For nearly 2 hrs. this afternoon, I experienced one of Honda's major blunders.

[John Schmidt]

Removing the alternator. It's finally half out but will not clear the rest of the way. I even have all the rubber dampers out to allow more movement, but that only allowed slightly more space to move it around but still no luck. There's simply too much crap in the way behind it, even with the center cover removed(the side and ctr. covers were chrome so gave them to my son-in-law since the tabs on his black ones are broken). I'm at the point where I'm trying to determine what's impeding the removal cuz the way it is, there's no way it will go back in if the dampers are in place. Since I have Corbin side covers I don't need the center cover so I'm thinking I'll leave it off and create a single horizontal piece that will mount slightly above the back of the alternator, thereby giving a mount for the bank angle sensor and seat lock. As part of that thought process, I plan to create a method of holding the seat release cable in place up near the latch. My SIL and I worked for nearly two hours trying to unlatch the seat, only to find the cable sheath had come loose from the upper holder, preventing the cable from actually pulling on the latch. Before reassembling the latching system, I'm going to attach a second hidden cable to the latch so in case this ever happens again, I'll be able to pull on something directly attached without benefit of using a key. So far I've wasted over two days on just those two issues....cable release on a stuck seat and removal of the alternator. It's difficult to understand Honda's thinking on this. Since I'll be pulling the carbs and upper engine hangers, I might end up waiting on those projects and simply loosen the motor enough to swing it outward a tad. In the past I've spent less time R&R the motor than I have on these two issues mentioned and that's ridiculous engineering at its best.

[The emperor has no clothes]

I know it doesn't seem like it, but it will come out. It has to be just the right angle and twist. Going in is even worse.

[Chrisj CMA]

John. Take a break cool off and try again. First get it back in it’s installed position. Then ease it back and down towards the center of the swing arm. Then rotate the front of the alternator outward. It will go but you have to be patient

[gordonv]

In this post, I mentioned a few tricks I found on putting it back in.

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,107156.0.html

I don't recall having an issue taking it out, but the same should apply, move the wires/hoses out of the way.

Like Jeff mentioned, the end of the alt goes in towards the bike, not out.

[John Schmidt]

I gave up a couple hrs. ago, came inside and took a shower then put on the jammies. Will fix a burn & serve meal cuz I'm too lazy to cook tonight, afterward will be some kind of cherry treat my daughter fixed and have it with a cup of tea...or maybe coffee with some Baileys. We have one more warm day so hopefully I can get the fool thing out and back in tomorrow. Once the temps drop it's too cold to work with handling metal and doing it in a garage with temps in the 30's. When it gets to that point, the bike & trike will sit until Spring.

[Bighead]

Seems impossible some times but it willcome out and once you figure the right combo out.  You will say Damn that was easy. 
Also get you a propane heater safe to use in garage. 

[oldsmokey]

When it finally gives and you say holy crap.... stop right there and pay attention.

Because as mentioned, going back can be worse.  It is a puzzle.. but it does fit,,, don't know how but it does.
 

[John Schmidt]

Seems impossible some times but it willcome out and once you figure the right combo out.  You will say Damn that was easy. 
Also get you a propane heater safe to use in garage. 

Can't use one living in an apartment complex...state law I'm told. I'll come up with something until I either move back south or buy my own place up here....Heaven forbid but possible.

[Bagger John - #3785]

Hey John and guys.  Has anyone looked at user information to estimate how long a Valkyrie alternator might last?  Most of what I read is from Goldwing 1500 and it appears 60-85K miles is what they are getting.  That information does not tell us if putting a constant load of accessories affects alternator life much, if at all.  That would require some experiments.

As I recall, service manual say to inspect the brushes around 44K. I inspected my first Tourer's alternator at ~36K and found the brushes probably had another 20-30K service life left so your figure appears reasonable.

Running lots of accessories is going to reduce life by increasing brush wear. The other gotcha with these alternators seems to be with the field windings breaking at a stressed spot, and I think that years - rather than miles - might factor into this.

