|
|
Post by Cruiser on Jul 19, 2010 23:07:31 GMT -6
Welcome to Scooterdoc, doakley, it sounds like you have the 244cc engine. Here's what I would do before you start throwing parts at the problem. Compare the output of the regulator/rectifier (red wire) to the voltage at the battery positive terminal. Should be no more than .9 volts difference allowing for the drop across the blocking diode. If it passes that test, then the regulator/rectifier is bad or there is a problem with the connectors at the regulator/rectifier. Could also be a bad stator, but that is unusual. You should also recheck all ground connections. If you have more than .9 volts drop and the regulator/rectifier can put out over 14 volts at 5000 rpm, then I would disconnect the blocking diode plug and jumper the pins to bypass the diode. An open blocking diode or a bad connection at the plug could stop all charging current from going to the battery. If the problem is still there, then you have a problem with the wiring between the regulator/rectifier and the battery. These suggestions are a starting point and you may be lucky enough to pinpoint the problem. There are a lot of ways to improve the marginal charging on this system and you have done some. At this point you have a no charging situation and this has to be corrected before doing things to improve the system.
|
|
|
|
Post by Cruiser on Jul 18, 2010 20:21:06 GMT -6
|
|
|
|
Post by Cruiser on Jul 18, 2010 20:07:17 GMT -6
The fan that Todd and I used as a replacement is rated at 1100CFM. Doing a side by side blow your hair back comparison on the bench didn't really show any differences to me. At least it is a 2 to 3 amp savings.
|
|
|
|
Post by Cruiser on Jul 18, 2010 19:50:56 GMT -6
That's right Todd. I just remounted the new motor and blade in the original shroud. Had to shave about 1/8" off the ends of the blades. Spacing between the fan and radiator remained the same. I liked the new curved blades because they seemed to pull more air while drawing about .2 amps less current. Dr. JR, your words have not fallen on deaf ears. I ordered the fan/radiator combo that is identical to mine a couple of days ago. Thanks for the link and it cost about $40 after instant Bing cashback. ;D However, I still want more amps.  I'm going to make some comparisons on the stator output at the R/R input to see how much it fluctuates with 1 and then 2 headlights on. If there is little or no change, then I have a weak R/R.  |
|
|
|
Post by Cruiser on Jul 18, 2010 17:45:01 GMT -6
The actual electrical loads between the Linhai and CfMoto scoot are similar. There should be no discharging with the cooling fan on for either scoot. Todd never really complained of overheating. He was just trying to avoid running the fan too much. Your scoot can run a fan all day long with no problems. The Cfmoto charging system is apparently what is wrong. We actually dropped the fan current by almost 3 amps and still cannot run with everything on. Now we almost for sure know the root of the problem and Tony will have to work with the 18 pole CfMoto style stator for an upgrade. Thanks for talking with Smorkle. Now to find a CfMoto donor stator.
