Alternator not charging battery or providing power to engine
Thread Starter
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6th Gear
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: San Diego
Alternator not charging battery or providing power to engine
Hello Everyone,
This is my first post here (except for my introduction)...I'm new to Harleys and hoping some of you may have an easy solution to my problem...I dont know much about Harleys, but Im very good working with my household cars, and do my own maintenance & repairs
The Bike:
1994 Harley-Davidson FLHTCU Ultra-Classic-Electra-Glide...
Upgrades:
Edelbrock Heads, Mikuni Carb, Andrews Cam, Hot Wire Ignition, Screaming Eagle Dual Exhaust
The back story:
Just bought the bike a week ago The seller believed it had a bad/weak battery, since it had been sitting in his garage for about 6 months, and replaced it with a brand new Harley battery He said it worked great and he rode it every week before being parked Bike started (after a few tries) and ran ok and I rode it home (about 15 miles) Plugged in the battery tender for a week Took it out of the garage for my maiden ride Bike started (after a few tries) and ran ok, so I rode it solo along side my friend about 40 miles up the coast to a local restaurant It ran great, but just before we stopped I noticed the radio shut down and the tachometer was acting up After lunch the bike wouldnt start (dead battery)
The problem:
A fellow rider (out to lunch with his family) gave me a jump with his SUV (yes, I brought cables, in case the battery thing was something else) The bike wouldnt start right away, but after letting it charge for about 10 minutes, it fired right up I rode it back about 10 miles and noticed the voltage gauge was dropping, and when it reached 0 volts the bike shut down I called my wife and charged the battery again for 20 minutes from her car The bike fired right up and went about 20 miles then died again Charged it again for 20 minutes and made it home, but of course, battery was dead again
It appears that the alternator is not functioning or has low voltage output It seems that the bike basically starts and runs on the battery power and when the battery runs out of juice the bike stops The battery is brand new OEM and takes a charge off the car or battery tender and the connections are good, so its not that The bike runs good as long as the battery is charged, but as it depletes the bike runs rough, the electrical components act up, and then it dies
Question:
Are there some easy ways to check or diagnose the alternator output Does anyone know of any simple things to check or do before I pull the clutch and replace the stator Any other ideas anyone might have?
This feels like something simple and Im hoping it is
Thanks,
Joe
This is my first post here (except for my introduction)...I'm new to Harleys and hoping some of you may have an easy solution to my problem...I dont know much about Harleys, but Im very good working with my household cars, and do my own maintenance & repairs
The Bike:
1994 Harley-Davidson FLHTCU Ultra-Classic-Electra-Glide...
Upgrades:
Edelbrock Heads, Mikuni Carb, Andrews Cam, Hot Wire Ignition, Screaming Eagle Dual Exhaust
The back story:
Just bought the bike a week ago The seller believed it had a bad/weak battery, since it had been sitting in his garage for about 6 months, and replaced it with a brand new Harley battery He said it worked great and he rode it every week before being parked Bike started (after a few tries) and ran ok and I rode it home (about 15 miles) Plugged in the battery tender for a week Took it out of the garage for my maiden ride Bike started (after a few tries) and ran ok, so I rode it solo along side my friend about 40 miles up the coast to a local restaurant It ran great, but just before we stopped I noticed the radio shut down and the tachometer was acting up After lunch the bike wouldnt start (dead battery)
The problem:
A fellow rider (out to lunch with his family) gave me a jump with his SUV (yes, I brought cables, in case the battery thing was something else) The bike wouldnt start right away, but after letting it charge for about 10 minutes, it fired right up I rode it back about 10 miles and noticed the voltage gauge was dropping, and when it reached 0 volts the bike shut down I called my wife and charged the battery again for 20 minutes from her car The bike fired right up and went about 20 miles then died again Charged it again for 20 minutes and made it home, but of course, battery was dead again
It appears that the alternator is not functioning or has low voltage output It seems that the bike basically starts and runs on the battery power and when the battery runs out of juice the bike stops The battery is brand new OEM and takes a charge off the car or battery tender and the connections are good, so its not that The bike runs good as long as the battery is charged, but as it depletes the bike runs rough, the electrical components act up, and then it dies
Question:
Are there some easy ways to check or diagnose the alternator output Does anyone know of any simple things to check or do before I pull the clutch and replace the stator Any other ideas anyone might have?
