Alternator failure?

[cck560]

I am checking with you guys to see how many of you, if any, have had your alternator go out on a GL1800.
I had mine quit @ about 75,000 mi. Now @ 97,500 I have the new one making noise again. I have the bike up on the work table and all is quite at an idle. The noise comes on and a vibration can be felt in the handle bars @ 2200 rpm. I have moved around the engine with my stethoscope and find the noise most pronounced at the alternator. Now to be clear, the noise I am speaking of is not at the front of the alternator where it bolts to the engine. Indeed it gets a little louder as I move back to the center of the alternator and the loudest of all when I place the stethoscope on the rear bearing housing.
The bike is at the Honda dealer in San Luis Obispo. The mechanic there is a good man, he seemed to agree with me at the onset but now that Honda warranty people are involved I am being told “they all make that noise”. So back to the question have any of you had your alternator replaced?
I set out in six weeks for another long haul into the far north and sure would hate to have the alternator fail as it did two years ago when I had to lay-to for a week while a replacement was flown in from Quebec to Whitehorse , Yukon Territory. I have 8 months left on my extend warranty. They seem to be getting pretty tight with the things they are willing to cover.
Clay
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The deal of a lifetime comes along every two weeks, be ready.

[cawing]

It may not be the alt. making the noise. The GL1800 has an alt. dampner system that the alt. shaft fits in when mounted on the engine. I have read on another board of GL1800 owners having 1 or 2 suspected noisy alt. replaced only to find out that it was the dampner assy. making the noise. To repair/replace the dampner assy. the engine must be removed from the bike. Good luck with your problem.
I really hate it when they say "they all make that noise". If that was the case why did they replace it the first time?
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We're not here for a long time, just a good time
Paul
'01 Illusion Red, 161,000 smiles
Kwik Kamp Trailer

[cck560]

Thank you for the response. To the best of my knowledge the bike was quite the first 7500 miles after they installed the new alternator. Further the noise I hear is at the rear of the alternator. Do you think the noise would resonate through the alternator from the damper assembly? Gosh I hope it is not the damper though as you point out the general conversation on the boards seems to point to this damper possibility.
The attitude seems to be I got my use out of the bike, what more do you want. Is Honda declaring these to be 100,000 mile bikes? Rats I was counting on a 200,000 mile bike. You know 10 cents per mile assigned to depletion of the $20,000 equipment. Can you tell we track cost on our heavy equipment at work?
Thanks Cawing
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The deal of a lifetime comes along every two weeks, be ready.

[cawing]

From what I have read about the dampner system noise is that it can be difficult to diagnose in the early stages. Once the dampner assy. gets really bad then it's evident what the problem is. I guess I have been fortunate not to have had any problems with my '01 with 155,000 smiles on the odometer. Seems to run stronger and better every day. Good luck with your problem and keep us informed on what you find.
I have been a mechanic (now they're called techs ) my entire working career and it really pi$$es me off when a problem is either difficult or expensive to repair and the factory comes back with the "they all do that" answer. Sure is the easy way out.
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We're not here for a long time, just a good time
Paul
'01 Illusion Red, 161,000 smiles
Kwik Kamp Trailer

[Duane in Bakersfield]

[cck560]

Well, the nice lady from Honda customer service has got the dealer to pull the engine and they are awaiting parts to change the dampener you all speak of. The dealer does not seem to want to talk to me because “this is unnecessary, they all make this noise”. Knowing the dampener part has been upgraded in later years I will argue not a lick as sooner or later it would no doubt have been a problem. I still think it is the rear bearing in the alternator and nothing more. The replacement bearing is $7.80 if a shop was inclined to replace a part within a component. I know it ain’t like it used to be when we would rebuild our parts, but who am I. If after all this hoop jumping the noise remains it may be they throw an alternator at me and say “beat it mister”. The book tells the mechanic to dig deep, pull the fuel tank then remove the alternator. I did it with the young mechanic in Whitehorse two summers ago in 40 minutes without pulling the tank. I’ll be still, keep riding the backup VTX cruiser and hope the mechanic and I are still friendly towards one another after this. Russ is a good man and he isn’t happy with me.
Clay
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The deal of a lifetime comes along every two weeks, be ready.

[corventure]

It would seem to me that the Dealer could check another Wing on the lot or at least let you do the stethoscope test on another GL1800 on the lot. That would be a simple solution to the "They all do it" excuse!
I think you have the right diagnosis anyway. I'm glad Honda is working with you.

[Duane in Bakersfield]

Clay, what year is your bike? I seem to remember it's the same as mine, a '03. Are they replacing this under warranty? You must have bought yours later in the year than I, because unless I'm mistaken, my extended warranty will run out this month.

I will never understand the big business thinking, either. Why pull the engine and replace the damper when they could have just changed the rear bearing, or even spring for a new alternator and see if the noise goes away? If it does, they just saved themselves a wad of money. If it doesn't, they will have to pull it back apart again and end up changing the damper AND the alternator. Seems counter productive to me. As you say, who am I to say? LOL.
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2003 Hot Rod Yellow GL1800

[Son of Thunder]

Wow, Duane, now that you mention it, I just realized my extended warranty expired in January! How did seven years go by so fast?

