Author Topic: 550F/K Free Bird The FINAL STRETCH mark (Read 12569 times)

straat-toe · « **Reply #25 on:** August 28, 2014, 01:52:14 AM »

Quote from: straat-toe on August 28, 2014, 01:32:12 AM

Ok. I have installed my new clutch. New ex valves arrived yesterday and Honda just informed me that my new valve washers and tappet cover rubbers have arrived. I also picked up my repaired tappet cover. Can you feel it?! I can almost hear the old girl firing up! Oh and there is another almost compl. Stock 550f looking for a loving home where restoration is the only option.

straat-toe · « **Reply #26 on:** January 08, 2015, 09:33:14 AM »

Ok so its been too long. Quick update. I finished rebuilding the engine and I got her in. I fitted duel discs using a GW MC. She stops nicely

. And of course if she stops that means that she goes! I haven't been riding her as much as I should because the charging system seems knackered. Looks like the stator has gone and Im going to have to get it rewired. It's never ending but I'm game for it. I also put new bars on and fed the control wires through them to clean it up . onwards and upwards!

Blackfin5 · « **Reply #27 on:** January 08, 2015, 09:48:02 AM »

Little late to this party, but I have no recollection of that pin. I can't remember if I took assembly #37 apart or not. That's a fairly obscure little pin. I know I checked and lubed the roller bearings in part #15 on the end of the main shaft. Oh well, roll the dice.

Nice engine build by the way.

straat-toe · « **Reply #28 on:** January 09, 2015, 01:37:19 AM »

Hi Blackfin. It was the pin that goes into the secondary oilpump that lubes the tranny. Problems been fixed now therea a few more. Did your friends in SA get their 550s?

Blackfin5 · « **Reply #29 on:** January 09, 2015, 08:23:52 AM »

Actually, I found a 78 550 in Atlanta and a 77 in Kentucky. My Capetown buddies arrive here on Jan 15th. Probably going to SAF in a container late Feb.

straat-toe · « **Reply #30 on:** April 23, 2015, 04:38:28 AM »

So this is a update on the 550. I had the Stator rewired a while back.

When I took it out for its first ride the main fuse kept popping. So it looks like the problem it's a combination of corroded contacts a Red wire with to many bonds and bad solder on it and a fuse block that has seen to much action and melted fuses. So here is a quick photo update of the steps I took.

New blade type fuse box mounted on the inner fender. New main wiring, I managed to locate a Auto electrical supplier in Cape Town that stocks blocks and terminals very close to the original Hitachi items, which is a bonus. And I used split corrugated pipe for the loom. Because I'm sure I will be replacing more wiring in the winter. First time doing it this way so I will perfect the technique still and clean it up a bit more. I will be testing the new wiring and fuse box tonight.

Cheers.

straat-toe · « **Reply #31 on:** June 05, 2015, 01:40:25 AM »

Ok, So what's been happening.
My main fuse is still blowing after rewiring the live red wire and installing a new fuse box and cleaning all Terminals.....If I take the black live out it's fine, as soon as reconnect one of them it blows again.

So I've ordered some terminals and the like from Cycle Terminals and I'll be refreshing the whole black circuit once it arrives.

Quick thought...could bad engine earth connection cause the main fuse to blow. And I mean it really blows. As soon as the key turns it pops!

straat-toe · « **Reply #32 on:** June 05, 2015, 06:01:01 AM »

Thanks for the Feedback Cal.

I'll makse some time over the weekend and try your suggestions. The bike was running after the rebuild just not charging and the red and white would get to hot to touch. Then the fuse would start popping. Now since the Stator was rewound the fuse popped once while riding and then after that it started popping as soon as the key gets turned.

Thanks.

straat-toe · « **Reply #33 on:** June 06, 2015, 08:50:17 AM »

Ok Cal. I did the ignition switch tests with and without fuses. Nothing funky to report there.

