Hi guys, after all the advises i gave you about ditching that f... connector and not doing it for myself ..... it finally happened to me :oops:

I just got back from a 2200 miles round trip from nova scotia, the day before comeback i noticed that i had no headlights and then it hits me !!! why me !!!!! I had checked the connector before leaving home and it was dry and perfect so i taught no need to fix it right now.

I know a 100% sure that it is not an oil problem, the wires and the connector where dry, it's just a shitty connector problem.

I am making this post to help some of you to fix the stator and the headlights trouble for a ridiculous price.

This is the kind of tools you will need:



First the stator:

1- get some good crimping lugs insulated or not for 16-14 awg (if they are insulated just rip the insulation off)



2- don't forget to put the heat shrink on the wires and then crimp and solder the connexion like the next picture.



3- Shrink the shrink and it should look like that.



Tie everything with Zip ties and you get a clean solid job like the next pic.



Now for the headlights let me explain what happens. You will see that on one of the wires coming from the stator that there is a fourth wire crimped on it. That wire goes to the junction box located under the fake gas tank and triggers a small relay in the j-box that triggers a bigger relay behind the speedo that turns your headlights on.

So when the connector burns, voltage seems to go higher on the stator and blows that small relay.

The next pictures show you the J-box and the relay you need to replace, you will need to remove all the fuses to open the j-box.




I bought a relay at my local electronics store for a ridiculus price, you can see the part number clearely on the next picture, it is the relay on the left.



So the complete fix was made for about 10$ and 2 hours of easy labor. (not counting the 120$ of the motel because i could not get home before dark )

If some of you have things to had to this fix please do so, this post should be made as a sticky so that EVERYBODY that have an 00-02 12r should do the stator fix before 30000 kms.

Thanks !

Good on you d00d!

Easy, you ought to put this one on your Maintenance page. I'm especially impressed with the jbox fix. Woulda saved me 114 bucks.

Thanks man, My Bike is not going out again untill I remove that connector. I had the recall done and I checked the connector yesterday and it was full of oil. Your instructions and pics are easy to follow that anybody should be able to fix their own bike.

As a matter of fact I think I have everything already to do this mod above. It sure would be a bummer to have that connector fry at the wrong time.

Good post :)

Hi bud, Very impressed with the effort you put in to help out " THE BACKYARD MECHANICS AMONGST US." Thankyou.

excellent info, thank you.

Great work detailing the job. I had my dealer do the same fix for me after reading it on this board years ago. But there weren't any pictures and no one new about the relay being able to be fixed. The dealer always replaced the fuse box which was pricey if not under warranty.

After getting mine done that way I constantly check for oil in the connector for sometime. Then I just stopped. It's been several years and the connector is still good.

Im telling you guys...those of us who still have the connector, take off your stator cover and high-temp silicone the wires coming out of the stator! A friend turned me onto this and his father has been rebuilding ZX12's for a while now on top of racing them. Its an easy fix...Im not guaranteeing anything, but this will def. help!! I have 34,000 on mine and still have the connector. Get some electric parts cleaner to clean out the connector from time to time if oil is still present, but it should stop most of the oil in there. Where else do you think the oil comes from? Its probably worse on those of you who wheelie all the time! Try it out even if you have used crimped connections.

Hey man, i swear to you i had absolutely not a drop of oil in my connector, it's just a shitty design, just not the right kind of connector. Of course the oil doesn't help but i don' think now it is the main reason for it to fail, 2200 miles before it was perfect, clean and not a sign of overheating, 2200 miles later i get stuck in northern New Hampshire, 2 hours from my home but no f... lights in front of my bike :x

My bike is now at about 33000 kms, it looks like the connector is no good for more. I guess it's worse in long days of driving when the connector doesn't have time to cool down, somebody that only go short trips may go longer with that stupid connector. When your connections will be crimped and soldered then you don't give a shit about the oil, it will no longer affect the connections.

Thanks all for your replies, i am very happy that this may help some of you guys, this will make your bike more reliable and make you save money, that is one thing for sure !

