voltage regulation problem on 79 Goldwing

RE: 79 Honda GL1000

Hi y'all,

Battery (new) shows 16 or more volts. I've replaced the regulator and still
the same problem. I've ohmed out the wires and there appears to be
negligible resistance between the regulator, rectifier (separate on this
bike), and battery. Using a DVM I've measured about 8'ish volts at the
connection where the regulator should go (when regulator not connected) and
16 at battery. I've checked this with multiple DVM's to verify the numbers.
When I use the diode checker between the regulator and battery, I get about
..5V (which I would expect) in the forward direction.

I can't figure this for the life of me (which sucks because I have a degree
in electronics). Is this a wiring problem that I'm just not seeing (as I
think the regulator won't work unless the voltage at the connector is the
same as the battery minus the diode drop)?

Somebody give me a clue, please!

Thanks.

Robert

 

What are the test conditions?

It's hard to measure fractional-ohm resistances with an ordinary DVM. In fact,
some consumer DVMs (one Radio Shack in particular) round low resistances to
zero, probably to avoid customer complaints about getting other than zero
readings when the leads are shorted together.

It's usually better to measure voltage losses under running conditions.

Neither value seems appropriate to a 12 volt system

This sounds reasonable provided you get open circuit in the reverse direction.

Shunt regulators (don't know what Goldwings use) can get very mixed-up if
they don't see the battery voltage accurately.

The best clue I know is the Electrex fault-finding chart:
http://www.electrexusa.com/electrex_fault_finding.html

Good luck!

bob prohaska