I then started checking for continuity between black and frame. Bingo. So after going through connections. Once the black connector on the regulator gets disconnected no more continuity. When just feeling the wires from the stator the yellow wires seemed very hot. And I could feel heat coming from the stator through the alternator cover....This obvs isn't suppose to happen without the engine even running?

straat-toe · « **Reply #34 on:** June 07, 2015, 01:56:13 AM »

Thanks for the quick reply Cal. We seem to getting somewhere. The wiring harness is pretty much stock except for the terminal block leading to the fuse box I replaced. There is no black wires to the stator. Just the stock 3 yellow wires and then the white and green. If the regulator is grounding out could that cause the white wire leading to the field coil to be live and heat up the way it is? I asked the autolek that rewound my stator to increase its output slightly. Could this have fried my regulator or was my regulator the original source of my charging problems. whataballache!

I guess a Ricks rec/reg is in my future.

I should also clarify. The bike was sold to me as a 74 550k. And that's what I believed it to be. I have since figured out that it's in fact a 76 550f engine and carbs in a 76 K frame.

straat-toe · « **Reply #35 on:** June 07, 2015, 02:00:41 AM »

Here's a pick of the plate.

straat-toe · « **Reply #36 on:** June 07, 2015, 02:02:20 AM »

And one from the back.

straat-toe · « **Reply #37 on:** June 07, 2015, 02:15:32 AM »

I did a continuity test on the regulator. Are these normal results? Resistance between earth and white and black respectively. no resistance between white and black.

straat-toe · « **Reply #38 on:** June 07, 2015, 04:56:44 AM »

Hi Cal. You read properly the first time. The black running to the regulator read as a short to the frame when tested. I did the ignition tests with fuses removed. No voltage. Only with fuses reconnected did I Get Voltage Readings. With the red and black at the switch bridged(cutting out the switch) and fuses in. The fuse was still starting to melt.

The battery has never been reversed as long as I've had the bike.

When the key is on but the engine isn't running. The stator/field coil is getting hot enough for me to feel it through the alternator cover, and the wires running up from it is also hot.

The red bullet connectors are what's available to me here. I had to use them to sort out bad splices from the PO They are crimped and connected properly so I don't think it's a problem. I have ordered the proper ones from vintage connectors. Just waiting for them to make the trip over the Atlantic. I'll be refreshing all of them when they arrive and the entire black circuit.

I'm still concerned with the fact that the stator gets hot without the engine running. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks for the help.

straat-toe · « **Reply #39 on:** June 08, 2015, 12:05:01 AM »

Hi Cal.
Great thanks for the chart. I'll have a look at it later in the week and do the magnetic stator test.

strynboen · « **Reply #40 on:** June 08, 2015, 09:12:55 AM »

the regifier must be shot..so power runs from the battery and backverds to the generator coils

.diodes is normaly hold it back in the battery...but if they are shorted..it just runs dovn and heat it all up

straat-toe · « **Reply #41 on:** June 08, 2015, 11:38:24 PM »

Quote from: strynboen on June 08, 2015, 09:12:55 AM

the regifier must be shot..so power runs from the battery and backverds to the generator coils

.diodes is normaly hold it back in the battery...but if they are shorted..it just runs dovn and heat it all up

Hi Strynboen, Yeah it's all old original parts. So I think along with replacing the black circuit and refreshing the bullet connectors I will be getting a Rec/Reg unit from Ricks. I dont know if this is the reason for the main fuse popping though? The rectifier isn't on a fused circuit..

Sorry guys, like most people I'm fine with putting a engine back together but electrics is a unseen dark art to me. Good thing that I'm learninr a bit more now before the rewiring on my 400 and other 550 starts.

I know one day I will actually get to enjoy this bike. Extra motivation is that my job has just moved into the City Centre and traffic is hell from where I live. So using a Cage isn't really a option for me. Time to get this "beast" on the road.

