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How do you check a stator?

Posted: 06:36 pm Mar 06 2016
by bultaco4ever
I'm quite a novice at using an ohmmeter. What's an ohm anyways? I want to check my ignition components. How should I do it? I do own a Gardner Bender GMT 312 hand held 5 function multi meter. One setting says Ohm X1K on it.

Re: How do you check a stator?

Posted: 11:06 am Mar 07 2016
by david
Ohms is resistance. The higher the number, the more resistance is in the circuit being tested. Touch the meter leads together = 0.000, leads apart = infinite.

Can't help you on the test. You need the manual for that and I don't have one.

Re: How do you check a stator?

Posted: 11:43 am Mar 07 2016
by Julien D
That's going to be pretty hard to test with that analog meter, but it should give you some idea. You are looking for a value between 250 - 370. You want to test between the red/white and black wires.

Re: How do you check a stator?

Posted: 11:09 pm Mar 07 2016
by bultaco4ever
So, this multi meter has an indicator needle, an adjustment wheel, red and black test wire leads and a guage that reads infinity at one end and zero on the other end. My stator has a black, a yellow and red/white wire.

First, I touch the two test leads together and adjust the wheel to get the needle reading at zero. Then I touch one test lead to the black wire and one test lead to the red/white wire....the needle moves to 0.5....Midway between zero and 1.0 on the ohm scale.

What's that mean?

And why does my manual have a chart with 5 wires to test? Black white, black ground, redwhite, black ign coil, and black yellow?

Re: How do you check a stator?

Posted: 07:23 am Mar 08 2016
by Julien D
.5 on the x1k ohm setting should be about 500. I haven't got a service manual open, but the 5 wires will be dependent on what you want to test. Exciter coil, lighting coil, etc. The manual states which wires are for what.

How do you check a stator?

Posted: 09:21 am Mar 08 2016
by david
The small scale is why Julien was saying it was going to be difficult with that meter. A digital meter will tell you exactly what number you are looking at, not 'about' 500. If it were me, I would run down to the store and pick up a cheap digital meter. Lowe's, Home Depot, Walmart, all auto parts stores will have something.

What does the manual say your range limit is?

Re: How do you check a stator?

Posted: 11:11 am Mar 08 2016
by Julien D
For the stator coil the manual spec is 250-370 ohm.

Re: How do you check a stator?

Posted: 11:28 am Mar 08 2016
by Friedom
What year bike are we looking at? My E series manual range is higher than that, somewhere around 350-470 ohms. Mine tested right in at 380 or so, on a cheap analog meter that matches OPs description.

Fun Wheel Drive

How do you check a stator?

Posted: 11:41 am Mar 08 2016
by bultaco4ever
Thanks for the tips...I asked a professional auto mechanic to help me and we were getting erratic readings. I turned the stator over and found the ground wire screw on the back side very loose. I tightened that up and we are in the right range. Yay! Maybe now I can get this bike to kick start. I have a '93 E series.

Do you think that ground screw needs Loctite?

Re: How do you check a stator?

Posted: 12:18 pm Mar 08 2016
by Julien D
Blue loctite never hurts :)