Good luck !

absolutely nothing to do with wheelies, just a flawed design.

Kudos to Zixxer.

Word! I rarely pull wheelies (intentionally) and my stator wires had so much oil running through the connector that it was dripping down onto my swingarm!

I take it that would be Mr Simon Chitty of Kawasaki Motors UK Customer Services?

or do you mean its a shitty connector?? :twisted:

Inside the Junction box, does the new relay just plug into the circuit board or do you have to sauder it in?

The relay is soldered in place, the best way to remove it is with a desoldering pump like these for example: http://www.designnotes.com/Merchant2...egory_Code=dep
Putting the new one back in will be much easier if you remove it that way.

Hey guys,
Found a source in SoCal for the relays. I ordered a few and once they show up and I am sure they are correct,I will turn you guys onto the guy.
Price is $2.01USD-WOOHOO!

I will link this on the site the next time I do an update.

I think I will do the same to my 12.

i went out and picked up lugs...

mine has no oil, but upon further inspection.. it looks burnt {has not failed} i cannot pull the connector apart...

will get solder iron from work and try and knock it out thursday!


all those {3} yellow wires - it does not make a difference which with which correct?

Those wires are 3 phases AC voltage, no difference in wich order you solder them together.

Thanks for making this thread a sticky, i am sure it will help many of us save time and money.
:wink:

:D Ok,
Relays showed up today. Place is based in los Angeles and showed up in less than 24 hours! Place is www.onlinecomponents.com . Was helped by a real nice guy named Ike. Relay replaced,lights back up-WOOHOO!
Also did the stator connector,and good thing too as the terminal that has the headlight trigger wire on it was fried and I couldn't get my connector apart either. At least I now know what blew the relay!
Oh,by the way,the relay cost $2.10USD!
I figure that if I had taken it to the dealer I would have been looking at a $400.00 bill. Probably wouldn't have fixed it either ,'cause when I hit up the head mechanic at the local dealer about my problem,he said to check the handlebar switch!

Heres www.onlinecomponents.com 's part# for the relay;GA-1C-12D. His manufacturer is MEC. There is a very minute difference in the external dimension of the relay body,but it doesn't interfere with the J-box cover and the pin-outs are exactly where they should be.
I am surprised that Kawi uses these particular relays. While searching the Net for these things,I got to read several application guides and (in my opinion)these things aren't suited to an automotive environment. Almost every app I saw was as a control device in some kind of stationary equipment such as railroad signalling,electric motor control and elevators.
But then again,Kawi did put a 100hp clutch in a 170hp motorcycle

Thanks RM

After removing my headlights for Bonneville I noticed that when I came back home and plugged in my headlights they didn't work! I have a hunch that running high RPM w/out the headlights plugged in may have caused this problem (the stator issue).

So besides the relay, which is a 12V 10A relay that should be able to get from most electronics stores, I would need a de-soldering iron and a soldering iron? I already have a soldering iron....just want to make sure I'm doing this right as it looks easy but I HATE electrical work!

A.

Try this simple test to be sure it is that small relay, turn ignition on, take a piece of wire and jump the red with a white stripe wire with the blue with a yellow stripe wire on the j-box (under the ashtray), your head lights should come on, if they do remove the jumper, if they turn back off then the small relay in the j-box is cooked, if they don't turn on at all then something is wrong somewhere else (fuses, connectors, relays).

Good luck !

To clarify:

Should we remove the modular connector and just jump those two wires out or ??

How are we getting 3 phase AC voltage on a DC system?

No leave the j-box connected. Just remove the fake gas tank for a better acces to the j-box.

The 3 phases ac voltage comes from the alternator (also called stator) located on the left side of the engine at the end of the crankshaft. That 3 phases ac voltage is rectified with the rectifier module located just beside the stator connector behind the driver seat. Once rectified you get your dc voltage wich will charge your battery.
Hope this clears some of your questions.

Bingo! That is the problem!

Is that relay to insure that the lights only operate when the bike is running? Is it OK to jump that out until we track down another relay?

