[iReminisce]

Hey guys. Just a bit of back story. I'm pretty mechanically inclined as I've always worked on all my cars I've owned but bikes are new to me but I'm getting the hang of it. I have a 2007 zx10r special edition with several mods that I switch up as a daily driver with my 12 Mustang GT for a 50-60 mile round trip commute everyday. With that said... Well long story short. Bike died while riding it the other night. Had to walk it several miles home. Turns out it was the stator. I bought a new one the next day (Rick's) and replaced it. Bike fired up fine. Took it for a spin and all was well until I hit the off ramp exit and felt oil hitting my leg. I open it up and it looks like the stator cover wasn't torqued down (my girl and I were working on it). Started it up. It started and after a minute it was making a Loud shrieking sound and it shut off. Hasn't been able to start since. I opened it up and noticed the stator bolts had backed out and one almost came out completely and the heads were melted. These were the old bolts from the last stator. I examined the stator and all the coils still looked brand new. The rest of the starter parts also looked absolutely fine. So I bought new stator bolts. Put loctite on them and put them in. Started it and it's turning over fine but not starting. All electronics work when I turn it on. Fuel pump turns on. It tries to turn over but not starting. I charged the battery with my battery tender and tested it with a multimeter. Over 12v resting. 13.1 or so when connected to the bike. When I crank it it drops to 10.1-2. I can't get it to fire so don't know what the load voltage is right now.

The R/R was showing readings so not a new one and put that in. Same problem. Cranks but won't start. People are telling me to check the spark plugs so I just got the boots out to the spark plugs but need to pick up a flexible extension to get in and get out the plugs tomorrow. If this doesn't work I'm out of options and not sure what to check. Could my battery be bad anyway? Could it be spark plugs or something else?

 

[BOP Leader]

That shrieking noise you describe was most likely a fastener(s) or another part of the stator wearing away as it was touching the inside of your moving engine. I'd be surprised that you didn't see any further damage beyond the screws themselves.

If the motor died right after the noise, I would guess that the stator you installed may have died due to injuries. Might test it to confirm charging properties and look carefully where the connector wires attach to the stator, they might have been pulled out slightly.

I would also recommend an oil change to remove any debris that may now be floating around.

 

[iReminisce]

Hey thanks for quick response. My thoughts were the stator again too but I put a faster to it and checked the ohms and still getting an even 0.3 across all the pins. I pulled it out before adding new bolts and torquing it down and all the coils still look fresh and new too. Could it still be fried even with good readings?

 

[BOP Leader]

You also need to verify the stator is not going to ground from any of the phases.

Without being able to start the bike you obviously can't check the charging voltage.

I wonder if anything shorted when the stator was moving around in your engine? Maybe check fuses and relays? Bike obviously lost power when stator was rubbing. Difficult to know if the stator lost power or too much physical interference to prevent the engine from turning?

If you confirm the stator is good, next step would be to re-check everything's connected properly that was previously touched. Any chance you fouled the spark plugs trying to get the bike started?

If the bike was running after the original repair, and if the new stator is still healthy, then there can't be much that's preventing it from running again.

Not so easy to diagnose when the vehicle is not present.

 

[SkyDork]

BOP pretty much got it all in the last response. Likely a popped fuse or something.

The battery is only used for starting. If it's cranking the motor over at full speed, then it should be able to start. The alternator is used to keep the motor running and recharge the battery after it's started. It's pretty simple. So, the alternator issues have nothing to do with the starting issue other than it may have popped your ignition fuse in the mayhem of it flopping around in the case. First thing to check is all the fuses. If they all look good, then the sensors and wiring are next.

Also, checking the stator windings are only one test to perform on the system. Once up and going, the alternating current output from both the alternator and regulator/rectifier should be checked. You should be seeing roughly 42vAC at 4,000rpm at the input to the regulator. And just over 13vDC at the output of the regulator. That will tell you the condition of the electrical system parts.

 

[iReminisce]

You guys are awesome. Will check the fuses in a bit and let you know.

And yeah after i replaced the stator it fired up right away and ran beautifully until the mayhem happened with things being lose. I tested everything that I could with the bike off and I've replaced everything i could so far as well just in case. Soon as the cycle gear near me opens up I'm going to buy new Spark Plugs because I'm sure the bike needs them anyway (I was pretty much overhauling it over time anyway, bought it used a couple months ago and planned to update everything). I will let you guys know, thanks again.

 

[iReminisce]

I know its been a while but I've been on vacation a couple days but wanted to take a moment to give an update.

I FINALLY got it working, and its running better than ever. After I did what I mentioned above: replacing stator and bolts and securing with loctite, replacing regulator, charging battery, replacing spark plugs, checking fuses, lines, connections, etc.. She finally fired up. The spark plugs were definitely the major culprit as you can see in the attached images

And while it cranked much faster, it didn't start at first. Finally I cranked and held it, and it chugged and then fired up. I'm assuming the constant lifting and removing the tank must have done something to the fuel and it just needed some more love. Ever since then it has been firing up lightning fast and running extremely smooth. Unfortunately, I'm going to be away from it for a week now, so I have it up on the stands with a tender, but I can't wait to get back to it. Thanks again guys. Ride safe