This feels like something simple and Im hoping it is
Thanks,
Joe
Thread Starter
|
6th Gear
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: San Diego
OK
I did some testing last night and heres what I got
I looked around and found the 2 pin stator connector on the left front of the crankcase The voltage regulator apparently is a large finned block mounted nearby on the front of the frame
The engine off pin-to-pin of the stator checked .5 ohms (using my state-of-the-art $7 digital multi-meter) (as a reference touching the leads together gives a .3 ohm reading)
The engine off pin-to-ground gives no ohm reading on both pins
The engine running pin-to-pin of the stator checked 20 volts AC @ 1000 rpm 35 volts AC @ 2000 rpm and 50 volts AC @ 3000 rpm
The voltage regulator has a wire that runs along the frame to a small box with two threaded studs, near the battery, which the service manual says is the 50 amp breaker The voltage regulator connects to the copper side of the breaker, along with a medium size wire which runs to the starter The silver side of the breaker has a medium size red wire that runs forward into a harness and under the tank (according to the service manual, this may be wired incorrectly, the voltage regulator and the red wire should be together on the silver stud and the starter should be alone on the copper stud Not sure if that would make any difference with this charging issue) The large positive battery cable also connects to the starter
The engine running stud-to-ground on both sides of this breaker checked 11.73 volts DC regardless of rpm
The engine running pole-to-pole across the battery checked 11.81 volts DC
The engine off pole-to-pole across the battery checked 12.81 volts DC
Another thing I found odd There is a large multi-wire module on the right side of the frame, under the removable painted cover, that the service manual says is the electronic ignition module This large connector was unplugged and has been for some time I plugged it in and ran it around the block There seems to be no difference in the bikes performance with it plugged or unplugged
Thats all the time I had to test things as it was 9:00pm and the nice old lady across the street was standing on her porch, in her nightgown, holding her poodle, with her hand above her eyes
Comments please Thanks,
Joe
I looked around and found the 2 pin stator connector on the left front of the crankcase The voltage regulator apparently is a large finned block mounted nearby on the front of the frame
The engine off pin-to-pin of the stator checked .5 ohms (using my state-of-the-art $7 digital multi-meter) (as a reference touching the leads together gives a .3 ohm reading)
The engine off pin-to-ground gives no ohm reading on both pins
The engine running pin-to-pin of the stator checked 20 volts AC @ 1000 rpm 35 volts AC @ 2000 rpm and 50 volts AC @ 3000 rpm
The voltage regulator has a wire that runs along the frame to a small box with two threaded studs, near the battery, which the service manual says is the 50 amp breaker The voltage regulator connects to the copper side of the breaker, along with a medium size wire which runs to the starter The silver side of the breaker has a medium size red wire that runs forward into a harness and under the tank (according to the service manual, this may be wired incorrectly, the voltage regulator and the red wire should be together on the silver stud and the starter should be alone on the copper stud Not sure if that would make any difference with this charging issue) The large positive battery cable also connects to the starter
The engine running stud-to-ground on both sides of this breaker checked 11.73 volts DC regardless of rpm
The engine running pole-to-pole across the battery checked 11.81 volts DC
The engine off pole-to-pole across the battery checked 12.81 volts DC
Another thing I found odd There is a large multi-wire module on the right side of the frame, under the removable painted cover, that the service manual says is the electronic ignition module This large connector was unplugged and has been for some time I plugged it in and ran it around the block There seems to be no difference in the bikes performance with it plugged or unplugged
Thats all the time I had to test things as it was 9:00pm and the nice old lady across the street was standing on her porch, in her nightgown, holding her poodle, with her hand above her eyes
Comments please Thanks,
Joe
Thread Starter
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6th Gear
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: San Diego
Tap-Tap-Tap...Is this thing on?...(crickets chirping)...
I just wanted to follow up on this thread for those in the future who might find this on a search...
I did the additional test of the voltage regulator which was to unplug it from the stator, make sure it was properly connected to the positive battery terminal, and use a test light from the negative battery terminal to the voltage regulator stator plug pins...
There was no light at either pin indicating there is no bleed within the voltage regulator...
So, all things considered, my conclusion is that I have a bad voltage regulator, since I get full voltage out of the stator, but only 11.73 volts out of the voltage regulator, when it should be getting 14 - 15 volts...Harley has one in stock for $99...(The guy who sold me the bike was right..."H-D" stands for "Hundred Dollars")...
I will replace the voltage regulator and post the results...
Does anyone know of an alternate source of Harley parts, like this voltage regulator, in the San Diego Area?...Hopefully less expensive...Not hung-up on the Harley brand as long as it works good...
Also, I posted a separate question about the unplugged ignition module and was told that someone probably installed an aftermarket module inside the cam cover...This makes sense as it has an upgraded Andrews cam...But I haven't verified this yet...So I will just leave the connector unplugged for now...
Thanks,
Joe
I just wanted to follow up on this thread for those in the future who might find this on a search...
I did the additional test of the voltage regulator which was to unplug it from the stator, make sure it was properly connected to the positive battery terminal, and use a test light from the negative battery terminal to the voltage regulator stator plug pins...
There was no light at either pin indicating there is no bleed within the voltage regulator...
So, all things considered, my conclusion is that I have a bad voltage regulator, since I get full voltage out of the stator, but only 11.73 volts out of the voltage regulator, when it should be getting 14 - 15 volts...Harley has one in stock for $99...(The guy who sold me the bike was right..."H-D" stands for "Hundred Dollars")...
I will replace the voltage regulator and post the results...
Does anyone know of an alternate source of Harley parts, like this voltage regulator, in the San Diego Area?...Hopefully less expensive...Not hung-up on the Harley brand as long as it works good...
Also, I posted a separate question about the unplugged ignition module and was told that someone probably installed an aftermarket module inside the cam cover...This makes sense as it has an upgraded Andrews cam...But I haven't verified this yet...So I will just leave the connector unplugged for now...
Thanks,
Joe
Thread Starter
|
6th Gear
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: San Diego
As a final follow-up I just wanted to let you all know how it turned out...
My best guess was the voltage regulator had gone bad...
Stopped at the Harley dealer and bought a voltage regulator for $99...
It took about 20 minutes to remove the old one and install the new one...
The bike fired right up and the voltage checked 12.8 volts at idle and 14.5 volts at 3000 rpm...
I took it for a ride last night and it runs like a champ and the voltage gauge averaged 13 volts...
Thanks to those who responded and offered their help,
Joe
My best guess was the voltage regulator had gone bad...
Stopped at the Harley dealer and bought a voltage regulator for $99...
It took about 20 minutes to remove the old one and install the new one...
The bike fired right up and the voltage checked 12.8 volts at idle and 14.5 volts at 3000 rpm...
I took it for a ride last night and it runs like a champ and the voltage gauge averaged 13 volts...
Thanks to those who responded and offered their help,
Joe
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