Thanks for the info man, saved some $$!

You da man Shane! I owe you for that.....any time you need a nitrous bottle you can always borrow mine...hell I have a couple gauges now too...haha

A.

Hey my pleasure bud ! I looked at the drawings carefuly and i see no problem to leave the jumper there, the only thing is that the main headlights relay coil won't be fused, if you do this for a short therm temporary repair then it's ok, if you do it for long therm then you should put an inline fuse on your jumper wire.
That relay is for the lights to not operate when you turn ignition on until the bike is started, the ligths will remain on until you turn ignition off once the bike has started. :wink:

zixxer, tank you mang. You just ensured that I'd be able to not only run my bike @ the strip next weekend BUT ensured some SERIOUS ASS WHOOPING shane is gonna get TO AND FROM the strip....

....camera will be rolling :twisted:

A.

I just removed my connector (with some help). The thing was full of oil, but came apart just fine. Got zapped with a dremel, wires soldered, wrapped and tucked away.

Thanks for all the info and pics gents!!!
:D

Ok, I'm a new 12 owner so bafre with me. Where and how do I get to the connector so I can do this fix? :oops:

Under rear tail piece.

Yeah,what he said,right side on 02 models and and mounted in a foam holder on the side of the rear subframe. You can see it between the subfame and the tail if you take the seat off.

Uh,BRAIN FART,LEFT SIDE :oops:

So I need to take front and rear seats off, then it should be visible?

You can take the front seat off and it will be visible. Easiest way to deal with the situation is to remove both seats and the tail section. Then everything you need to get at is right out in the open.

Ok, thanks alot 8)

Is the tail section pretty simple/self explanatory to get off?

Mine is,but I have an undertail. Just take your time,it ain't rocket science
I do suggest that if you are going to do your own work that you search eBay of go to the dealer and drop the $$$ for a factory service manual.
Its pricey,but in the end it has the answers you need and can save you alot of grief.
I have a FACTORY manual for EVERY vehicle I own. Beats paying $85.00 an hour to some fresh outta school tech at the dealer!

You don't have to take the tail section off (I didn't), but everything will be plain-sight if you do. Once you take the seats off, you should see two connectors stuck in a foam 'holder'. I believe it's the smaller one, with 3 wires coming in and 3 going out.

Label the wires with tape or something that won't come off when in contact with oil, this way you'll know which wires to solder together.

good luck!

Thanks 8)

Yep,3 YELLOW wires. Connector is round and one of the wires will have a white with red stripe wire coming off of it. shane661 has stated earlier in this thread that all the wires in this connection are 3 phase AC and that how they end up connected doesn't matter. I am unfamiliar with the physics of 3 phase AC,so I can neither disprove or endorse this statement.
When I did mine,I hooked everything up the way the factory did. Do what you feel is best.
Inside the socket,there are 3 blades and sockets. 2 are side by side and arranged in the same direction,one is positioned 90 degrees to that.
In my situation,that single blade and socket were welded together. Coincidently,that is the same wire that the white and red striped wire is connected to. This wire is the trigger wire for the seconday headlight relay that likes to go up in smoke.
Have fun!

after looking at said pic... on left side or upper part of connector there seems to be a 4th black wire not just the three yellows...

Voz,
The black wire you see is on the wiring for the other connector. The wires you see with the white shrink wrap used to be in the connector that gives the problem and the pic you show is after the repair is completed. The connector that is being removed looks just like the one in your pic.
Hope that removes any confusion.

i have done it..started bike.. no fi light everything seems normal...

Will be looking at doing this over the winter, so please keep this thread here 8)

Those wires will keep frying. The insulation will continue to burn off. Better keep an eye on it.

I finally gave up. I just put those silly wire nuts on. When they melt, I put new ones on.

How you guys been, I haven't posted in a while.

I bought a couple of gixxer 1000's. One for the street and one for the track.