|
|
|
|
Post by Cruiser on Jul 18, 2010 17:36:14 GMT -6
|
|
|
|
Post by Cruiser on Jul 18, 2010 13:57:27 GMT -6
While riding the scoot at night, I decided to turn on both the HID lights to see how much light they would throw and also to check the performance of the charging system. Running with one light gave me a steady 14 volts at the battery which included the cooling fan and the electric fuel pump running - very good. ;D Turning on the second light really lit up the road, but the charging voltage kept decreasing gradually until after about 5 minutes, battery was discharging.  The R/R was not overheating so I started wondering about the stator. I e-mailed Tony at Oregon Motorcycle Parts (the guy Todd got the R/R from) and asked a few questions about his R/R and stators in general. His R/R is capable of 25 amps output which would make a super replacement assuming the stator can put out enough to match the R/R's output. I put a bug in his ear about the stator capabilities and he agreed that although his R/R was much better than the Chinese or even Honda Helix units, the stator could be maxed out. The good news is that he said he would be willing to experiment on one of the scoot stators to see if they can be improved if someone would be willing to donate one (good or bad) in the name of Scooter Medical Science. He is willing to hand rewind one to see what the stator is capable of and if it turns out OK, then he would start making upgraded stators. Smorkle, where are you? I believe you just replaced your stator. Would you be willing to donate it to Tony? If not, does anyone else have a donor? This Tony appears to be a sincere and dedicated person who takes what he does seriously. Answers e-mails promptly and is trying to help us out. Maybe, with his help, we can get a decent charging system on our scoots. |
|
|
|
Post by Cruiser on Jul 18, 2010 0:23:40 GMT -6
|
|
|
|
Post by Cruiser on Jul 15, 2010 19:42:34 GMT -6
That's awesome that you got all those radiators. It ain't gonna overheat. Sounds like the belt's too big, maybe an 872 22 30 would work. The newer models went to a single radiator. The older models with 2 radiators had the heating problems. I believe Zug has one of the newer models with one radiator and has had no overheating problems. Good luck with your new scoot, tk3000. We will be waiting for any updates. BTW, the single radiator systems like on the Reflex clones hold about 32 oz of coolant. |
|
|
|
Post by Cruiser on Jul 15, 2010 11:03:34 GMT -6
Todd, I hooked up the relay trigger to an ignition key switched wire. The relay requires very little power to trigger it so any key controlled source would be fine. I happened to have an extra connector located near the horn that I used for the hookup. The headlights will come on every time you turn on the key with this setup. I have my lights switching on and off by use of the hi/lo beam switch. I find that properly aimed HID's provide plenty of light and I don't really miss the hi beam function. Aiming the right headlight a little higher than the left gives a nice light dispersion.
|
|
|
|
Post by Cruiser on Jul 14, 2010 21:15:53 GMT -6
Yea, that's the fuel tank. I believe it holds 3.2 gallons.
|
|
|
|
Post by Cruiser on Jul 14, 2010 20:33:51 GMT -6
There is a lot of room in back of and in front of the stock radiator. It would be interesting to piggyback another identical radiator maybe in front of the original.  |
|
|
|
Post by Cruiser on Jul 14, 2010 10:48:53 GMT -6
Interesting results, Todd. It looks like the R/R has the ability to put out a good charging voltage, but that drop with the fan on would indicate excessive loss in the circuits feeding the fan and maybe other parts of the scoot. Maybe it's at the stator connector like you said. Assuming that this is an upgrade to the OEM R/R, then we are looking at excessive losses in the circuits. Are you still running the 3 amp fan? I see you still have the blocking diode. I gained .7 volts by using a relay to eliminate the diode. It would be interesting to see the voltage reading right at the output plug on the R/R and compare it to the reading on the battery. I originally was getting a 1.5 volt drop with the original wires and blocking diode. My OEM R/R was putting out well over 14 volts and the battery was discharging. I don't see a cooling problem as the charging system should be able to handle the cooling fan running 100% of the time as necessary to keep the engine from overheating. It would be nice if the cooling fan never came on, but our unmodded systems will work hard to keep things cool. I personally don't mind as long as the scoot doesn't overheat and the charging system can handle the extra load. In any case, there should never be an instance where the battery discharges when normal electrical loads are encountered.
|
|
|
|
Post by Cruiser on Jul 13, 2010 17:53:03 GMT -6
My voltmeter is attached to the hot wire for the alarm system up front. The actual voltage at the battery is about .3 volts higher. So if you get 13.5 volts with that hookup, you most likely are closer to 14 volts at the R/R. That reading you have is excellent and is good especially for AGM batteries that are more sensitive to overcharging.
|
|
|
|
Post by Cruiser on Jul 12, 2010 21:46:57 GMT -6
The other variable is the R/R. No two seem to have the same output. Maybe the one Todd is checking out will be more consistent.
|
|
I'm going to make some comparisons on the stator output at the R/R input to see how much it fluctuates with 1 and then 2 headlights on. If there is little or no change, then I have a weak R/R. 
