Okay, this is driving me crazy!!! I have no charge going to my battery, so I read all the posts at the start of this section about charging system testing and I followed everything that was written (BTW thanks for the very comprehensive list of things to do!!). I checked the battery connections first, all is well. Also, the battery is brand new and holds a charge fine. Then I checked the stator connector, pin hole to pin hole, and it's continuity checked out fine (about 2.5-3 ohms). I then tested the pin holes grounded to one of the engine bolts and the needle did not move so the stator once again checked out fine. Cross the stator and battery off the list. So now I'm thinking regulator, so I disconnect the VR plug and test the two prong holes to the battery and there is continuity so the wiring is fine. Finally I reconnected the stator to the VR, and with the plug to the battery disconnected I started the bike. I connect my meter to the negative battery terminal and then the other end to the VR negative post... and nothing, zero, zilch. So it looks like the regulator isn't putting out anything. The thing is, the VR is brand new, I just bought it and installed it last week. Am I doing something wrong in testing the VR, is there a different/better test I can run on the VR? Has anyone else ever had a faulty VR right out of the box? Anyway, like I said at the start, I'm going nuts trying to get this fixed, so any direction/help would be appreciated. I am NOT an electrical guru so I hope I've done these tests all the right way.

 

Is your meter set in Ammeter configuration when doing the test? When you are doing the negative to neg post as you described you are doing just that an amp check. Instead of doing that test across the terminals to see if you get 14+ Volts when at 2000 RPM. If you aren't getting between 14 and 15 volts then the VR is not doing its job.

 

I had the meter set at volts, so I'll re-test with it set to amps and see what happens. On the second test, you said to measure "across the terminals", do you mean to set my meter to volts and have on lead on one of the VR posts and the other lead on the second VR post, then start the bike and see if I get 14+ volts at 2000 rpm coming from the two prongs on the VR. I think that is what you're saying, I just want to do it the right way. Thanks Zanthamos!

 

Voltage would be checked across the battery terminals is where you will measure, if that fails then check from the VR output terminal to ground with the engine running, remember in ammeter setting you can short circuit, so ensure that you switch back to volt configuration before you do the tests. Ammeter tests should be done with engine off unless you use an inductive ammeter. In general ammeter tests will not get you any real diagnostic measurement unless you are looking to see how much load you are putting on your charging system. This information is good when you have a battery constantly discharging and in this scenario you would disconnect aftermarket accessories or pull fuses one at a time until the amp draw is lowered. This is also a good test to see if your VR is causing a parasitic drain on your battery. In this case you would check the current draw (engine and ignition off) then disconnect the output from the VR to see if the current drops. If you have a lot of accessories installed you may overtax your charging system and prevent battery charge (even possibly damage stater or VR due to an over-current state).

 

Hey Zanthamos, I checked the voltage across the terminals and nothing, I then checked the VR output terminal to ground with the engine running and zilch again. Looks like my brand new VR was bad right out of the box. Thanks for your help.

 

Was it an aftermarket or HD part?

 

It is a HD part, I ordered it online from Surdyke.com and had them ship it to me.

 

I replaced the new VR with another brand new one and redid the tests, and zero output from the VR. I re-tested the stator and it's fine, connected the VR and started the bike. At idle the DC Volts was 12.5-ish, I revved up to 2000 rpm and the needle didn't move. I disconnect the VR to battery connection and tested the VR terminals point to point and the needle didn't move. I'm at a complete loss. Surely two brand new VR's can't be bad, so I guess I'm off to the Harley shop to pay a small fortune to figure this stupid thing out. This sucks!

 

did you check the AC voltage from the stator ? you may have lost a magnet or two off the rotor or stripped the splines on it. good luck !

 

Yes I tested the Stator and it checks out 100%, that's why I'm so baffled with all this... I have AC going into the VR and nothing coming out and I find it hard to believe that two new VR's are bad right out of the box. Unless my testing is somehow wrong.