Thanks for the input.

strynboen · « **Reply #42 on:** June 10, 2015, 06:51:30 AM »

im fights for keep the orginal parts...and thek/test them before thange to new..specily on parts vho not can be done better/or more effektive today,, as for 40 years ago. and specily chinese parts are often vorse then japanese made,. 80% of all sohc aftermarked parts are china made.specily elektric parts

..diodes/reg..they funktion as they alvays have done..nev deseins are not more effektive..

so often it better to klean up..put new viring/schrenk flex on the old part

but try to thek for power flow bu a bulb and the battery from the mc..evt use a sideturn signal lamp..as test lamp..and thek that it lights up pulling volt through the regifier..but only one vay..by turning the reg it villnot light...then it funktions right..light both vay..or no light at all, it are broken..must thek all 6 diode konektions..use the diragram to find the konnekted vires..for first 3 diodes..yellov vires to red vire..the lamp must flow/ light..and the other 3 diodes is green vire to the yellov vires it must flow/light

the skort must be at the main key--and on to the loading system..to blow fuses..

straat-toe · « **Reply #43 on:** June 22, 2015, 12:12:20 AM »

Hi all.
I've been a bit to busy with life stuff to get to the bike to do the tests. But this finally arrived for me via user Blackfin and a container with some bikes in it. Thanks Kevin. Now I get to make a Carbon fiber fender.

One step at a time.

straat-toe · « **Reply #44 on:** June 22, 2015, 07:32:16 AM »

Nope. Not one of his friends. But I am from Cape Town and my brace got shipped back with his buddies bikes. All via the Forum.

straat-toe · « **Reply #45 on:** July 07, 2015, 06:15:52 AM »

Ok.

I have been busy cleaning up my wiring. I have everything that I need to refresh the black circuit and some bad connectors so i thought I might as well do that while tracking down the short. I'll report back on that once it's done.

In other news, when fitting my Fork brace I noticed that the wheel isn't sitting in the middle of the 2 forks. I always thought my fender bracket was a bit bent. Turns out my wheel isn't centered. I have all the pieces on the axle including the collar and bearing seal . I never noticed the bike feeling misaligned when riding. Could the wrong collar be fitted on my axle. The gap on the brake side of the wheel between wheel and fork lower is about 9mm. The gap on the left side is 15mm.

Is this normal?

straat-toe · « **Reply #46 on:** July 07, 2015, 06:27:36 AM »

And what's a thread without photos. I also moved my bike into the house while my Girl is on a business trip....no one will ever know.

straat-toe · « **Reply #47 on:** August 25, 2015, 07:16:44 AM »

Greetings and salutations! So it's been a while since I posted once again.
My Car project has been sucking funds and time out of the bikes. But here's a couple of pics of wiring that I did and what my dogs did to my seat. I've been meaning to redo the seat. I guess the mutts just helped me along!

I fitted a new reg/rec from David Silver and I replaced the entire black circuit with all new vintage connectors and cleaned up all the dodgy looking old connectors and crap aftermarket ones I had put on as a stop gap. And after being inspired by Cal's clean Polyester braided loom work i decided to go the same route.

If the problems are still there I'm towing the bike to a shop to get it the electrics sorted out. I've been meaning to get a professional to go over everything I did anyway before I take it for it's roadworthy test.

straat-toe · « **Reply #48 on:** August 27, 2015, 11:31:25 PM »

Ok so after trying my hand at wiring and electrics. I still cant find the dead short. Main Fuse is still popping as soon as Ignition gets turned. I've done it all. Even tried to see the spark in a darkened room and I still couldn't see the light. Only the warm glow of a fuse heating up and then...Darkness.

So I'm doing what I should've done from the start. I'm taking it to a pro. It's probably going to be something stupid that is as clear as day. But hey I cant wait anymore. This bird was meant for flying, and summer's here. Here's some pics of my seat pan after my dogs did me the favour of removing the old foam. I reckon a new one is on the cards. I started derusting it to use the original as a mold to make my plug. I'll be making a new pan with mostly glass and maybe 2 layers of Carbon for strength. Once I've learned from my inevitable mistakes I will move on to making a Carbon Fender to fit under the Tarozzi fork brace.

Peace!

straat-toe · « **Reply #49 on:** August 31, 2015, 12:47:37 AM »

Thanks for the encouragement Cal.
I've tried it all done all of these tests. Replaced entire black and red circuits. New terminals even replaced the reg/rec with a new japanese unit(that I probably didn't need) So as much as I hate admitting defeat. I took it to a man over the weekend. I think I'll be able to live with the shame while going down the Freeway at speed.

News:

Author Topic: 550F/K Free Bird The FINAL STRETCH mark (Read 12569 times)