I think the cooling system and engine are still covered by a mandatory 10 year warranty resulting from the infamous overheating recall...

BTW, while gassing up the cage last night, met a guy and his wife on an '06 dark red. He said he has 86,000 on it already! I asked if he was retired and he said, "No, we just ride a lot!" Must be nice!
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John

[cck560]

Yes Duane, that is correct a later purchase, Sept of ’03.
Indeed it seems the approach would have been alternator replacement first but it may be the fellow from Honda who has made this decision was being proactive, trying to speak to my two questions. And he probably knows more than I do about this situation.
1. How am I suppose to ride this bike, it has been sitting in the shop since January 17th
2. Can you help me with the grammar for the piece I am writing about Hondas 100,000 mile bike? Given I have been told by some within you organization that “bearing wear is not covered” and “you got your use out of this bike!”, “They all make this noise”.
When I get to a person who has command authority Honda is great. Early on though I always begin with a person having a sophomoric understanding of business, I just shake my head. Honda is taking care of me now though.
I have long question the logic of a young fellow tattooed, pieced and with pant’s hoisted only to his knees standing at any station in the dealership where a grown man might come in to drop $20K for a bike or buy many thousands of dollars in accessories for the same bike. I know they also need to work with the dirt bike and sport bike crowd but I think I would cotton the man with the most discretionary income. My early contact each time with Honda begins with this perennial lad but with a little persistence I do wind up with a competent person.
I am looking forward to a little wind burn on my cheaks.
Clay
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The deal of a lifetime comes along every two weeks, be ready.

[cck560]

I picked my GL1800 up from the dealer. They indeed pulled the engine and changed bearings and gears for the alternator drive. They replaced the clutch basket and components while they had it out. The shop and the mechanic were very nice. I rode the bike to back to my place put it up on the center stand and while in neutral rolled the throttle up to 2200 RPM and felt the familiar vibration. Stethoscope to the alternator---- the noise and vibration remain. While I truly appreciate all they did to this bike I still find myself with a component headed toward failure. Perhaps I just need to ride this machine until it gets louder, loud enough that it can’t be denied. The problem is while in the far North it is a real rub to deal with this kind of problem, you know with a Grizzly as a helper or tow operator. I suppose I can bring along another alternator just in case, change it now on my own, visit a different Honda dealer for another opinion or just go to work and not think about it. Anyone with a coin I can toss to make my decision? I suppose I could ride over to visit Duane in the valley to listen to his machine and have him listen to mine. Maybe they do “all make this noise” and I have simply have not heard it the last 95,000 miles. It is possible my hearing is just getting better---soon my eye sight too?
Oh, and corventure, I did ask your question about listening to another GL 1800. They don’t’ stock this machine on the floor, they must be ordered in the small shop. There were no others in the service bay either.
I’ll let you know when something happens.
Clay
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The deal of a lifetime comes along every two weeks, be ready.

[BobsGL1800]

SL Motorsports used to always keep one GL1800 on the showroom floor. I purchased my old 2008 GL from them back in 2007. But the way the economy has been, they don't look like they carry much of anything anymore. Since many dealers across the country have closed, (Lompoc Honda for one) they may not make it. I don't know how Miller's in Paso survives. What a dingy dump that place is.

Hopefully your bike is fine.

[cck560]

April 10th concluded with my retrieval of my yellow GL1800, the new alternator in place and noise abated. San Luis Motor Sports brought it around front, made some cordial small talk and sent me on my way. All appears well. With all of the weather we have had these last several months I did not miss the bike too much, three months is a long time to have one’s moto sitting in a shop though.
Next weekend I will make a hot lap to, and through, Death Valley, to proof the machine before summers travels begin.
San Luis Motor Sports and Russ are running in many directions as all of us are these days. Things don’t get done over night but they did get done. I am grateful.
Safe riding
Clay
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The deal of a lifetime comes along every two weeks, be ready.

[corventure]

cck560
It's great that you got it resolved. I too like to long ride and do not want anything that may be a problem to be left as a "they all do it" service repair opinion.
Congrats.. and enjoy the ride.

Corventure Dave

[Fiberthree]

Well you proved two things... The first dealer was wrong. They don't all make that noise, and it was the alternator. What do you suppose the first guy would say if you showed him that the other shop fixed what his couldn't? I took my 1500 to three dealers before a faulty alternator was replaced under the extended warranty. One wanted to rebuild my carbs and replace a bunch of vacuum hoses because "most of the bikes with my complaint need that type of work". The second dealer blamed my trouble on an alleged "frayed wire to my fog lights sending bad signals to the ECU". The warranty is the only reason I'll let any dealer mechanic touch my machine and only after I am convinced he knows what he is talking about and has done thorough diagnosis.
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