Quote:
Originally Posted by smoak
I ended up replacing the voltage regulator because it was getting super hot as well. I think I posted pictures somewhere maybe? I re-did the wiring harness and made sure all the wires/connections that got hot were replaced. I have not noticed any problems since then, which was last year and probably 1000 miles ago.
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Sounds like the voltage regulator was going bad. What it does is convert excess voltage into heat that gets dissipated by those big fins on the regulator. It keeps the system from overvoltage to electrical components. It's AC voltage that is coming from the stator. If it can't shunt enough voltage off, then the AC output wires from the stator will heat up too. Sometimes enough to burn out windings in the stator or surviving that, will heat up lighter gauge wiring at the connectors. Lighter gauge wires will heat up faster since they have lower current carrying ability and the more they heat up, the less capable to carry current they become. So once they start heating up, it makes them more resistant which causes them to heat up even more. It's something that once it gets started, only becomes worse. I'm not sure when the voltage gets shunted; either before or after the rectifier which converts the AC to DC voltage by running it through diodes that allow voltage to flow in one direction only. Could be that the diodes were failing in the regulator and maybe allowing higher voltage AC to leak into the wiring.
But no matter, you got it fixed by replacing the voltage regulator/rectifier. Good call on replacing the previously heated wiring as well. Heat fatigues metal; the wires may have been made to be more prone to breaking.
BTW, I am no expert at electrical systems, but this is how I understand it to be. (and looking at my wiring schematic leads me to think this way too) If I am wrong about any of this, then anybody more knowledgeable/qualified should say so. I don't mean to confuse or mislead with errant info if any of it is incorrect.
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