Stalling, surging and blowing out lights
#21
11-29-2018, 08:57 AM
#3 should be an Ohms check to ground on the DC side of the VR to see if the diodes are failed in the VR. This should show OL on your meter. If it is not showing this then you have a bad VR.
#4 Stator test should be between terminals and also each terminal to ground to see if there is a short to ground and continuity between each of the phases contacts. If you are showing continuity to ground even a high resistance then you have a short to ground on your stator. No continuity between contacts then you have a broken wire in the stator.
#4 Stator test should be between terminals and also each terminal to ground to see if there is a short to ground and continuity between each of the phases contacts. If you are showing continuity to ground even a high resistance then you have a short to ground on your stator. No continuity between contacts then you have a broken wire in the stator.
I still show about 0.17-0.18v of DC voltage when I test between either VR contact and ground (i.e., bleed test). Does this constitute voltage "bleed" on the VR's part, or is that too low of an amount of voltage to indicate a problem?
#22
11-29-2018, 09:32 AM
Seasoned HDF Member
I am lost. But why is there any voltage there? Is not what you are checking just coming from a stationary alternator. Can it be just those magnets pulling ?? Maybe you need to ckeck it with a $5.00 Harbour Freight meter. Then you would not see those head-scratcher readings.
Last edited by Jackie Paper; 11-29-2018 at 09:34 AM.
#23
11-29-2018, 09:39 AM
I am lost. But why is there any voltage there? Is not what you are checking just coming from a stationary alternator. Can it be just those magnets pulling ?? Maybe you need to ckeck it with a $5.00 Harbour Freight meter. Then you would not see those head-scratcher readings.
To check the regulator unplug it from the stator. Take a test light and clip it to the negative terminal of the battery and then touch first one pin and then the other on the plug that goes to the regulator. If you get even the slightest amount of light from the test light the regulator is toast.
To do this with a meter: black lead to battery ground, red lead to each pin on the plug, start with the voltage scale higher than 12vdc and move voltage scale down in steps for each pin. Any voltage is a bad regulator.
To do this with a meter: black lead to battery ground, red lead to each pin on the plug, start with the voltage scale higher than 12vdc and move voltage scale down in steps for each pin. Any voltage is a bad regulator.
#24
11-29-2018, 09:46 AM
Seasoned HDF Member
OK..I did not realize you were on the AC side going back thru VR to battery. Sorry.. I check stator which is easy. Then I check DC volts at a good and charged battery at 2000. (As a final, I check for no AC there) The sticky check is from obvious experience and experimenting. Not in the Harley Diagnostic manual.
Last edited by Jackie Paper; 11-29-2018 at 09:57 AM.
#25
11-29-2018, 09:55 AM
#26
11-29-2018, 10:23 AM
In addition to all this, I have found a couple tiny bare wire spots on my accessory wires, so it's definitely possible that something was intermittently shorting while I was riding.
Last edited by rainsong; 11-29-2018 at 10:28 AM.
#27
11-29-2018, 12:05 PM
If your VR is allowing DC current to bleed through to the AC side it would cause a paracitic drain on the battery, thus if you are checking the AC sied for voltage with the DC side connected and you get voltage it indicates that the rectifier in the VR is failed and allows power in the direction it is not supposed to go and will eventually drain the battery. It would also allow AC power where you are only supposed to have DC.
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rainsong (11-29-2018)
#28
11-29-2018, 12:12 PM
If your VR is allowing DC current to bleed through to the AC side it would cause a paracitic drain on the battery, thus if you are checking the AC sied for voltage with the DC side connected and you get voltage it indicates that the rectifier in the VR is failed and allows power in the direction it is not supposed to go and will eventually drain the battery. It would also allow AC power where you are only supposed to have DC.
I’m also going to do my best to trace all my wiring to look for anything exposed or troublesome. I wish there was room in a softail for a distribution block. All the accessory wires get messy pretty easily.
#29
11-29-2018, 12:42 PM
Seasoned HDF Member
If your VR is allowing DC current to bleed through to the AC side it would cause a paracitic drain on the battery, thus if you are checking the AC sied for voltage with the DC side connected and you get voltage it indicates that the rectifier in the VR is failed and allows power in the direction it is not supposed to go and will eventually drain the battery. It would also allow AC power where you are only supposed to have DC.
Just a thought here..Know a diode is a one way only for AC and output is DC. Know they can burn up completely or partially allowing AC to come thru. Was not sure what to think about the sticky and the light and DC Voltage here since you are not just checking a diode. However, if the stator has no shorts to ground, would this drain the battery. However, there sure could be some AC coming thru to DC side if the diodes are shorted.