Charging system help
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Tourer
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 404
Likes: 3
From: St Louis, MO
Just by the symptom you are having, it sounds like your charging system circuit breaker is opening/closing ....
There are two wires coming out of your regulator, one goes to ground, the other ( the 'hot' wire ) will or should go to a circuit breaker before it gets to your battery.
As NickD says, do check your Reg for a good ground and ensure continuity in your circuits.
If your battery will start your bike easily, I wouldn't look at that as a source of your problem.
There are two wires coming out of your regulator, one goes to ground, the other ( the 'hot' wire ) will or should go to a circuit breaker before it gets to your battery.
As NickD says, do check your Reg for a good ground and ensure continuity in your circuits.
If your battery will start your bike easily, I wouldn't look at that as a source of your problem.
I will try and check the wires tonight, depending on what time I get home.
This is my first Harley. I bought it last July and I have never had a problem with the bike starting but let me try and explain what it sounds like when I go to start it.
Crank, pause, crank and start.
When I hit the start switch you hear the starter start to crank the motor, then there is a pause for probably a half second or maybe one full second. Then the motor continues to crank for a second or so then starts. I always just assumed that the pause was when one the pistons is hitting TDC. It has done this since I bought the bike so I always just assumed that it was normal. I have never paid any attention to how buddies bikes sound when they are getting fired up.
Thanks again for the info, starting to lean away from needing a new battery. I talked to an indi today that is going to do the stator install for me if I need it and he too told me he did not think that the batt was bad, but that he would check it out.
Phil
Road Captain
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 574
Likes: 3
From: AB Canada
Could be normal with a higher compression motor...but if that is the case and the battery does manage to get it started, I'd say the battery is doing it's main function, start the bike.
Could be the circuit breaker is weak....
Without a loadtester, it's hard to say how many amps your system is producing, but with a mid 14 volts at the battery when running at 2K or so, that is about normal for a healthy charging system voltage.
Their are a few stator checks that can be done at the connector including output ( Volts AC ) ...if that checks out good, no need to get into the primary at all. I'm sure your indy will have a manual with all the system tests.
Could be the circuit breaker is weak....
Without a loadtester, it's hard to say how many amps your system is producing, but with a mid 14 volts at the battery when running at 2K or so, that is about normal for a healthy charging system voltage.
Their are a few stator checks that can be done at the connector including output ( Volts AC ) ...if that checks out good, no need to get into the primary at all. I'm sure your indy will have a manual with all the system tests.
Supporter
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,245
Likes: 69
From: Northford, CT
Based on your last post about how it starts. I would check your battery cables where they attach to the bike not the battery. Loose or corroded cable ends could cause most if not all of your problems.
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Tourer
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 404
Likes: 3
From: St Louis, MO
Here is a video that I quickly put together this morning... Sorry for the crappy quality. It just shows battery voltage, headlights dimming and voltage from the stator. I'm not sure how to check the regulator. This time the voltage on the battery did not drop very low when the lights dimmed, so I'm not sure if the last time I tested it one of the leads was bouncing around on the battery or it if was because I was riding the bike before I tested it and the regulator was hot?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzOvtIYCNm4
At the end of the video when the voltage goes to 0.00 that is just because I dropped one of the leads from the multimeter.
I did not get a chance last night or this morning to check the wires from the regulator to the battery. Tonight when I get home I will try and check those out and see what they look like.
Thanks again for all the help from everyone.
Phil
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzOvtIYCNm4
At the end of the video when the voltage goes to 0.00 that is just because I dropped one of the leads from the multimeter.
I did not get a chance last night or this morning to check the wires from the regulator to the battery. Tonight when I get home I will try and check those out and see what they look like.
Thanks again for all the help from everyone.
Phil
Last edited by skdvr; Apr 13, 2011 at 10:06 AM.
about 149 times out of 150 it just turns out to be a loose or corroded wire. alot of time the mechanic wont know they they fixed it problem untill they put on a new voltage reg. the voltage regulater worked fine but they fixed the wiring problem in the preocess with out nowing it. like everyone else has said. check the wires. check all the wire ends for tightness and not corroding make sure you dont have any broken wires. im sure its a easy fix
Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 404
Likes: 3
From: St Louis, MO
about 149 times out of 150 it just turns out to be a loose or corroded wire. alot of time the mechanic wont know they they fixed it problem untill they put on a new voltage reg. the voltage regulater worked fine but they fixed the wiring problem in the preocess with out nowing it. like everyone else has said. check the wires. check all the wire ends for tightness and not corroding make sure you dont have any broken wires. im sure its a easy fix
Thanks
Phil
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