[John Schmidt]

The trike, built on an I/S, has 68k on it. That's the main reason I'm swapping out the alternator, plus the prior owner did nothing to the bike re. maintenance and kept no records. What I've uncovered while working on the trike tells me I need to cover all the bases before next riding season. As a result, I'm changing out the alternator, replacing the belts(adding a 4 deg. t/w), will replace a leaking shift lever seal that shows signs of seepage, coolant, oil/filter, and while the front wheel is off I might replace the t'stat. Easier to get at the front of the bike without the wheel in the way. Obviously flushing all the hydraulics is included as well. I hope this helps shorten the winter somewhat, get it down from 10 mo. of winter and 2 months poor sledding to maybe 8 mo. of winter, 2 mo. of poor sledding and 2 months of good riding. I know, an exaggeration....never get down to only 8 mo. of winter. 

[MarkT]

Hey John and guys.  Has anyone looked at user information to estimate how long a Valkyrie alternator might last?  Most of what I read is from Goldwing 1500 and it appears 60-85K miles is what they are getting.  That information does not tell us if putting a constant load of accessories affects alternator life much, if at all.  That would require some experiments.

As I recall, service manual say to inspect the brushes around 44K. I inspected my first Tourer's alternator at ~36K and found the brushes probably had another 20-30K service life left so your figure appears reasonable.

Running lots of accessories is going to reduce life by increasing brush wear. The other gotcha with these alternators seems to be with the field windings breaking at a stressed spot, and I think that years - rather than miles - might factor into this.

I lost my alternator on the return ride from Roanoke to Colorado on my 97 tourer.  Mileage 50902.  I knew it was failing as I got a couple hundred miles from home, from the Escort/Passport I have set to report volts.  It was down to 11v.  I shut off the lights & stereo and limped home w/o a breakdown.  I had a apare alternator with me but of course if I can avoid a roadside repair that's good.  After the return I chabnged all the lights to LED's.  Before I had halogen 130/90 main headlight and 60/55w spots (actually they are H4 headlights).  Now with 5 forward LED white lights plus the markers total load from all is less than just the high beam halogen was.  I also have heated clothing and a powerful stereo but it's digital (so is the heat controller) so load is less with lower volume or heat demand.  No air compressor on Jade other than the horn; unlike Deerslayer which has a powerful compressor for the air shocks and fire truck horn.  Deerslayer also has a 1.3kW Compufire alternator and huge battery.

Reports I've seen plus my limited failure experience, 50k miles between failures or maintenance can be expected.  I always bring a spare on road trips and also have brushes with me.

[John Schmidt]

OK....success in removing the alternator but only after discovering the cause of my removal issue. I again worked with it for nearly an hour but something was still preventing enough movement back and to the side. Finally jacked the front of the trike up so I could look underneath, that's when I discovered the culprit. The trike kit was installed at the Roadsmith factory, and when they removed the side stand and the associated switch they merely zip tied the switch and its cable up behind the various breather tubes and overflow tube. You couldn't see it from above, but once I cut the zip tie and moved all the tubes and that switch back out of the way....bingo, out it came. Didn't need much more room, only a fraction of an inch but without it....no go. Wish I knew who the dipstick was that did it, I'd buy a voodoo doll and stick a needle through its nether region. Now I need to see what the shop manual has for information re. how to position the new dampers. Oddly enough, the old ones weren't connected like the new ones are. Makes me wonder if that alternator had already been messed with and didn't bother to replace the dampers.

After I get the new alt. back in the next issue will be replacing the seat latch cable mechanism. I stopped at Ace hardware today with the old messed up cable in hand, bought enough cable to make my own....almost broke the bank at $1.50 for 2' of cable. Some time ago while working on the 1200 I built up, I created a tool to make the drum shaped lead plug that goes on the end. Now I plan to hit my SIL's shop and use his small propane torch to make a new cable with new lead on the ends. Once done, I can put all that area back together and move on to installing new belts.

[Earl43P]

My IS' alternator went 96,xxx miles.
I replaced the brushes, they were each worn fully 1/2 into the hole.
No symptoms, I was just doing preventive maintenance, had the brushes for a year (bought them for my 93, which I sold @ 118k still on its original alternator).

When I soldered the new brush pigtails, I added 1/4" more pigtail length than was on the ones I removed.

Meaning, the original brushes were at max extension - ready to fail - because the pigtail was short. There was a good 3/8" more brush material left (~10k more miles).

Took me an hour and 1/2 to open the case and replace the brushes, but you need a pretty high wattage soldering iron. I was pretty primed for the alternator removal/installation, but it was uneventful after following advice I read on here. I did goop some vaseline to hold the old dampers in place, and I did DeepCreep the mount bolts a few times well prior to removing them.

