As the song says... "should I stay or should I go???" I WENT!!

[IndyRob]

Wanted to ask the group's collective wisdom/advice here...

I am getting ready to leave for an 7 day trip down to the Ozarks (about 2,500 miles total) on Tuesday. Last week my usually trusty 93 ST1100 (58K) left me stranded. After the tow home I checked and the charging system was not working. After testing the stator winding resistance values, all checked out within spec according to my Honda shop manual (Y-Y were all 0.8 ohm and W-Bl was 3.0 ohm, and all checks against ground were open). So I replaced the voltage regulator/rectifier to the tune of $280 for an OEM Honda one and all appears good now. Battery is getting 14.5 volts across the posts above idle and the bike appears to be running fine. After this incident I added a digital voltmeter gauge so I can at least monitor the charging voltage.

In the process of working on the VRR I discovered a small oil leak (5-6 drops each night) dripping from the back of the engine, which I think is probably the dreaded alternator seal leak (I still have the stock 28A unit in place).

My question is... is this leak usually a "minor annoyance" that I can live with until I get back and have time to do the 40A upgrade, or in people's experience does it generally mean the alternator is going to fail very soon (like, within the next 2K miles!) :-( If the stator fails, is it best to unplug the headlight and beeline to the nearest safe place to park the bike? I don't have any other accessories installed...

Any thoughts?

In advance, thank you.

 

[kiltman]

My experience when I noticed the oil leak on my 1990, the alternator went belly up soon after that.
If you were out on the road and this happened, you could acquire a car battery and charger and strap it to your bike. That will get you a number of hours riding time till you charge the battery.

 

[Oldbikefixr]

The leak at the wiring exit is usually a bad indication. Still have the stock 28 amp alternator in mine and no issues with it.

 

[Uncle Phil]

Go ride and enjoy the trip.
You can play what ifs til your toes turn up and never go anywhere.
If it croaks on the road, rent a UHaul truck and bring it back home (BTDTGTTS).

 

[IndyRob]

The leak at the wiring exit is usually a bad indication. Still have the stock 28 amp alternator in mine and no issues with it.

Just got under the bike and it looks like it's been leaking for a while.. pretty oily under there, but I do not think it's coming out of the wire exit. Appears to maybe be the seal from the stator to the engine in general... so maybe a rotted O-ring/seal. How many miles do you have on?

 

[Slydynbye]

Check the rear of the engine just below the Valve cover gasket. If it's wet with oil you probably have a leaking gasket on the Valve cover. That will leak down on things below it. If so you might be able to snug it slightly (DO NOT OVER TORQUE) but will probably need a new gasket and or new grommets on the valve cover to get it sealed properly.

 

[IndyRob]

Pulled the left side panel off and don't see any oil leaking from the valve cover.

....that would have actually been good to find, in my case!

 

[kiltman]

Pulled the left side panel off and don't see any oil leaking from the valve cover.

....that would have actually been good to find, in my case!

Check the right side valve cover too. The oil may leak from the front of the valve cover along the seam/joint to the back of the engine.
Your voltage across the battery seems low to me for a 28 amp unit. It should be around 14.9 - 15.1
The other thing many of us had done is remove the red connector for the three yellow wires that come out of the alternator and then go to the voltage regulator/rectifier. Join each corresponding yellow wire either by soldering and covering with shrink tube insulation or crimping a butt connector.

 

[Oldbikefixr]

Just got under the bike and it looks like it's been leaking for a while.. pretty oily under there, but I do not think it's coming out of the wire exit. Appears to maybe be the seal from the stator to the engine in general... so maybe a rotted O-ring/seal. How many miles do you have on?

Mine had been 20 years garage stored when I bought it. It's only approaching 23,000 miles now. Her problems were hardened hoses of all sorts and fuel system. No engine problems at all except for the valve cover seals. At some point the covers had been removed and the back side of one seal was not properly seated....small drip down the back side of the engine.
There's a sensor on the backside center of the engine and well hidden by the fuel tank, just above the gearbox, pulse sensor, I think it is. The gasket can leak which would find its way onto the general starter area also.
Would probably be a good idea to take the side covers off and do a proper leak hunt and clean up.

