BOSCH METAL CAN MECHANICAL VOLTAGE REGULATOR: CLEANING AND ADJUSTING
boschmechreg.htm-21
The first part of this article covers the basics for this unit, as used on the Airheads. I have an addendum at the end of this article, that is specific to the /2 (6 volt) system. I suggest you DO read that section, as it has a slightly different way of explaining the servicing (included in this article).
Introduction:
The Bosch voltage regulators, both mechanical and electronic, in the
metal cans, were the best. There is nothing wrong with the mechanical type
for early bikes. In an emergency an old mechanical one might do OK in any
airhead model. NOTE that the electronic ignition could miss-fire with a
mechanical regulator. The mechanical
regulators DO wear, mostly from their constant points arcing.
Electronic regulators will substitute for the mechanical regulator on any
airhead model. Besides the Bosch and Wehrle electronic regulators that BMW
furnished, there are aftermarket regulators available, and numerous car
types could be substituted.
The FIRST part of the rest of this posting applies ONLY to the Bosch mechanical voltage regulator, as used from about 1970-1980.
There is a similar outward appearing unit, the Bosch ELECTRONIC voltage
regulator, in a somewhat shorter metal can; this article does NOT
specifically apply to that regulator. The very
specific information on servicing and adjusting in this posting does
applies ONLY to the Bosch mechanical regulator.
The ADDENDUM covers the earlier regulators
(as on the /2, etc.)
STANDARD SYSTEM TEST:
This test is best done with a battery already fully charged, but can be done with a less than full charged battery.
Press the plug connector at the little tab that releases the plug from the regulator, and thus UNplug the regulator. In the PLUG, jumper D+ to Df, you should probably make up a very short, perhaps 4 inch long cable with male spade connectors for this, and keep them in your on-bike tool tray, in case the regulator ever failed. There is no problem determining which terminal is which. The ones across from each other are D+ and Df. Do NOT jumper the brown wire.
Start the engine, monitoring the voltage at the
battery.
Slowly increase the rpm. From about 1500 rpm, the alternator
should begin to have some output. That output increases with rpm increase, and
continues to increase until the alternator system furnishes power to the system, and begins battery charging,
increasing to the alternator limits, assuming enough rpm. Since there is no
regulating action in the circuit at this time, the alternator will try to
charge the battery fully, and then try to grossly overcharge the
battery, so do not let the motor run at high rpm for
more than a
couple or three minutes....there is really no need to.
***Read this ENTIRE posting before proceeding further. If you do
not feel competent, do not play with the regulator.
Servicing:
1. REMOVE the regulator from the motorcycle. Remove the
tape surrounding the can-to-base. Remove the top metal can cover, by prying gently, all around. Position the regulator such
that you are looking at a longer side, and the mounting tab is AWAY from you, but at the bottom. That is, the
two mounting holes are towards you.
You will see a paper wrapped, hundreds of turns coil, it has an
iron core, with a bendable little tab attached at the top. This is really a solenoid, which, when energized enough, pulls
downward the metal clapper. The clapper, that movable metal part that is above the solenoid,
extends downward on the right side and also has a pair of contacts spot welded to
it, one on each side. In other words, the clapper is L shaped. Sort of.
On each side of those paired contacts, is a mating contact, these
mount, via brackets, into the base of the VR. To the left of the
coil is a round item, about 5/16" in diameter, nearly an inch
long, probably painted reddish brown, with a wire out each end. This device is a wire wound "choke". It is a special coil of
wire, whose main purpose is to reduce some of the electrical arcing at the
contacts.
On the underside of the base, is likely a small metal plate,
protecting and hiding a couple of resistors. Leave this area alone.
****Saying all this slightly differently: At the TOP of the solenoid, as part of the iron core, there is a tab, that goes to the LEFT.
It is THAT tab that is the VOLTAGE adjustment for the regulator. That
small tab is bendable up and down...and only a SLIGHT change will make a LARGE voltage difference. That tab presses against a spring steel
blade that is riveted to the clapper. The steel blade extends even farther to the right, and is then riveted to a sturdy mounting.
****For most folks, simply a slight contacts cleanup and a voltage adjustment by this clapper tab, is all that is necessary.
It is the CLOSED side of the three points that is the 'produce electricity' operating side, but all three points should be clean and
shiny.
****NOTE: supposedly some of these mechanical regulators were built with a voltage adjuster, on the underside of the unit. It would
make adjustment easy...but, if irregularities are found,
servicing the contacts may be necessary, as well as adjusting the tab for the correct voltage.
In the REGULATING mode, the clapper contact(s) vibrates between the other two contacts. In one position...the position of at-rest,
engine off, un-energized condition, the left contacts are closed, and the alternator rotor gets its magnetizing energy
(at key-on) via the GEN lamp circuit, through those contacts. In the slight to more than
slight over-voltage condition, the RIGHT contacts close, reducing the rotor electrical input.
****Note: if the contacts are excessively worn, a new regulator is a good idea. I see no reason an electronic regulator could not
be substituted, except that then the motorcycle is not 'original'.
