Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

carlb wrote:
carlb. I revised some of the readings that I posted in my previous post.  I do get readings that seem to fluctuate not sure what that is about.

I think it's time for me to end this thread or at least stop posting new information.  I need to keep reminding myself that the Rectifier that I am using is off a Honda garden tractor.  It has it's own electrical system.
Lights,switches, relays, fuel pump, safety switches etc.
That rectifier is not the correct one called for by Honda for my engine and coil combination.  So expecting to see voltage number that are what I think they should be is kind foolish on my part. It's not the correct rectifier.
I'm getting at least 12+ volts at idle and full throttle out of the center terminal.  That should at least keep me from discharging the battery to a level below where it won't start the blower.  I would hope.  Running my light won't put much drain on the system.
Maybe I will be able to find the correct rectifier at a price I can justify buying.  Normally they are around $120.00 to $140.00.  I only paid $130.00 for the engine. I've got a lawn mower junk yard about 20 miles from me.
I will probably take a run by there and see what I can find.  Thanks for everyone's help, I've learned somethings.  Now I know enough to fill a shot glass, LOL. 
I'm still open to any and all comments that you knowledgeable posters may have.

Check the battery voltage with the engine off, it should be around 12.5 12.6 volts.  If you can maintain 12.5 volts with the engine running and the light on you will probably be ok.

carlb wrote:
Thanks, I will do that.

carlb wrote:
I checked the battery, it was reading 12.5V.  At idle and full throttle with the light on I was getting a steady reading of 11.9V.
I also disconnected both battery cables, and at both an idle and full throttle I got nothing out of the light.  Not even a faint dim glow.
Even the two small LED marker lights I have showed nothing.  And those draw hardly any power at all.  That seems odd to me.
Why would the coils not be putting out enough to at least light the LEDs??  I think I need to leave the battery disconnected and
start over. See what readings I get right off the rectifier terminals. Or right off the coil wires themselves.  But that's AC I believe.
And I'm not sure what readings to even look for, or to expect.
It was easier to figure out and repower the blower than it's been to figure out this electrical stuff.,,, LOL sort of. 
May I should just strap a car battery to it and throw a charger on it every once in a while.  This is making me crazy.

check the voltage coming out of the coil before the rectifier.  It should be AC but some of them are DC.  if you get an AC reading connect it to your rectifier and take a reading on the output side of the rectifier using the DC setting.   If your coil is actually putting out DC you do not need the rectifier because the light doesn't care AC or DC and the Battery needs DC.

Good luck

carlb wrote:
If it is AC coming out of the coil.  Any thoughts as to what kind of readings I may see on the meter?  Last time I tried reading the out put of the coils on the AC setting of the meter.
I was seeing numbers that were no where near 12.xxV.  If I remember correctly they were in the 0.0xx range and they were constantly changing (maybe I had the meter hooked up wrong)?  Should I be seeing something around 12V.  Thanks!

do you have a flukemeeter with an AC voltage reading setting?  12V sounds about right.

Reading the voltage directly from the coils and not through the rectifier, Set the meter to AC and take a reading.  If the reading is strange switch the meter to DC and take the reading.  If you are getting a reading in the 12.5 to 15 Volt range your charging coils are putting out DC and not AC and you don't need the rectifier.  You may see higher voltages than that with no battery hooked up,  Even at 15vdc and only 10 total amps available you will not hurt the battery if the voltage is a little high.

If you are getting DC voltage in that range you can hook up your coil directly up to the solenoid post and ground.  Make sure to connect the positive side of the output to the correct post on the solenoid, the ground can go to any ground point on the engine/frame.


Remember take these readings without the rectifier hooked up.

Good luck.

carlb wrote:
Well here is what I got.
 As I posted before there are actually four wires (two pairs) that come out from behind the shroud. Each pair are joined together to give you one wire with a connector on the end.  See photo in Reply #18.  (I never have really understood the two wires to one wire, unless there are four coils.  Maybe I should call Honda and see if they could give me an explanation).

Black probe to grnd. Red probe inserted into the wire connector
Engine @ idle reading from left wire - meter set to VAC    3.6V to 3.9V
Engine @ idle reading from right wire - meter set to VAC    1.6V to 1.7V

Engine @ full throttle reading from left wire - 12.5V steady
Engine @ full throttle reading from right wire - 5.3V steady

With meter set to VDC  Left wire 0.01V  Right wire 0.01V

If I had to take an uneducated guess I would say that I may have a coil that's not right.  5.3V compared to 12.5V. But what do I know.
Maybe in all my switching wires around in the beginning trying to figure out the rectifier hook ups I burned up one of the coils.  I know there is a chance that I at one time
I had the ground terminal on the rectifier swapped with one of the + output terminals on the rectifier. I had the first terminal and third terminal hooked up backwards.
I think.  If I did would, or could that have burned out or damaged one or more of the coils?  If so, I guess that could explain the wide difference in readings between
the two coil wires

Well from your readings it is putting out AC and not DC.  What reading do you get when you set the meter to AC and probe both wires at the same time.  If it is actually AC output you dont want to ground either of those wires.  You would only ground the negative wire after it was rectified to DC.

At this point I would take the shroud off and see exactly where the wires are coming from and how many coils you have.