replacing the stator

So I just found out that my stator is bad and need to replace it. I am getting a brand new one for $140 from a local shop. SO what is all included. can I do this with just average tools? or do Ineed to pull the flywheel. Im new to the XJ's so I need a little help.

 

What bike do you have? (if you add your bike info to your signiture it would help those who want to hep you) Are you sure it is your stator? It may be the brushes. My 750 was not charging and took the cover to the stator off and found the brushes all but gone.

 

I would definitely check the brushes first. Might be all that is needed. I am sure there is a post on here on how to check the brushes on your machine. Also add your location to your signature as well. Might have someone close to youo that could lend a hand.

 

updated my signature, the shop that has it told me the stator was bad I will go and check the brushes to be sure.

 

Well, FWIW.......there are shops out there that will tell you the truth, and there are shops out there that will tell you all kinds of stuff.

Example:

I picked up an 81 xj650 maxim a couple years ago from a motorcycle shop (NOT near me). A customer brought it in to get it running for the summer, got it to start once....it stalled and he couldn't get it going anymore. They finally got it running and found out what was wrong. They charged him $200.00 to DIAGNOSE the problem. He said he wouldn't pay it, they then added a couple hundred more bucks over time for storage. He ended up taking the title to them and signing it over and walked away.

They, knowing I am into XJ's, wanted to buy a wiring harness from me. I told them I'd buy the bike from them cheap to take it off their hands and out of the way. When I got it, they gave me the copy of the bill so I "would know where to start".

The bill description:

diagnosis -

Battery installed backwards and harness is fried.

Got bike running briefly but within a minute, smoke poured out from under the tank and all fuses blew. Less than a minute later the bike quit running.


Needs: new wiring harness, tci, and battery.

Labor to diagnose problem - $200.00, plus replacement tci (editorial note--the tci was in a bag, and that tci was bought on ebay, used, for $40.00)
----------------------------
Now fast forward to my fixing the bike....

Real problem..... carbs stuck, crank case full of gas, right up to the airbox which was full, too.
Real solution - drained and refilled crankcase, totally disassembled and cleaned carbs. While doing that, did a valve check and swap as needed.

Real problem - rectifier was bad, causing fuses to blow. Replaced rectifer and tci and fuses.

Nothing wrong with the wiring harness, either. Bike has since been sold, the new owner is riding it all over and loving every minute of it.

---------------------------

Finale---- lots of shops don't want to work on the older bikes so they tell a big tale of woe and give a huge estimate. That way one of two things will happen:
1. if repairs are ok-ed, then the shop gets a nice big payment
2. if repairs are not ok-ed then the shop doesn't have to bother

That's where WE come in. WE want to KEEP these bikes running. WE do KNOW how to fix these. WE will do everything possible to keep the cost DOWN.

All that to say....maybe your shop is right. Just quietly double-check anything a shop tells you until you KNOW you can trust them.

Welcome aboard! I am sure you'll be around awhile, now

Dave Fox

 

Thanks for the story hog that sounds pretty screwed up... this guy seems pretty straight forward and has been trying to help me out. I told him today when I picked my bike up that I would find a stator somewhere if needed. I rode it about a mile toward home and it died. I got it into a parking lot and tried to start it up. It ran in neutral like a dream but as soon as I try to put it in gear ( first or second) it dies. It sounds like a side stand switch but it has been pulled off. its a bare ones harness. coils, stator, ignition, and lights. Thats all thats wired the slot for the side stand switch is not plugged into anything. The weird part is that the bike ran fine through all gears for a mile then just died. The guy is going to pick the bike up with his personal trailer and bringing it back to the shop to check it out. I am baffled and had no idea that this thing was going to cause me so much heart/ head ache.

 

Sorry I am not closer to you. Could help you. These bikes are pretty straight forward with a little time. I actually live in the high desert about 70 miles away. I put 84 miles a day on my XJ. I have just short of 70K on bike but only about 35K on the 900 motor. Just repaired my light switch relay with just a automotive relay and a couple of cheap diodes. Been thru this bike top to bottom.

 

I wish we were closer, I found out that the problem is that the side stand switch on the ign. was grounding with the little jump of putting the bike in gear and causing it to die. Weird....

 

either way the worst case scenario is tht I will need to replace my stator... which leads me to my original question, How hard is it? can you do it with normal tools? or am I gonna need impact tools and pullers?

 

The stator just sits in the cases around the rotor; and plugs in. No special tools, you just have to get it correctly aligned.

But I have to agree; that's likely NOT the problem. More likely brushes, or even the rotor first. There's nothing in/on the stator to wear out; it just sits there, hence its name. Which is not to say they can't fail; just that it's quite rare and usually not the cause.

 

So how would I check if its the rotor or the brushes? Also the voltage reg was bad and the guy said that could cause the stator to go out

 

but if it's running fine in neutral and dies when you put it in gear, it looks to point right at the kickstand switch.

If it runs in neutral......put a volt meter on the terminals at the battery and see what the volts are at idle or a hair above. What do the volts go up to when you start giving throttle to increase rpms? Do the volts go up to a certain point and then level out or do they keep climbing and climbing and climbing..........

Planes out around 15 or so, stator and regulator are good.
Keeps climbing and fuses start to blow.....regulator is no good
meter stays at battery charge no matter what....stator is bad.

Dave Fox

 

It doesn't get much simpler than that.

The brushes are located in the generator cover. CAREFULLY remove the cover (the grommet in the cover that the wires go thru is unobtanium) and have a look. They're in the cover; they have little "wear limit" marks cast into them. If you can't SEE the wear limit marks, it's because they're worn beyond.

Since you have to remove that cover to change the stator, might want to look at the brushes first. Then think about cleaning up the rotor they ride against.

Unless you've had some terrible electrical calamity or serious corrosion, I honestly doubt that your stator is bad. If not simply brushes, it's probably more likely a WIRING issue; check the big white plug/connector between the regulator/rectifier and the rest of the harness for burnt pins or signs of overheating (like being melted.)

I think somebody's either guessing or yanking your chain and you're about to spend way too much money unnecessarily.

Get a MANUAL and DIAGNOSE it; otherwise you're just "yachting." (Standing in a stiff breeze tearing up $100 bills.)

 

Yup, that's what I think, too.

Dave

 

well I will check the brushes to make sure I would much rather replace those than pay $140 for a new stator.

 

Brushes are just the first thing to check.

 

Well it happened again... I picked it up from the shop AGAIN this morning and put it in gear (just fine) and went on my way. I got about 2 miles and pulled up to a light the bike died immediately and wouldn't start in gear. It will start and run in neutral but as soon as I kick it in gear it dies immediately. I don't understand what the problem is but I am really really losing my patience with this bike.

 

It sounds like a problem with the sidestand switch "thinking" the stand is down when it's not. If it's been bypassed, maybe it's a problem with the "bypass" wiring. (It can't just be simply disconnected if the safety circuit is still in use.)

Don't get frustrated with the bike; get frustrated with the guys who keep taking your money and telling you they "fixed" it.

 

nothing like that is wired in and even then what would cause it to start interfering with that after riding 2 miles just fine? Yes your right I am not irritated with the bike I am furious with the PO who said the bike is great and he rides it daily and myself who belived him...!

 

A bad coil will do just what you describe.