugness. Glad to know....I put it together (quite idiot-proof) and used liberal amounts of dielectric grease on the contacts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X1rider Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Pull the cover and have a look at it. If the wires are burned and smell like BBQ, it's time for a stator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Nah....stator tests good. The only "burnt" area is that one connector....as if something made that one plug hot. Any number of contaminants could have caused that. I'm putting a voltmeter on the bike to keep this under watch....now that I know, it'll be a nice tool to spot problems early on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TuffguyF4i Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Your RR connector burning is a sure sign that your RR is no good,,,and/or your batt. It is probally over charging your batt, and that is why its cooking your connector. Throw a voltmeter across the terminals while the bike is running at 3-5k. You should see no more then 14-14.3V. If you get anthing above 14.5 you have a bad RR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Your RR connector burning is a sure sign that your RR is no good,,,and/or your batt. It is probally over charging your batt, and that is why its cooking your connector. Throw a voltmeter across the terminals while the bike is running at 3-5k. You should see no more then 14-14.3V. If you get anthing above 14.5 you have a bad RR. Thanks, I'll double check, but where do you get < 14.5v? It's not in the service manual (that I've found). The PDF I used says so long as it's under 14.8 my charging system is fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBadExxample Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 Even if the shop is correct, you can replace those items yourself. It's an easy job and no special tools are required. It can be done in an afternoon for ~$300 in parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostRyder Posted March 11, 2009 Author Share Posted March 11, 2009 "Bout time for an update. I temporarily re-wired past the RR connector and checked voltage at the battery (after a full overnight charge on the Tender) with the bike running and got 13.88 volts at 5K RMP's. The stator resistence checked out too. Soooooo........I jumped in and learned how to solder and re-wired the whole thing together again with heat shrink wrap, electrical tape and zip ties. Now the bike run's fine, voltage is good and steady. I'm planning on riding the bike for a few weeks and then deciding what to do about this shop. They charged her $37 to "diagnose" a bad RR and stator with a quote to my GF for $850 in repair work. When she asked how much to just re-wire the connector, they pulled a figure of $150 out of their ass. I understand electical components can be erratic when they begin to go out, but according to the dealer, this was not the case, they were fried and that's that. Well gee, apparently not. How would you guys approach this? I might go pay a visit to the service writer Adam, then flame them wherever I can, but thought I'd get some imput from the collective consciousness............ Barry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 $37 for diagnosis is about normal anywhere. That they said to replace the RR isn't bad on their part. The common idea in any shop is replace the damaged part. So, a damaged wire connector on the RR means a new RR. Be glad they didn't suggest replacing the whole wiring harness. The idea of "repair" no longer exists because they must offer some kind of warranty for the work they do. If you decide to patch a damaged wire and it fails, you have nobody to blame but yourself. If they attempt a patch and it fails (or even damages other parts), they can expect complaints to the BBB, potential lawsuits, etc. So, they take the safest path and suggest replacement of the "damaged" part as a whole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearXX Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Honda and R/R is a weakness. A friend of mine have a 1992 CBR 900 Fireblade and on the first trip that season a couple of years ago it started burning under the saddle. She ripped off the saddle and used beer she had with here and extinguished the flames. (Misuse of alcohol I told here) The R/R and the fusebox was all melted. I guess the wires corroded and short-circuited during the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobicus Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Well gee, apparently not. How would you guys approach this? I might go pay a visit to the service writer Adam, then flame them wherever I can, but thought I'd get some imput from the collective consciousness............ BURN THE PLACE DOWN!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sondance Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 6th gen VFR's are notorious for electrical issues (even more than our Birds) that start with the 30 amp fuse under the seat (HUGE SMOKE), the blue connector on the left side, under the fairing, the main ground wire point, under the tank, R/R connectors, etc... it's not really been proven that Honda's recall has "fixed" the glitch either. A lot of good info and experience over on VFRd.com in their electrical forum, you might also want to speak/check out Josh's site, Wire My Bike, he's a member over there, and I've worked with him in the past, good guy with a lot of knowledge/remedies on VFR electrics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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