Darn alternator plug is getting real hot!

[last426]

So hot, in fact, that it is melting the plastic. It is two of the yellow wires in particular. Is this a common failure of the cbx -- this is a daily rider. Thanks.

[last426]

Oops, just to be complete it stopped charging this morning. When I check it with a meter it does charge a little with increased rpms -- at idle it is around 11.3v and up to speed it climbs to a whopping 11.5v. It appears to act the same when I swapped in a spare regulator that I have hanging around but I am not sure that one is good either.

[Guest]

I can't answer your question but can tell you that the same thing happened to me recently. I went through all the troubleshooting steps for the charging system only to find that the leads on the alternator in that plastic block were corroded and the plastic was melting which caused a poor connection. I removed the block, cleaned the leads and just separated them using electrical tape. They still run hot but charging is back to normal.

[EMS]

Again, I don't like electricity and don't know much about it. But a hot wire or connection is a sign that the resistance in that part is too high. This can be caused by the wire being too thin (small gauge) or connections being loose or corroded, which prevents proper current flow.

[RIPPER]

Put new connectors on it.If you can't get the Honda ones you can wire direct or get bullet connectors and connect each wire individually.

[Jim-Jim]

EMS is correct (he knows more than he admits to), you have a bad connection at the plug. Most plug connections are 'crimped', terminal-to-wire; it is fast and cheap for the harness manufacturer and is usually good. Over time, though, corrosion (from water, gas, oil, dirt, oxidation, etc) can work its way into the crimp joint and build up electrical resistance; the more corrosion, the higher the resistance. Since the stator provides 20-25 amps of current to the starting/running circuit, all that current has to pass through that high resistance 'crimp'. Think of that resistance as a light bulb (filament is the resistance); when the current passes through, the light bulb would glow - light bulbs get hot; in this case the 'crimp' resistance gets hot. Enough to soften/melt the plactic. To make matters worse, that resistance, effectively 'uses' some of the current so there's less to pass on to the starting/running circuit - hence, your low charging voltage you are seeing. (I don't want to get too technical here.) That's also why your problem was not cleared up when you cleaned and reconnected the plugs (in some cases, the face to face plug connectors can get dirty - same result). Like Ripper said, put new plugs on it - but you can try to remove the connections from the old block, undo the crimp, clean the wires and terminal and SOLDER the two together and re-install. Some electrical/electronic/automotive suppliers may be able to match the Honda connectors and you could start over with new terminals. Just clip off a LITTLE of the old wire and solder the terminals on and re-insert them into the block - and aawwaayyy you go. Practically any solution that gets rid of that corrosion will work but while you're in there, fix 'em all. Good luck and let us know how it works out!!!

[skipscbx]

I also had an overheating problem with the wiring between the magnetic switch and the wire harness. what I found was a wire in the connector had gotten to hot and twisted in the connector, so when you plug wires together, one made close but not solid connection. Anyway, KOWA TOOLS has a pin removal tool you will need to remove terminals from the connector. P/N is AKS-316-1000. It will save you a lot of time and agravation trying to remove the pins. Also, they have a terminal repair kit to replace the bad terminal we find on our X"s. It comes with a crimper, all the terminals you need, but not the plastic connectors. That p/n is KL-10-1. I am still looking for plastic connectors, but have not found them yet. If anyone knows where to get connectors, plz post. Roger ICOA # 5588

[sr71cbx]

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[Don]

The Honda spade type terminals used in the plugs are marginal at best, even when they were new.



If the plug has been unplugged and reconnected very many times, the female spades can become loose, and make poor contact, which causes heat.



A good cleaning, and carefully squeezing the females a little with a pair of needle nosed pliers (which will make them a tighter connection, at least the first couple times you reconnect the connector) will help your problem.



If too much is melted, an aftermarket set of connections would make better sense though.



Don

[sr71cbx]

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[Jim-Jim]

Mark,

I have a question. Did the GM connectors you found fit in the Honda bracket (?) and, if so, do you have the specific P/Ns for them?