Most failures or other problems of the mechanical regulator are due to dirty or pitted points. These are cleanable with a thin piece
of
non-slick paper with a solvent. If well pitted, one should use some
sort of rather thin points files (I use 200 grit only if REALLY bad, then 300;
if no so bad I start with 300, and finish with 400). Do this
CAREFULLY, and SQUARELY, and not remove but the tiniest amount of metal. There are also thin bladed semi-flexible
contact burnishing tools at many electronics shops, which come in these grit grades.
Many points files are too thick to fit. One can use a narrow strip of fine grit
SANDpaper, holding a light pressure and pulling the
strip through gently. DON'T use emery or
other types of materials, they may be so hard as to embed themselves in the
metal, causing fast wear.
2. Adjustment of contact spacing is not a good idea.
It will upset regulation. However, if considerable metal was removed from the
points due to their badly pitted condition, or one has
bent things, adjustment may be necessary. The points (contacts) are spaced for
both mechanical AND mechanical/electrical reasons.
This mechanical voltage regulator is more complicated in operation than it appears. The spacing
between contacts, the alignment of the clapper, the temperature compensating metals....ETC.
3. Resetting the voltage is done by SLIGHTLY bending the SMALL metal tab at the end of the clapper.
At room temperature, the voltage should be about 14.0, and higher if colder, lower if warmer.
This means that if the engine is hot, and the voltage regulator is also quite warm from the heat rising from the motor, the voltage
should be more like 13.7. Be sure to replace cover properly and tape it against ingress of water, etc.
**NOTE: if your battery is not in good condition, you should NOT try to adjust the voltage regulator, as some battery faults
will mask any good adjustment attempts.
FULL PROCEDURE:
Most of you will never do the full procedure. However, I have
set it down below. Assuming one has cleaned up the contacts smoothly
and squarely, one can proceed as follows to do a FULL adjustment, rather than simply touching up the
voltage. IF YOU HAVE MESSED WITH THE CONTACT SPACING, YOU CAN
SIMPLY RESET THIS MECHANICALLY AS FOLLOWS, AND THEN BEND THE TAB FOR THE CORRECT VOLTAGE. IF THE VOLTAGE SEEMS
CORRECT ON THE MOTORCYCLE, YOU CAN PROBABLY LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE!
***The very anal lab-type adjustment is shown, for those so
inclined. Again...you probably will not have any need to try this full procedure, and simply adjusting the tab after cleaning the
points...or....resetting the distance measurements, and then
setting the voltage tab...is likely good enough:
1. The distance from the solenoid iron core (flat shiny metal) to the clapper, should be perfectly parallel, by critical look-see with your #1 eyeball, when the clapper, at the top, is depressed with your finger, GENTLY, to its mechanical stop. The adjustment is the RIGHT contact bracket, that rises from the regulator base.
2. Release the finger pressure. The air gap at the clapper contact-to-RIGHT contact, should be .012". The adjustment is the LEFT contact bracket, that rises from the regulator base.
3. With the regulator mounted to the motorcycle, plugged in, no jumper in the
plug obviously, and metal can still off:
Reset the voltage regulating point, as described, with the bendable clapper tab. Remember: a SMALL adjustment makes a big difference, and
the battery MUST be in good condition and FULLY charged, and the rpm raised enough,
long enough, to ensure the battery is reaching the full charge point after starting the engine....this will take only a minute or so with a
previously
fully charged battery.
4. If everything is working OK, reseal the can with fresh tape. Use the tape
rather strongly, so it stretches somewhat....and makes a decent watertight seal from the can to the base.
5. Most folks will NOT have the necessary test equipment to allow the more rigorous laboratory type testing
and adjusting of the regulator. You will need voltmeters, a variable output
power supply, resistors, etc.
...the procedure is as follows:
6. Connect a variable D.C. supply (one that does NOT have a lot of A.C. hum riding on the D.C. output...in other words, it is
filtered by a capacitor or otherwise), such that the positive (+) output connects to the regulator D+.
Connect the negative (-) to regulator D-.
7. Unsolder the choke from Df.
8. Connect a thousand ohm resistor...1/2 watt size or
larger, from that unsoldered choke wire, to an accurate voltmeter (+), and the voltmeter (-)
and the other end of that resistor, should be connected to D-.
9. Connect another of the same type of resistor from D+ to the
junction of the voltmeter and the choke wire.
10. Connect another accurate voltmeter across the power supply output.
You can use one voltmeter and switch its connections back and
forth, but it is better to have two voltmeters...both fairly accurate.
11. Increase the voltage slowly until the left contacts JUST
closes. That point is measurable by the choke voltage jumping suddenly to
a value under 1 volt. Note the supply voltage.
12. DEcrease the voltage until that same point JUST jumps to a
level above 12 volts. Again note the voltage at the power
supply.
13. For normal touring usage, the desired condition is such that:
a. The voltage to close the right contacts is 14.7
b. The voltage to close the left contacts is 13.8
14. Adjust the tension tab so that the average of these two voltages is 14.3, plus or minus 0.1 volt. The average here means to add
the two voltages, divide by 2.
