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Picked up a 79 FXS a few months ago. Been starting ok, battery shows between 12.8 and 13.2 with engine off. When running, the voltage on the digital meter is all over the place, changes so quickly I can not tell what running voltage is. Not blowing any bulbs like I would expect with hi volts. Regulator? Thanks...……..
Digital meters don't read well, need the old needle style for what you are doing. Only time I blew bulbs was when the old wet cell battery had a dry cell and needed water.
Picked up a 79 FXS a few months ago. Been starting ok, battery shows between 12.8 and 13.2 with engine off. When running, the voltage on the digital meter is all over the place, changes so quickly I can not tell what running voltage is. Not blowing any bulbs like I would expect with hi volts. Regulator? Thanks...……..
I have not seen a battery at 13.2 for a very long time....your metter most likely is suspect first...
My battery reads between 12.8 and 13.2 on a digital depending on whether I take the reading right after I take it off the tender or if it's been off the tender.
Here is my reading today after I had it on a tender.
The last time I tested the regulator, it read 14.3v......idk but it seems to jumps around if you don't hold the throttle steady.
I do Not, use a tender... any battery directly off "Charge" is gonna read Higher than Normal... at rest, been at rest at least overnite... 12.6
Never seen 13 anything!!!
With engine running... I have checked charging state many times with a Digital voltmeter... Note that a Cheap one will likely show "odd" readings.. Good quality Meter?... not so Much.. but, if there is an AC component riding on your output [poor regulator] the meter is going to try to follow that as well...resulting in an erratic reading... put said meter on AC and see what you see... should be little to none...as the Shovel/EVO [IDK about new stuff] rectifies as well as shunts excess...
My Guess.... Chiwanese meter, or... Half of rectifier in Regulator id toast and allowing excess AC component..
One other thing... some...especially poor quality Meters, are susceptible to RF interference... especially by Points ignition systems...
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erratic voltage
