I was on a ride back from San Diego and noticed a leak coming from where the stator wire connects to the voltage regulator. Stop in to the HD dealer before making the trip home, and they told me I should get the stator replaced.
Heres the question, I have searched on stators and many posts state that I should replace the voltage regulator at the same time. Is this a good idea?

Next question, should I replace the stator with the stock stator or replace it with the screaming eagle one?
What are the benefits from doing the upgrade?
Thank you

 

I know the HD way is to replace the stator if a leak at the wires developes but I just can't see spending several hundred dollars if everything else is fine.
As long as you don't have high or low voltage issues I personally would not spend the money. I'd clean the area especially well and use a good black or clear silicone rtv sealant.

 

That's what I did and it worked. Asinine that you have to spend a couple hundred bucks because of a hardened grommet. I used a whole can of brake cleaner on it. Get the nozzle right up to the base of the grommet to get all of the oil out from under it.

 

You won't need to replace it for another ten years or so! Save your money, as the other chaps have suggested above. Requires a bit of elbow grease and makes a mess, but costs a fraction of replacement cost.

 

Is there a certain type of RTV sealant I should use? I'm looking and there are many different part numbers.

 

I'm not certain it matters all that much. Cleaning out around the wires to be sure you've got as much of the oil and dirt out as possible is more important.
I'd read product descriptions and get something that is fairly high temperature and oil/grease/fuel resistant in whatever color you think will be most inconspicuous.

 

When my stator bit it on my 07 SG it literally burned in there. The smell was horrible too, I limped into my indie shop and he recommended doing the voltage regulator at the same time. I went with a stock HD replacement and everything's been fine since. I'm not one to walk over a dime to pick up a penny.

 

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DITTO on the above!

But if he wants a much faster curing rtv type sealer get whats called the " right-stuff " mfg'd by Permatex (avail at most all auto part stores/suppliers) and use that.

Its been proven to be a rock solid reliable fast curing sealer in the auto industry for many yrs now ,i have used it with great results too.

BTW,it's very important he use something like brakleen and towel to ensure you get every bit of residule oil off the wires/plug/engine case etc prior to applying the std or right-stuff type rtv sealer along with letting them fully cure prior to firing the motor up.

If he follows the above rec & doesn't rush it he has a very good shot at getting the leak sealed & fixed saving hundreds of dollars not having the HD shop repl the stator & V-reg both of which are still working properly.

Thats where HD shops need to get smarter because they scare potential customers away with a big repair estimate when they could also offer to a 2nd alternative which would be to try sealing the leak as rec above letting the customer knowup front the re-seal attempt isn't always total 100% success and that if it fails maybe the shop would discount the full repair if thats what the owner decides to do at that point.

At least doing that gives the customer a choice while at the same time giving the HD shop & wrenches working there a chance to make 1+ hr's srvc work $$$$ in the process vs the HD shop making no money at all after they hit the customer with a lrg repair estimate (making customer unhappy too!) which would have to be a minimum of $550-600+ (or more!) including pats & labor that has them walking out the door cussing @ HD & the dealer knot knowing what to do or simply saying no way & that they will attempt to reseal it or do the full repair themselves.

Now if HD dealers attempt to reseal it doesnt work the HD shop would then have a much better chance of that customer returning to have the more the expensive more involved repair done at that point which is kind of a win win for both parties @ that point.

I say that because if the cheaper re-seal attempt fails maybe the HD shop should offer a small 5-10% discount on the full repair if the cheaper reseal attempt fails as good faith to the customer which is kind of a win win for both parties at that point & is what i'd do if i ran into the same situation working on someones bike.

Scott

 

Agree on all the above posts! There is nothing "Electrically" wrong with your system. It's a rubber seal that has failed and god forbid the MoCo help you out with that...oh wait they will...you just have to buy the $$$$$ stator to get a new $ rubber grommet.

Go the RTV route and you'll be fine!

 

Im glad to see someone else recommend the Right Stuff. Its exactly as the name implies, and is a bit more forgiving if there is a bit of oil residue that was left behind. Im not saying I agree with HD about buying a new stator just to get a new grommet, but I see the logic in the OP's question about replacing the VR at the same time.
There is a resistance value in the connections and internals of both the stator, plug, and VR. If you put a new stator with the old VR the resistance value can increase for whatever reason not excluding a corroded pin terminals and the output of the new stator will work overtime to overcome this and theres a possibility of either component could fail before the end of the next stators (in this case) useful life.
In our fleet we made it a practice to replace the VR whenever we change out an alternator.