Speedometer 1998 FXDWG
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 4,344
Likes: 67
From: Hooterville, Fl.
Thanks for the reply John!
I got to thinking today about a change I had made in May. I installed a water proof accessory plug on the front of the frame just below the steering neck to operate my GPS before a 2500 mile trip and used the same ground bolt as the regulator on the regulator mount. Hmmmmmmmmmm. I wonder if it is intermittently not making good contact. Would a bad ground of the regulator cause high voltage? Tomorrow I get off work at 2 so will disconnect the accessory plug ground and rough up the surfaces then reconnect my reg ground and then check my voltage. I have a service manual and test equipment to also check my stator output. Hoping that is not what it is because about a year ago, I had to install new stator and regulator.
If I find that the voltage is still high, my wife is going to Fort Myers and she can pick me a regulator while there.
Thanks for your help!
Mike
I got to thinking today about a change I had made in May. I installed a water proof accessory plug on the front of the frame just below the steering neck to operate my GPS before a 2500 mile trip and used the same ground bolt as the regulator on the regulator mount. Hmmmmmmmmmm. I wonder if it is intermittently not making good contact. Would a bad ground of the regulator cause high voltage? Tomorrow I get off work at 2 so will disconnect the accessory plug ground and rough up the surfaces then reconnect my reg ground and then check my voltage. I have a service manual and test equipment to also check my stator output. Hoping that is not what it is because about a year ago, I had to install new stator and regulator.
If I find that the voltage is still high, my wife is going to Fort Myers and she can pick me a regulator while there.
Thanks for your help!
Mike
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 4,344
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From: Hooterville, Fl.
The speedo was the only thing acting up besides the smell of the battery cooking from over charging.
Today I removed all my grounds and sanded them (regulator ground does have an internal star washer on it), unplugged all my connectors including under the tank console and cleaned and applied a dab of silicone dielectric compound on them and reconnected them.
I performed all the test in my service manual. No short was found in my stator and it is putting out around 42 volts AC about 2000 rpm. Hooked every thing back up and still charging 17.2 volts DC above 2000 rpm. Estimated rpm because I have no tach on the bike. My wife is going to pick me up a regulator tomorrow. I did notice that my odometer stayed on the whole time while I was checking the bike so maybe the cleaning and dielectric compound took care of that problem.
Today I removed all my grounds and sanded them (regulator ground does have an internal star washer on it), unplugged all my connectors including under the tank console and cleaned and applied a dab of silicone dielectric compound on them and reconnected them.
I performed all the test in my service manual. No short was found in my stator and it is putting out around 42 volts AC about 2000 rpm. Hooked every thing back up and still charging 17.2 volts DC above 2000 rpm. Estimated rpm because I have no tach on the bike. My wife is going to pick me up a regulator tomorrow. I did notice that my odometer stayed on the whole time while I was checking the bike so maybe the cleaning and dielectric compound took care of that problem.
Thread Starter
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 4,344
Likes: 67
From: Hooterville, Fl.
That is for sure John about internet diagnosing, but I don't know what else it could be. All the connections should be ok. Any other ideas you may have I could try?
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,468
Likes: 12
From: Bluffton, South Carolina
Your local dealership should have the equipment to diagnose the speedo, it's sounding more and more like the head is bad(bet you didn't know there is such a thing as bad head??). You should be able to take it off of the bike and bring it in and have them check it out, that will save you some labor. However they may want it on so they can re-cgeck the stuff you already did. Or maybe you have a speedo shop nearby?? I think you are on the right track with the regulator, we have a bike in the shop with the same problem of overcharging right now. Hope this helps.
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 4,344
Likes: 67
From: Hooterville, Fl.
Hey John,
Had my wife pick up a regulator for me yesterday and just finished installing it and taking it for a 15 mile test ride. Charging is back normal again.
The speedo even worked the whole time perfectly. I speculate that disconnecting all the connector plugs and grounds on the bike and reconnecting after cleaning, using silicone dielectric compound took care of the the speedo problem. A couple of connectors had some green corrosion on them and one of them was the ignition switch plug.
"Your local dealership should have the equipment to diagnose the speedo" Yea I saw in my service manual that Harley has a tester to check it out.
"However they may want it on so they can re-cgeck the stuff you already did." Yea the dealer wants that $95 dollars per hr. Yesterday when my wife picked up the reg for me, the guy at the counter tried to talk her into getting me to bring my bike in so they can check it. I can understand though! Most customers at dealerships have no idea how to read a multi-meter or apply what they read in a service manual to actual hands on work.
Again John, Thanks for being on the Forum and helping out anyone who asks for help. People like you are an asset to the biker community.
I am going to ride my bike to work next week and keep an eye on everything. As far as right now it all looks good.
Had my wife pick up a regulator for me yesterday and just finished installing it and taking it for a 15 mile test ride. Charging is back normal again.
The speedo even worked the whole time perfectly. I speculate that disconnecting all the connector plugs and grounds on the bike and reconnecting after cleaning, using silicone dielectric compound took care of the the speedo problem. A couple of connectors had some green corrosion on them and one of them was the ignition switch plug.
"Your local dealership should have the equipment to diagnose the speedo" Yea I saw in my service manual that Harley has a tester to check it out.
"However they may want it on so they can re-cgeck the stuff you already did." Yea the dealer wants that $95 dollars per hr. Yesterday when my wife picked up the reg for me, the guy at the counter tried to talk her into getting me to bring my bike in so they can check it. I can understand though! Most customers at dealerships have no idea how to read a multi-meter or apply what they read in a service manual to actual hands on work.
Again John, Thanks for being on the Forum and helping out anyone who asks for help. People like you are an asset to the biker community.
I am going to ride my bike to work next week and keep an eye on everything. As far as right now it all looks good.
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 4,344
Likes: 67
From: Hooterville, Fl.
Hey Dale,
Wanted to change my fluids so I just went for a 35 mile ride to get them to operating temps. I always let them drain and drip for a day before refilling. Got home, pulled the seat and checked voltage again. All is well. Speedo worked the entire ride.
Thanks to John at Miacycles for the advice.
Wanted to change my fluids so I just went for a 35 mile ride to get them to operating temps. I always let them drain and drip for a day before refilling. Got home, pulled the seat and checked voltage again. All is well. Speedo worked the entire ride.
Thanks to John at Miacycles for the advice.