John, with your mechanical ability, I'm surprised you didn't go for the $12 brushes replacement option. I'd rate the whole alternator job that I did at about 3 on the 10 is hard scale (no lift, just jacked up slightly on the MarkT permanent belly bracket).


https://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-HONDA-1988-03-GL-1500-GL1500-Goldwing-Alternator-Brush-31101-MN5-005-/353128583694?hash=item52381a920e

[old2soon]

     Yeah that particular job can become a Royal P I A super quick. Much like when I wrenched on Navy aircraft when I got frustrated I just walked away fer a bit. Every danged time I R & Rd alt when it Finally decided to come out it practically fell out. Similar on reinstall-much fussin and fumin then all of a sudden-danged thing jusy about jumped in. So secondary factory mods screwed the pooch?  RIDE SAFE.

[John Schmidt]

Earl, there was a reason the removal was such a pain, read my remarks above. Going back in wasn't an easy task either and I still consider it one of Honda's major engineering blunders. I've been wrenching on bikes for many years and this one ranks high on the "pissed me off" meter. As for just replacing the brushes, yeah I get it. But in this case I had a rebuilt Wing unit, it was bad when a friend gave it to me and only cost me $110 for repairs. Figured if I have the old one out I might as well use the good one and have the old one checked/rebuilt for a spare. So now it's in, spritzed some alcohol on the rubber parts and o-ring and once lined up(finally) it slipped most of the way in without benefit of the bolts. Tomorrow I'll finish dressing the various tubes and cables so as to not have to fight them the next time someone else does this job for me. Then on to creating a seat latch cable so I can put that whole area to rest.

[MarkT]

A couple more comments inspired by the add'l comments:

I doubt on the decades-free riding.  Maybe for the next owner.  I won't last decades longer based on the rate of aging based decay now. Though I am getting at some level healthier with less weight and potentially less meds.

Positioning the dampers - I found "X" is a good idea.  With a "┼" the lower horizontal ones will drop.  Grease to help hold them is a good idea.  The oil will quickly remove it.

I stopped using a soldering gun most of the time.  I use a large soldering iron.  The thermal "ballast" of the large tip makes soldering go much better and faster esp.  when soldering larger things.  I always make sure the tip is clean with a wire wheel then plug it in 5 minutes before use so it doesn't get oxidized crap from the air on it.

Using alcohol as a rubber lube is a good idea.  No residue.  I also use wire pulling lube most of the time to make grommets or rubber hose insertions go easier w/o force or tearing.  It's a soap-based lube, consistency of hand lotion that won't hurt rubber and mostly disappears with time and is more slippery than alcohol.  eg, always when re-attaching the side covers, with the 2 grommets.  Always when reinserting fuel and other rubber hoses.

[John Schmidt]

Had a moment of panic this morning. After the alt. was back in place and I was finishing with all the tubes and wires nearby, I noticed two 14mm long spacers laying on the floor...about the same size as the barrels used in the alternator mounting. I checked and the ID was too small for the alt. bolts.....so where did they come from, then it hit me! They're the spacers used beind the engine hanger for the coils, after ckg. I realized they had fallen out when I removed those infernal chrome hanger covers and since it was some days ago, I didn't remember I had actually put my hand under there to catch them. Since it's raining cats 'n dogs I guess I'll go to the gym. It's a nice social gathering...might even work out a bit. 

PS: Anybody want these chrome engine hanger covers? They're yours for the cost of shipping. I'm not putting them on the old bike and I have chromed engine hangers anyway....moving them from the old bike to the trike.

[John Schmidt]

Hey Stu....just a figure of speech you know.  If you've never had the "privilege" of installing a set, or removing such items so as to work on the bike in that area, then it's hard to understand. I removed them from the trike since I have chrome engine hangers on the old bike and will swap them over. Be'ins as they are such a "joy" to install, they're not going on the old bike. I offered them to anyone asking and have already been spoken for, to which I'll probably send a sympathy card in the box as well. 

[JimC]

John,
PM sent on the chrome covers.
Jim

[luftkoph]

We used to have a good auto electrical rebuilder/ repair shop in town he would repair your starter or alternator while you waited, I asked him what was the usuall cause of failure, he felt it was poor connections either corrosion or loose causing the regulator/ rectifier to overheat and die.

I use castrol red rubber grease on rubber instead of petroleum products.