Hello folks! I hope the world is being good to you.

My buddy has a 2005 wide glide that doesn't appear to be charging the battery, or he's got a parasitic drain. What is the easiest and best way of checking which is the issue?

My buddy said his stator burned out and needed replaced, and asked if I could do it. I pulled off the primary and got to the stater and there is no burn the oil smelled fine, no evidence the stator is bad. Could be a bad regulator, maybe but am not sure how to best test it. It's my understanding using a meter on them can burn out the fragile diodes within so I've been told...

Any advice?

 

There’s a sticky at the top of the evo forum section that gives an excellent step by step tutorial. Just need a $25 multi meter.

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/evo-classic-models/876288-how-to-diagnose-your-charging-system.html

 

Basically running at 2000 , battery reading should be 14.3 DC or so depending on battery charge. Never over 15. No AC voltage!

That checks regulator. Battery after turning on lights and back off at lead of battery and on wires should be 12.7.

12.3 is discharged


Three wires coming from stator. Unhook. No ground or reading on them to frame ground. Reading resistance between them (3 checks) should be about 0.1 to 0.3 OHM. With bike running, 32-40 AC. (again 3 checks)

To check draining, unhook negative. Put your DC amp meter in line. Key on. With alarm bike, you will see about 2.5 meg ohm from alarm,ecm, speedometer.regulator ect.


It will pull a lot more when first hooked up as alarm function test and then trims off to above as it goes to sleeps. That first connection will spark and you can hear it. It does not stay that way. Fools people that don't put meter on it or understand it.

A good battery will last 2- 3 months in warm weather and still start. Don't just keep maintenance charger on all the time. It will start just about forever like that but the last start will be at home and a no start miles down the road.. And these bikes are a real bitch to push home.

 

Sometimes individuals say things but that does not mean it is correct.
For example, has anybody had the battery load tested?
Has anybody reviewed the 4 ends of the battery cables?
Has anybody tested voltage at battery posts at rest, while cranking and at high idle?
Once that information is reviewed then step #2 would be to test stator AC voltage.
Then if all is well check parasitic voltage

 

Here you go, HDF has the answers within:

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/elect...sting-1-a.html

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/elect...sting-2-a.html

Your Welcome.

 

One thing to note is that this information pretty much assumes using an older Volt Ohm Meter like a Simpson 260. A DVM will have a higher input impedance so step 2 may fail.

There can be enough leakage current that a good DVM will show a voltage.

Also DVMs don't have a way to zero out lead resistance. You need to connect the leads together to get an idea of the resistance in the leads and subtract that from the measurement.