What Wires are these?

[XJ Rob]

I was doing some work on my bike tonight and noticed a connector that looks like it's starting to melt. After wrestling with it, trying to get it apart I found that in fact it is melted. Can someone tell me what wires these are, and what do I need to do to so this doesn't happen again. I know I'll have to repair the wires with new connectors. But what could have caused it in the first place? This is an XJ






Thanks

[bikerphil]

Those are the alternator wires, a known problem area on these bikes. I cut both plugs off mine and crimped on new heavy duty insulated male/female connectors and applied di-electric grease. Clean and grease the connectors at the voltage regulator too. The cause would be resistance, due to corrosion.

[trbig]

That plug/wires is going to the regulator/rectifier. (3 inch square thing with cooling fins connected to the frame under the tank) Look for a member on here called Geezer. He has the right plug ends you'll need, new pins, and the proper crimping tool you'll need really reasonably. (Probably less than $20??) With the proper crimp on those wires, a new plug, and some dielectric grease, your problem will be solved. That melting is from poor plug connection and arcing.(Probably from corrosion like Phil said) If that is where the plug innitially sat that you have in the pic... run it under that rubber strap and frame. Right now, the tank will be sitting on it.


Tod

PS... Just noticed the wire splice to those 3 white wires on the left side of the plug. ?????

[XJ Rob]

If that is where the plug innitially sat that you have in the pic... run it under that rubber strap and frame. Right now, the tank will be sitting on it.



PS... Just noticed the wire splice to those 3 white wires on the left side of the plug. ?????

Tod,
The wires were under the frame. I just pulled them out for the pic and to repair them. I did some cleaning of "Some" wires last year when I noticed I was charging over 15.5 volts. That plug was really hard to get to so I didn't really mess with it. I was able to get the charging volts down to 14.5 which is still a bit high. (I think).


I'm not sure what you meant in your "P.S. The pic shows a brown wire that "Looks" like it is spiced in but it is not. I followed the wires into a black casing down to the bottom of the motor. Is that what you you are referring to?

Thanks for the info on Geezer. I'll send him a PM.

[trbig]

Sorry.. No, you are correct. In that pic, the black insulation (Casing) looked like an electrical tape splice. Sorry.

Tod