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Relay voltage question

Started by MOTOMYSZOR, December 25, 2014, 07:41:36 AM

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mark1969

Quote from: FJ1100mjk on January 17, 2015, 07:17:04 AM
Quote from: mark1969 on January 17, 2015, 07:07:31 AM
After these changes my battery charging voltage has been more normal at around 14.3 - 14.4v.  

Somewhere along the line, something good happened when you were doing your mods. I guess the important thing is that you now have a correct, consistent and stable charging voltage.

Never hurts to go through the connections, grounds, switches and such, and clean up those 30 year old neglected points. Bringing them back to good as (or near) new again.

I have also bought a number items from Eastern Beaver over the years. Good stuff.

Congrats!  :good2:

Cheers, it's certainly nice not to have a boiling battery under my rear end..!  :bomb:

FJmonkey

Quote from: mark1969 on January 17, 2015, 01:03:46 PM
Thanks for reply. Yes the headlamp is brighter, which was the plan. I though of going HID but decided the relay mod was sufficient for me.

The coil mod is worthwhile too for anyone still pondering over it. Ideally a full rewire would be the answer, but it's quite an invasive project and beyond my skills, and expensive for someone else to do, so both the relay mods are a nice compromise, and within my tinkering skills..  :good2:

I did the HID which essentially bypasses the OEM wires and uses the head lamp connector to know when to turn on and switch to Hi-Beam, it connects direct to the battery. And I like having a small piece of the sun shooting out of my headlamp on dark nights. I also plan to install a relay for the coils for the same reason, get the power and voltage where it belongs. Thanks for posting you success, I hope it encourages others sitting on the fence that we can improve our FJs without paying a mechanic.
The glass is not half full, it was engineered with a 2X safety factor.

'86 Ambulance - Bent frame, cracked case, due for an overhaul
'89 Stormy Blue - Suits my Dark Side

Mark Olson

Quote from: movenon on January 16, 2015, 06:43:07 PM
Quote from: FJools on January 16, 2015, 05:02:41 PM
I was looking at one of these the other day while searching for a suitable panel mount USB socket.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dual-USB-3-1-Amp-Charger-and-Voltmeter-Panel-Mount-12V-Marine-Motorcycle-/261733327067?pt=Boat_Parts_Accessories_Gear&hash=item3cf085a0db&vxp=mtr

Not sure if the LED brightness can be controlled as it could be a pain if too bright at night.

For me it is not to bright at night but I will mention that it is harder to see during the day (bright sunshine).  But it isn't a gauge I have to monitor at any one moment.

Some members like the old analog meters because you can glance at them and get a quick reference. I chose the digital because it is small and hopefully more reliable than the analog meters that I have had in the past on motorcycles.  Its all personal choice.  A voltmeter is handy to monitor battery condition and charging.  I think the service manual puts the upper limit at around 15 volts (that's without me digging into the manual) anyhow when it gets up into that area your voltage regulator is failing and cooking your battery.  Also possably your battrey is weak over working the alternator.

Another tip while if you are working in that area or doing a routine inspection trace the red wire coming out of the generator going to a red connector on the left side. It is around where the battery is. Should be easy to locate look for the red connector. Pull it apart and give it a good look. If you have been over charging that connect might need some attention.  Here is a picture of mine.  Looked OK plugged in but when pulled apart you can see some heat damage. When I changed out the regulator I was a 15.2 - 15.3 volts charging just for info.


That panel looks nice, I might have to update mine ! Ummm  :good2: always something.....  :lol:
George





That connector shown in the picture is the cause of a lot of overcharge problems . just by fixing it can make all the deference in the amount of voltage to the battery.

Check with key on and not running the voltage at the battery and compare to voltage at alt reg. If not the same you have a wiring problem. 
Mark O.
86 fj1200
sac ca.

                           " Get off your ass and Ride"

MOTOMYSZOR

I have another ,,problem"  :wacko3: from "WHAT IF..." category, and I have to ask:

What if I will just add wire from relay to original installation? I mean two cables (original and from relay) in one connector attached to coil.
Coils will get full power, and if anything bad will happen to relay, I don't need take off tank..........


We Are The People Our Parents Warned Us About

MOTOMYSZOR

I connected wires from relay to existing installation .... and now I know that this will make loop and current will flow until cables are connected  :blush:

But I also discovered that drop in volts (12,2V to 11,8V right after ignition switch) is caused by ignition switch. And that is reason for overcharging problem (11,75V on IG wire in alternator).

