Hello all,
Been a while since I;ve been here - had to re-register. Anyway, my buddy's 1988 Honda 300 FTX has some charging issues. His electric start currently does not work. When I 'jump' the terminals on the solenoid (stick a srewdriver between them) it fires right up. Doesn't this mean that the solenoid is fried? If it's fried, does that affect the charging system? Everything works, i.e lights, neutral & oil lights, 12V receptacle, it just will not charge the battery. ARe these 2 separate issues? I've got a spare solenoid at my place that I am going to put in there tonight, but thought I would ask the 'pros' first.

Oh yeah, checked all fuses, they are fine.

Thanks for the help.

 

You have two different problems that are unrelated. It may be the solenoid or any of the switches that activate it. If you have a test light, check for voltage at the two small wires going into the solenoid (start button pushed, key on, etc just as you would to start the machine). If there is voltage on at least one of the wires, its the solenoid. If no voltage, you need to trace the wiring to see where you lose voltage. It could be the start button, open wire, connector, igition switch (probably not in your case if lights work) etc. Get ahold of a wiring diagram to help trace the circuit.

For the charging, a fully charged battery will give you more accurate tests. With machine running you should have 13.5 to 15 volts at the battery terminals. If higher its the regulator/rectifier. Lower and you need to diagnose stator and reg/rect. With the key off, disconnect the connector w/ 3 yellow wires. On the stator side of the connector, check the ohms between each of the wires (3 checks total). Should see about 0.6 ohms. Now check ohms between each yellow wire and gound. There should be no continuity, if there is, stator is shorted and needs replacing. If stator is ok, next to check is reg/rect. You will need to disconnect if from the machine and check the diodes (12 checks total). Easy to check, hard to explain. If possible, take it to a dealer and have them check the diodes. Takes longer to turn on meter than it does to check and they shouldn't charge you to do it.

Any more questions, let me know.