15. Bend the adjustment bar a tiny amount and repeat the measurements
until results are correct.
****For those doing a lot of commuting with short cycles of stop
and go, it may help to reset things a bit higher. Note that with the
following settings and longer touring, you might use up battery
water faster. Those with sealed batteries may see less life on
your battery.
For commuting use:
Right contacts closure at 15.1; left at 14.3; the average value
to be 14.7
16. Resolder the choke, replace the cover, replace the tape.
Reinstall on the motorcycle.
17. Check the battery charging with a voltmeter, on a fully charged battery, using the engine at around 4000 or even 5000
rpm.
ADDENDUM
Earlier (mechanical) regulators, such as on the /2:
This is an edited version
of a posting I made to the Airheads LIST, on Friday September 11,
2009:
***NOTE that much of the information in the article above, for
the /5 and /6 mechanical regulators, is very similar for the
following 6 volt regulator.
The /2 was a nominal 6 volt system using a generator, not an alternator. The /2 regulators are mechanical, and like all mechanical regulators, they slowly age. If the performance of the regulator is marginal or poor, you can burnish and clean the contacts, and adjust IF required. I suggest burnishing and cleaning the reverse current contacts (the wire connection is larger is diameter than the voltage section) because when dirty they can reduce the output. Do not change the gap, simply draw the burnishing tool (300 grit is fine) straight through the contacts. You can use SANDpaper (not emery paper) of 360 grit. You do not want to use emery paper, as the hard particles might imbed into the softer contact material. You want to burnish the contacts (well, sand or file) them JUST barely enough to clean the contacts and have them appear relatively shiny and smooth. Do not 'round' them...you want a large contacting surface area. These reverse current section contacts are OPEN when the generator is not producing current; so these contacts will be OPEN on your workbench. There are only TWO contacts at this end set. The other contacts are a triple, and they are for the voltage regulating section.
For the contacts already open, put the burnishing tool or
sandpaper between the contacts, close the contacts with LIGHT
finger pressure, and draw the
tool/sandpaper/fine-thin-file..... smoothly and NOT at an angle,
through the contacts. Clean the contacts with a piece of paper
and drop of alcohol.
The /2 voltage regulator VOLTAGE regulating portion is a
vibrating contact arrangement, that usually needs little but a
bit of cleaning and burnishing and then
adjustment for the voltage setting. This is a triple
contact arrangement. The two contacts that you find CLOSED
are the ones needing the most careful attention...do NOT change
the gap!....do NOT excessively remove contact material. The
contact not being closed need only have a very light cleaning,
but should be shiny.
For the entire unit: Without proper loads and an adjustable
bench power supply and current and volt meters, adjustment should
be left to just adjusting the voltage...even though the entire
regulator has adjustments for contact gap, pressure, and pole
gap.
The adjustment for the voltage setting is the tension spring tang
that controls the pressure of the voltage regulating 'flapper'.
The voltage regulator contacts are normally, no power connected,
resting in the full-output position, which means those contacts
are CLOSED. The stronger the mechanical pressure those two
contacts have to each other, the higher the output voltage. The
adjustment is relatively critical, and only a very small
adjustment is likely going to be needed (if any). It is very
important that the contacts squarely contact each other, be
smooth and shiny, and CLEAN!!! Use a piece of paper and a drop
of alcohol for final cleaning of the contacts.
You need a fully charged (and known GOOD) battery with the fluid
level somewhat above the plates, to begin with. With the
regulator and battery normally connected, start the engine.
As you raise the RPM the reverse current contacts will close, and
after the rpm rises somewhat more, the generator should begin
charging the battery. I suggest the headlight be turned off for
this adjustment check, then turned on and the check repeated.
These two voltages should be within a tenth or two tenths of each
other....but you will have to raise the rpm some to overcome the
headlight drain.
The voltage you adjust for will depend somewhat on the battery
type. Assuming it is a common flooded motorcycle battery, I would
adjust for, at high rpm, about 7.2 or 7.3 volts. You need to
raise the rpm slowly, watch the BATTERY terminal voltage rise,
and it should not keep rising but stabilize at that 7.2 to 7.3
volts. The battery will be charged enough for
practical purposes if the voltage is above 7.0; but above 7.3
will tend to overcharge the battery. Some books, such as an
old Clymers might tell you that if the battery was disconnected,
the voltage will likely rise a few tenths to as much as 8.0
volts...or some such wording. I don't like that test, as the
generators can produce a fair amount of electrical noise, confuse
some types of voltmeters, have the regulator get confused
electrically...etc....and, in the real world, the charging
voltage is what you need to know, WITH a battery.
If you are anal about this, the final check on the regulating
voltage should be done with the regulator in its can/box, mounted
in the normal
position, and fully heated to the normal temperature it sees when
riding. So, with things in position and mounted properly,
go for a 10-20 mile ride,
and then check the battery voltage at high rpm.
Revisions:
01-07-2003: clarify steps 8 and 9 regarding resistor
connections
01-16-2003: formatting and minor wording
04-02-2003: Clarify Introduction and minor other clarifications.
09-11-2009: a small amount of clarifications plus add
Addendum