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Chipped and cracked magneto, how screwed am I?


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   I am mildly ashamed to admit it, but I have been running my 83 GSX1100 as a total loss ignition for the last few months, as my daily. I knew I wanted to upgrade the R&R and figured the stator was toast. I have been running a pair of gel batteries that I charged every night, and occasionally while at work. If I only did my 60 mile round trip to work and only started the bike 3 or 4 times during the day, I was fine. You can imagine how many times I screwed myself and had to bump it.

   So, I ordered, and received about six months ago, an electrosport stator and a compu-fire R&R and waited for some down time to swap them out. Now that I am halfway into swapping out my rear wheel for a B12, and it is going to be down a few days, I thought I had run out of excuses and tore into it.

  I was in here last year when I had to swap out my blown starter clutch, and didn't notice anything untoward at that time. This time, I am pulling it out and it looks like the stator was trying to eat the magneto's magnets, even the bracket to keep the wires tidy got into the act. There was a couple of shards stuck to the stator, etc. Everything looks fuxxored, not sure what went first and I am sure it was something I did. Wiping everything down inside the magneto reveals one magnet cracked across, missing the piece that ended up in the stator. The epoxy has some discolored parts but the magnets themselves still seem bonded.

  Anywho, I still have the original  flywheel from when I changed out the starter clutch and while it isn't missing a chip like the one currently in the engine, all the leading edges of the magnets are chewed up. Apparently, this isn't this engine's first rodeo when it comes to eating stators. I looked on that site for another, and found another 83 for sale, but it looks chewed on the leading edges like the one I already have. My only other engines I could scavenge off are a pair of 82s, so I know those won't work.

  Now, I have already changed out the shredded stator for the new electro sport, even changed the wire hold down, and the  compu-fire R&R is next.

  So my question is, how screwed am I running with chipped magnets in the rotor cover? Should I change it back out to the mildly chewed original, as it hasn't been cracked, or are they both equally compromised?

  Am I worrying for nothing? Thanks!

Cheers, Zweihammer

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Edited by Zweihammer
Added pictures
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throw the rotor and get another, bin the stator and get another, drop the oil pull out the oil filter and cut it up, check for metal bits in there. pull off the sump, pull the strainer from the oil pump, check the sump plug for magnetic swarf, pull the clutch off and take the oil pump out and check it for wear, pull the cam cover off check the cams for wear. you may be lucky, you dont seem to have lost much, but magnetic swarf circulating in the oil in an engine is the very best way to utterly destroy every bearing surface, cam, crank, gear and pump in there. its magnetic so it sticks to steel, you see where im going with this. ive seen the damage broken up magnets from a rotor can do to an engine, you might be lucky though.
id be wondering why the rotor has contacted the stator, either the rotor is where it shouldnt be or the stator is. have you checked the taper on the crank is running true?

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Well, that is distressing.

I looked some more at the stator and found what looks like one of the hollow spring pins from the starter clutch in there as well . When I purchased the bike, originally as a parts bike, it was a crap shoot if it would start. The starter clutch was trash. The spring pins had punched through the housing and the rollers were oblong. The interference between the stator and the rotor may very well be the errant starter clutch materials. I must not have cleaned everything out.

It took me weeks to track down another used one, the one in it now, for the 83. Doesn’t seem as much of a challenge to find 82 and older. There is a new one online for a GS1100GK. I don’t think that will interchange.

 I change the oil every 3k or so, last time was about 1k ago and I don’t recall seeing anything out of the ordinary at that time. I will change it again and check.

 I ride this bike most everyday, with the battery topped off, it starts right up and pulls like a train. Hopefully this isn’t terminal.

 

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Hmm.. It had me puzzeld at first too how the stator could've come into contact with the rotor, but chips of the magnets and leftover bits from the starter clutch stuck to the magnets will have bridged the gap. It seems bits stuck to the outside of the rotor hit the stator wires bracket.

Personally I wouldn't be much alarmed by magnet chips in the engine. I Think these would stick to the first steel part they come across and not spread throughout the engine. I've had cracked/chipped magnets in rotors on my bikes, but even small bits always stuck to the rotor. It would seem not only the start clutch takes a beating whenever the GSX1100 engine backfires upon starting, but also these magnets may crack in the same proces..

Using any of the rotors with cracked magnets of course poses a big risk of repeating the same damaging operation (sooner or later). At least I'd try to epoxy glue any lose magnet parts if you cannot find a rotor in better condition.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/16/2018 at 3:15 PM, Gammaboy said:

Or convert to a GSXR starter clutch and lightweight rotor.

After reading up on one person who did this mod, it seems like a great deal once it is all said and done. It is a bit more involved than I have time for now.

 I lucked out and found what appears to be an unmolested magneto on that website and won it. It is coming to me in California from closer to most of you, from Southampton.

Cheers, Zweihammer 

Edited by Zweihammer
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On ‎7‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 6:06 AM, Zweihammer said:

That would be trick. Every time I see someone who has done it I wonder how they addressed the starter. Do you know?

Cheers, Zweihammer 

Easy just take the mag off and use the existing starter clutch ..."I had to machine the centre boss down to gain a few mm for the drive and shortened nut"

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That’s so wicked! I love the purposeful, quick change aspect of it, race and street. I may have to knick your idea in the future! It’ll give me a use for the trashed rotors.

 I keep updating and changing the bike I swore to myself I would keep stock while I focused on the other one.

Typical, for me.

Cheers, Zweihammer 

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5 hours ago, Duckndive said:

Easy just take the mag off and use the existing starter clutch ..."I had to machine the centre boss down to gain a few mm for the drive and shortened nut"

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Clive - just wondering - that alternator looks a little under driven (based on eyeball gearing calculator) Any reason, as alternators like to be driven fast due to low output with low revs? .................. does look trick though!

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1 hour ago, Gixer1460 said:

Clive - just wondering - that alternator looks a little under driven (based on eyeball gearing calculator) Any reason, as alternators like to be driven fast due to low output with low revs? .................. does look trick though!

Eagle eyes LoL

TBH Ian that's the way it came and was on a Similar Engine ...I,ll do a ratio count on the teeth

I,ve not tested the output yet so it may need changing

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15 hours ago, Gixer1460 said:

Clive - just wondering - that alternator looks a little under driven (based on eyeball gearing calculator) Any reason, as alternators like to be driven fast due to low output with low revs? .................. does look trick though!

Done some sums....O.o  on the GSXR the alternator runs 1.49 faster than crank ...

mine is running 1.29 slower than crank ....so in easy no,s its going half the speed it does in its original application ..

So I will check the output and adjust if needed....

But it worked for Brad and Richard :banana:

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