Apparent Regulator Failures

[hootmon]

The info is way earlier in the thread.. But in short...
I purchased my '94 Magna used about 4 years ago.. The guy I bought it from said he had just replaced the battery.. (Long story- earlier in the thread if you want to read) the R/R was bad and putting out high voltage. I replaced with R/R from Old Bike Barn. (remember 4 years and 40K miles ago.) Recently my bike died in the middle of a busy road (Slowing down for a stop light).. Battery was drained... Checked and Regulator not putting out voltage.. I believe the R/R has been having an issue for probably about a year, because if I ran with my brights on and my Aux light, then my battery would drain, but if I ran with just by brights then it would maintain my battery. I Replaced the R/R due to no voltage output... Now I can run brights and aux light...
Does that answer your questions??? 

[lragan]

Yes it does.  Thank you very much.  I had confused your bike with another, newer one. 

We still don't have a documented case of a later model (2000+) R/R on a Magna failing. 

By the way, if your aftermarket unit claims more output power, it may also be more efficient -- so the fact that it doesn't get as hot doesn't unambiguously validate the efficacy of your mounting method.   I still think it is the best way to go, and intend to have mine so mounted before hot weather returns to Texas next spring.

[hootmon]

Once again.. If the leads on the R/R are short, you can take where the R/R cables come out of the harness, peel back the tape, you can bring the wires from coming out the left side of the harness to the right side of the harness. This will provide plenty of cable to still attach the R/R in the new location... 
I did not have to do this because the new R/R had cables twice as long as the OEM/OldBikeBarn R/R.

[L J VFR]

We still don't have a documented case of a later model (2000+) R/R on a Magna failing. 

[L J VFR]

We still don't have a documented case of a later model (2000+) R/R on a Magna failing.               I hope it comes to pass that Honda may have changed the R/R  in the newer models.  Picking up my 4-wheeler at the Honda dealership yesterday,(due to a recall on the front cv joints)  I quizzed the guys on this question.. They pulled up the part number and the parts guy said he wasn't for sure but it was a possibility they did change..  (Really no help from the guy) but there was 2 people behind me and I didn't want to hold them up..   Back to square one...

[hootmon]

Lawrence
 While your riding.. Put you hand behind your side cover and you will get an indication of how much air circulates in the area, It's not as much as I had hoped, but again, still better than it's original location, in my opinion...

[lragan]

Lawrence
 While your riding.. Put you hand behind your side cover and you will get an indication of how much air circulates in the area, It's not as much as I had hoped, but again, still better than it's original location, in my opinion...

Will do that, hoot.  Once I get my side covers back on the bike.   Still waiting for a replacement I ordered to arrive at the Honda dealer in New Braunfels.  Then I have to paint it.  They say the definition of insanity is to expect different results from the same errant behavior, so it is clear at this point that I qualify...

[Charles S Otwell]

Will someone please recap the highlights of this thread I think I might have missed something ..

[hootmon]

Recap - R/R bad design on 1999 and earlier, Blah, Blah, Blah
Some people put on PC fan to add cooling, Blah, Blah, Blah
Geek talk about re-design, we can build it bigger, better, faster, we have the technology... Blah Blah 
Some dude decided he would be different and move the regulator to behind the right side panel. Blah
Recap Please...

[Jester]

so would anyone venture to say that california models would be more susceptible to this failure due to an extreme abundancy of vacuum hoses and other parts?

[hootmon]

Someone needs to keep this post alive.. So might as well be me!!

There was some discussion about Battery gauges... I ran across this one on J&P cycles webpage.
It also comes in Black for a couple of dollars cheaper...

[L J VFR]

Hey Hootman, I did notice that battery meter as well.  Looks good..

[connor]

Recently had a regulator fail..on a 94 model.

Have extended the wires and mounted it underneath the rear rack which I made.  Its not really visible there but it does get fresh cooling air flowing over it.  When the engine is running I can keep my hand on it now...before in its original location under the battery I think it would have taken skin off.

[lragan]

Conner, you are right.  If you look back in this thread, you will see that the measured temps on the heat sink fins reached nearly 70C.  Most folks can hold their hands on 55C for a few seconds, on 50C for as much as a minute, and 45C forever.  Depends on the surface, of course, and whether you are a chef  -- My wife has asbestos hands!!

[connor]

The carrier rack I made up is of steel painted black its about 12 inches by 9.

The regulator is bolted directly to the underside with its cooling fins pointing fore and aft. The rack itself acts as a good heat shunt for the regulator as well as cooling air flowing over it when on the move.

I managed to run the extended wiring behind the chrome trim on the side of the rear mudguard / fender... so next to nothing is visible. The cable I used is just one thicker cable which has 7 wires in it...Its the type of cable we used in England to wire in to a towing hitch socket on the rear of our cars. All the connections were soldered and insulated with pvc tape.

So far...so good...