charging issues

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May 6, 2015 | 06:53 AM

taterbum

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Joined: Mar 2012

Posts: 117

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From: Rome Ga

charging issues

Ok, looking for some input before I go home and troubleshoot this thing with my manual.
I've got a 2012 Ultra Classic.
Symptom;
(sometimes) when I turn the switch on the volt Guage goes to battery voltage. When I crank the bike the volt Guage stays at battery voltage, like my stator is not doing it's job. Sometimes, I can turn the bike off for a few minutes and restart it and it will perform normally, voltage will then go to around 14v on the Guage and I usually won't have another issue the rest of the day regardless of how many times I kill the bike and restart it. When I start it the next morning it may work, it may not. It's kinda hard to troubleshoot because when I start the bike and it's acting normally it won't show any faults and I've checked stator and regulator at this time with my meter and they are checking ok, so I have to wait for it to lose voltage before open can troubleshoot it, and it's hard to say when the damn thing is going to go **** up again. So, I'm looking for some input before I go home and pull the primary cover off to check the stator.

May 6, 2015 | 09:32 AM

whyrzwaldo

Tourer

Joined: May 2012

Posts: 377

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From: Buckeye Country

My first guess would be the VR as the 2012's were notorious for bad regulators. They had a recall for them which has since expired. I was just experiencing a very similar problem where once it never climbed to 14volts or sometimes it would jump up after like 2 blocks of riding. Or I would slowly see my guage rising up to 14v but not before it threw the low voltage code and CE light would come on. What I found was my battery was dropping down to 6-8 volts during the start and struggling to recover. Replaced the battery and all seems fine now. Throw a meter on the battery and watch voltage during start. Don't rely on stock voltage gauge for this test. Everything I've researched says it should not drop below 9.6volts while cranking. You can follow the stickies on the top of this forum to check the stator output and resistance checks as well as the regulator. What they don't mention in the stickies is to check EVERY connection starting with the battery terminals and battery cables on both ends and check both plugs on the regulator, check for corrosion on the pins.

Last edited by whyrzwaldo; May 6, 2015 at 09:41 AM.

May 6, 2015 | 04:12 PM

taterbum

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From: Rome Ga

Thanks, I'll do that and let ya know how it turns out.

May 6, 2015 | 04:36 PM

taterbum

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Joined: Mar 2012

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From: Rome Ga

Battery never dropped below 10 volts while starting and of course now it's working correctly, I've got 14.10 v at the battery with the bike running and that's also what the Guage is showing. Now when I try to start in the a.m. it will not go past around 11 volts when it starts and when it is idling. I can turn it off and sometimes it will work, sometimes it wont, has me leaning towards a bad VR as well, just wanted to talk to someone who's had the same issue before I changed it. I wasn't aware of a past recall. Would be easy if it was working improperly every time. I could just go through it with my meter and isolate the problem but with it being sporadic it's a PAIN IN THE ***....I LOVE MY DAMN BIKE....ARGGGH

May 6, 2015 | 05:05 PM

grbrown

Club Member

Joined: Jun 2007

Posts: 45,429

Likes: 2,898

From: Bedford UK

There are two Stickies at the top of this section which will help you check your charging system. You will need a multimeter. Do the tests and let us know what you find.

May 6, 2015 | 05:45 PM

taterbum

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Joined: Mar 2012

Posts: 117

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From: Rome Ga

battery w/ bike off is 12.93v, at 3000rpm im getting 14.17 volts. BUT....LIKE I SAID, it seems to be working right now, but when I start it tomorrow it will not show it charging. My concern is, is it a bad VR or a broke ground wire somewhere between the plug (-) at the VR and the other end?

May 6, 2015 | 06:14 PM

taterbum

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Joined: Mar 2012

Posts: 117

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From: Rome Ga

Ive checked everything with my meter per the Electrical diagnostics manual and everything is within specs.

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May 9, 2015 | 10:57 AM

taterbum

Thread Starter

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Joined: Mar 2012

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From: Rome Ga

Finally

Well, the starts all aligned and the Harley Gods were smiling....or frowning depending on your point of view. Went to start the bike this morn and the problem showed up again so I immediately pulled out my service manual electrical diagnostics cd and my fluke.
AC OUTPUT TEST; 32 to 46 VAC @ 2000 rpm is ideal
hole to hole
1 to 2
2 to 3
1 to 3....ALL reading between 37 and 40 VAC...OK
VOLTAGE REGULATOR POWER CIRCUIT TEST;
Continuity between VR plug (+) and main fuse...OK
VOLTAGE REGULATOR GROUND CIRCUIT TEST; + 0.05ohm is ideal.
Between VR plug (-) and chasis groung, .02ohm...FAIL
When i did these same tests and the bike was NOT showing charging problems the only thing i was showing was an open ground between the VR and the chasis ground. I checked EVERY ground on the bike and they were good so i knew it was either a broke wire/terminal or bad VR. Replaced the VR and all seems good now. Thanks for your help guys. Time for me to ride.

Last edited by taterbum; May 9, 2015 at 10:59 AM. Reason: more info