 

[afrymoyer]

Nothing will ever happen to you, if you don't do anything. GO RIDE!

I got 85,000 miles out of my '93 28A after doing all the wiring and ground mod's. Start looking for parts now and do the alt. conversion over the winter months.
It's not "IF" the alternator fails. It's "when"...

 

[IndyRob]

Check the right side valve cover too. The oil may leak from the front of the valve cover along the seam/joint to the back of the engine.
Your voltage across the battery seems low to me for a 28 amp unit. It should be around 14.9 - 15.1
The other thing many of us had done is remove the red connector for the three yellow wires that come out of the alternator and then go to the voltage regulator/rectifier. Join each corresponding yellow wire either by soldering and covering with shrink tube insulation or crimping a butt connector.

Pulled both side covers and all is high and dry at the valve covers and on the upper back side of the engine. However I did see evidence of what may be a very minor oil leak at the filter, which could be blowing back onto the rear of the engine when I ride. Since I am all packed up for the trip I'm not going to tear off all the tupperware again. Also, all of the connections ("red connector", VRR 5pin etc) on the bike are spotless with zero signs of overheating or corrosion (she has always been garage kept) so I hope the stator is still fine.

As others have said here, if I want to be sure to not have any troubles then I won't leave the home. NOT!

.... will report back next week upon my return. Thanks everyone for the feedback and advice!

 

[Pop-Pop]

Go ride and enjoy the trip.
You can play what ifs til your toes turn up and never go anywhere.
If it croaks on the road, rent a UHaul truck and bring it back home (BTDTGTTS).

Says the man that walks the walk!

 

[John OoSTerhuis]

GO RIDE*

There have been a couple of reported failures of the alt shaft assy to engine case o-ring over the years. Keep an eye on the oil loss, a complete blowout of that seal would dump oil on the brake caliper and rear tire, a serious safety issue. It’s happened. An oil ‘seep’ at the stator to alt shaft assy connection would be less problematic.

John
* Official Motto of the global ST1100/1300 Owners Club

 

[IndyRob]

GO RIDE*

There have been a couple of reported failures of the alt shaft assy to engine case o-ring over the years. Keep an eye on the oil loss, a complete blowout of that seal would dump oil on the brake caliper and rear tire, a serious safety issue. It’s happened. An oil ‘seep’ at the stator to alt shaft assy connection would be less problematic.

John
* Official Motto of the global ST1100/1300 Owners Club

Oh sure John, like I didn’t already have enough to worry about this week….

 

[IndyRob]

Oh sure John, like I didn’t already have enough to worry about this week….

Seriously, I sure do appreciate all of the info. I'll request the upgrade loaner kit, get the parts on order tonight, and hope for an uneventful but fun trip to Arkansas tomorrow. Looks like some GREAT riding down there! Looking forward to it!

 

[IndyRob]

Just got back from my trip down to the Ozarks. What wonderful twisty roads they have there! It was my first visit to Arkansas on a motorcycle. My coworker and I used the excellent "Motorcycle Riding in Arkansas" travel guide published by the state's Dept of Tourism. We rode 10 of the 26 rides with a few route modifications to see things of interest. Except for a nasty cold front accompanied by wind, hail and sideways rain on our departure from Cape Girardeau Wednesday morning the weather was great!

Fortunately the ST performed flawlessly, that is right up until the flat rear tire 10 miles from home on I-465 (never fun in 3 lanes of traffic moving 75mph!). I had never had a flat on any bike - ever, over 40 years of riding (guess I am lucky), so that was an "interesting experience". Found a small hole right dead center of the tire. Fortunately the wife was home and rescued me with bike pump in hand. After a quick trip to WallyWord for a plug kit I was back on the road and made it home last evening. I hawked that little voltmeter I had installed in the left pocket panel most of the week but it showed a steady 14.2V at speed and never any issues starting etc... and the oil leak I was worried about never appeared. As far as I can tell I did not lose a drop.

Parts on order for the alternator upgrade...
Cheers all!

 

[wingdoc5]

Sounds like you had a great trip!!