We Are The People Our Parents Warned Us About

MOTOMYSZOR

Today I disassembled ignition switch:

First I drilled out 4 security screws:



That how it looks inside:



And that was reason for voltage drop:



I used allen screws for screw it back together.
Final test tomorrow but it looks promising for me....
We Are The People Our Parents Warned Us About

FJ1100mjk

^^^^ Nice detective work.

Those contacts look pretty tired/grooved. You may want to entertain replacing the switch all together. I bought one of these http://www.rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=M%2FC%3Aroundkeyswitch a while back. No confusing the key with this one for the OEM one for seat latch, or gas cap either.

Platinum Zircon-encrusted Gold Member

Iron Balls #00002175
www.ironballs.com


movenon

Nice work and follow through !  :good2:  If you think about it then do the same test after the new switch is in.  Another one of those long term wear points that show up after 21-31 years of use. Outside the scope of troubleshooting a new bike. Thank you for the pictures.
George
Life isn't about having the best, but about making the best of what you have...

1990 FJ 1200

The General

Quote from: movenon on February 10, 2015, 12:13:20 PM
Nice work and follow through !  :good2:  If you think about it then do the same test after the new switch is in.  Another one of those long term wear points that show up after 21-31 years of use. Outside the scope of troubleshooting a new bike. Thank you for the pictures.
George
+1  :good2:
`93 with downside up forks.
`78 XS11/1200 with a bit on the side.
Special edition Rocket Ship ZX14R Kwacka

MOTOMYSZOR

I just installed everything back without starting engine. I earned only 0,1 V rise in whole installation..... Better than nothing.
We Are The People Our Parents Warned Us About

Pat Conlon

There is significant voltage drop with 12v current traveling thru the oem wiring harness and switches (like your ignition switch) and plug connectors.

All of this is bypassed with a dedicated *fat* home run to your battery and the requisite 20a or 30a spst relays installed.

Want to wake things up? Do your coils. Want to burn your eyes? Do your lights. Want to make your ears bleed? Do your (upgraded) horn.

...And...You don't need 3 separate home runs for the above...only one *fat* circuit to the battery is all you need.
1) Free Owners Manual download: https://tinyurl.com/fmsz7hk9
2) Don't store your FJ with E10 fuel https://tinyurl.com/3cjrfct5
3) Replace your old stock rubber brake lines.
4) Important items for the '84-87 FJ's:
Safety wire: https://tinyurl.com/99zp8ufh
Fuel line: https://tinyurl.com/bdff9bf3

twangin4u

Yeah it's a pretty simple concept. Think of it like a beer bong. Use 1/4" tubing (OEM wiring). Then use 1" tubing and worry about the beer shooting out your butt

MOTOMYSZOR

I should finish my volage-story.

After all that fuss, charging voltage dropped from around 15V to 14,7V-14,8V. Still to much.

I added relay for voltage regulator and now I have stable 14,4V  :dance2:
We Are The People Our Parents Warned Us About

Charlie-brm

I'll trot out this old photo I've shared before. Headlight relay conversion on my '84. It's not a road shot but with the help of all that clutter you can clearly notice two things: the depth of light and the color of light. Casual observation from fellow riders when we are out at night is that my headlight is pretty friggin' bright - not surprising because 99% of the time they are ahead of me  :sarcastic:


The ignition coil relay definitely affected starting. I had the same voltage drop as on the headlights. 10.4 vs 12.4. It starts faster and with more reliability.
Both are things we do around here for essentially every bike over the age of ten.

Contact corrosion increases resistance which increases heat which buggers up the plugs and it just gets worse. Same for control switches.
For male spade connectors, fold a thin strip of wet & dry sanding paper over a narrowed popsicle stick and work it in there. Or go to the dollar store and buy a bag of disposable manicure filing boards. They are thinner and easy to cut to any width you want.
And get a tube of dielectric grease to apply when ever re-connecting harnesses on bikes this old. I reach for that stuff more often than I need to look for my Loctite.



If someone wants to see any images I refer to in posts, first check my gallery here. If no bueno, send me a PM. More than glad to share.
Current Model: 1990 FJ1200 3CV since 2020
Past Models: 1984 FJ1100 - 2012 to 2020
1979 XS750SF - 2005 to 2012

movenon

Good write up with the pictures. I know voltage effects the quartz bulbs a lot but out of curiosity will it improve an LED headlight ?  Things to wonder about.  It is about the only relay mod I haven't done.
George
Life isn't about having the best, but about making the best of what you have...

1990 FJ 1200