Brings back memories of frustration. I must have taken the stator off twice trying to fix it. (silicon sealer...etc.) Finally i got another stator, installed it and now things are fine. But reading this i am really disappointed of why i didnt just think of just crimping and soldering the 3 wires. I replaced the stator last summer now i will check my connector on the new stator up by the seat for oil and will seriously consider doing the solder method. Thank god i didnt have any headlight problems like the others. Thanks alot for this topic guys..thanks a mil.

OH yeah? the Jbox repair....this is only for the guys who had headlight probs right?

Yep

i was wondering if the crimp and solder repair was made down closer to the stator case would one still be able to use the sorry ass connectors and not have any probs...just wondering ....if so i will take my old stator and prepair it just in case i have probs with this replacement one i put on.

I'm going through the same thing with the stator wires still frying on me ..even after making the connector repair. I'm really unsure what to do next as everytime I replace the burnt wires, terminals, and shrinktube everything just heats up and melts on me again. I'm not having any residual effects w/ my lights however, I get a pretty bad power surge (from the engine) while riding.Feels like I lose 10-15 hp for a few seconds and then it'll surge ahead full steam for a few seconds. I imagine I'm getting quite a draw on the electrical circuit from all the heat generated in these wires.

Anyone have suggestions on what I should do next? Replace the stator and wiring ($311)?

Hi Venumb, If your wires are still frying after the repair maybe you should have the rectifier checked, i am pretty sure that you will find a short diode. A good multimeter with diode check mode will do the trick.

Just to be sure, do you do the repair as describe here ? You must clean the wires before crimping them and after, solder the connections, if you put soldering paste on the whole thing before soldering it will be even better. these steps will give you less resistivity so less heat at the connections. If your wires are still frying at this precise spot, something tells me you may not do the job right...

Good luck.

I'm going to run the full battery of tests listed in the service manual for the charging system..focusing more on the regulator/rectifier end of things. I may need to clean things up a bit as you mentioned as well as give the soldering paste a shot. Thanks for the tips! 8)

I'm glad this thread is still here. Haven't had any issues with my 2000 yet but want to do the "fix" before it does start happening.

Venumb
Replace the regulator as well. Notice where the wires end? Into the regulator. I put on a new stator, made one to one splices down from the connector towards the stator (this stops the capilary action), and replaced the regulator. Problem solved. One of the things I do for a living is wiring and am familiar with capillary action in wiring. I explained the problem and the fix in other threads several times. I even believe the situation is worse if you run synthetic oil.

that is what i was saying especially about stopping the capillary action from having a chance to wet the left foot-peg and rear tire if it were to start that wicking again.

Yeah..I already have my wires seperated and I do run synthetic. Haven't had much time to mess with the 12 lately but have been reading over all your suggestions and plan on putting them to into action soon. Thanks again!

my stator is done ,plug is burn up . waiting for a new one bike is a 01 17500 mil. what a bummer.

So I had my bike apart giving it a good cleaning...Low and behold there was oil all over that plug and my rear tail section...I took it apart and cleaned it up with some elertical connection cleaner and put it back together..I just got the bike bout a month and half ago...Its an 01 with 2400 miles...I havent had any problems with it burning the connections or any of that stuff so what do i do to solve the oil issue just ditch the plug and solder the three wires? How the heck does the oil make it all the way up there in the first place...Sorry for sounding like such a newB!

I just had to "re-repair" mine. A few years back the connector burned up inside. I thought it was from the oil thing. But now I'm not so sure. The wires leading from my regulator are all getting very hard and rigid from heat. I have an 02 with 25K on the clock. I'm thinking that I need to purchase a new rectifier within the next few weeks/months. The charging system works just fine. But I think the rectifier is getting so damned hot that it's screwing up the wires. Basically slow cooking the wires until they are brittle and the connections fall apart.

Ah, after 25K miles I guess it's not a bad idea to replace the stator and regulator. Not a terribly expensive thing if you can do the work yourself.

yeah i agreei am at around 8K on my 02. Havent replaced the rectifier yet though....may go ahead and get one ready.
I bought my stator from...GDL cycles.
http://www.gdlcycles.com/asp1/catego...qscat=Electric
not sure if the prices are to your liking but they got it me.