01ps Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 I have an 81 XS400 that I have chopped and hardtailed and rode all last year. I took it apart this winter and painted it, etc. and I decided to rewire it rather than use the loom I made up last year, to do a neater job than the first time around. Anyway, I cannot get it to charge. It starts fine, runs great, but sits at 12v or less. The wiring is very simplified, as I have removed the starter circuit, among other things. I have the regulator, rectifier, and ignitor box at the moment. All are wired the same as last year as far as I can tell, I used the same diagram. Does it matter which white wire goes to which on the rectifier? Where shouldI start looking? I tested the regulator according to the manual I have but none of the readings are even close. It said to test the ground by bridging the black wire and the regulator case, but that did nothing. Can I test the alternator by itself, to see if it producing voltage at all? I pulled the alternator cover off and everything appears to be in good condition under there, no burnt wiring or damage to the components. There is oil under the cover but considering there is hole betwen the crank case and alt cover I assume it is supposed to have oil. Is there a universal or upgraded or universal regulator/rectifier that I can use? I'd appreciate any help. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted December 16, 2010 Moderator Share Posted December 16, 2010 it does matter which way the rectifier is wired. they are basically a series of "one way" valves" for electricity. hopefully you won't have fried something with juice going the wrong way! there's a bit on xs400 wiring here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01ps Posted December 17, 2010 Author Share Posted December 17, 2010 it does matter which way the rectifier is wired. they are basically a series of "one way" valves" for electricity. hopefully you won't have fried something with juice going the wrong way! there's a bit on xs400 wiring here Thanks. I had already looked at that thread, but it did not have any info on wiring the rectifier properly, that I could see . How can I find out which white wire goes to which terminal? My XS400 diagram in the Haynes is not specific as to the order, and the plug has been removed so I can't just check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted December 17, 2010 Moderator Share Posted December 17, 2010 Thanks. I had already looked at that thread, but it did not have any info on wiring the rectifier properly, that I could see . How can I find out which white wire goes to which terminal? My XS400 diagram in the Haynes is not specific as to the order, and the plug has been removed so I can't just check. get a multimeter, set it to DC volts and touch the outlets to the recitfier. if its dead try reversing it then it should show a reading. note the + or - , that is the direction of the electricity. compare it to the diagram. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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