76' CB550 Not charging

[djg42]

Hello,
My cb550 is not charging, the three yellow wires coming out of the alternator all show that they are grounded, is that enough proof that i need a repllacement?

 

[DoubleClutch]

Are you sure it is not the reg/rec?

 

[djg42]

Im not getting any charge coming out of the 3 yellow wires while its running, those should be the ones with ac current right? There are too many wires coming out of this thing

 

[Bozz]

The DOHC hondas use an electromagnetic rotor within the stator, so there are 2 possibilities.
The rotor is not getting the initial voltage to start the generating process, or the stator windings are worn/bad.


Get a reliable multimeter and test all of the above. Sometimes it is as simple as the rotor brushes needing replaced...

 

[joea]

cb550 is sohc and has a stationary electro magnet with no brushes ... if you used the ohm meter properly you should not have any continuity to ground from any of the three yellow wires from the stator,lead to lead should be low resistance too(don't remember readings- ck your manual) ck your field coil also .....i think it should be about 3-7 ohms resistance.
good luck joe@vcycle

 

[Bozz]

^^^Joe is correct.
I saw the DOHC in your avatar and started typing without thinking...

 

[mono]

the service manual has detailed troubleshooting for the electronics. i have seen a lot of people report the voltage regulators going bad on these bikes, but according to the manual, the vrreg is also adjustable if the output is too low. you'll have to do some testing to see what kind of voltage is being produced at certain RPMs to determine if the output is correct, and you'll want to do the testing with a fully charged battery (of course).

other reasons (of you haven't already checked) are corroded contacts/oxide buildup, which can cause impedance. cleaning all the contacts and recoating with dielectric or other non-insulatory corrosion resistant products is always a good thing to do if you haven't.