Charging System
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 186
Likes: 2
From: Newcastle, Wa.
Charging System
This is a follow up to a prior thread I started about battery not charging. Anyway, new battery fully charged is in the bike a 2000 Fatboy. I tested the stator and it was putting out around 32 to 40 at 2500 rpm and I tested the regulator the way the book says and following some instructions given to me here and I determined it was bad. So put a new regulator on today and when I start the bike and read the DC voltage across the battery at 2000 rpm it reads 12.84 when I let off on the throttle it drops back to 12.72. So my question is that a normal reading or should it be something much higher than that?
Appreciate any thoughts, I'm stumped.
Louie
Appreciate any thoughts, I'm stumped.
Louie
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 186
Likes: 2
From: Newcastle, Wa.
Thanks for your quick response. So if the stator is putting out the proper voltage but yet I'm still not seeing the correct voltage across the battery when the bike is idling at 2000 rpm, can the stator still be bad?
Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 686
Likes: 349
From: Central Utah
Did you check the stator leads/pins for grounds? Should read OL on each lead to case ground. Sometimes stator/regulator troubles go hand in hand. Double check your procedure for checking the regulator. Make sure the battery connections are solid.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 4,133
Likes: 452
From: Pittsburgh
The stator's output is determined by RPM. The regulator is a zener-type diode that is designed to limit output to around 14 vdc. Any stator output below this value is unregulated, anything above gets 'shunted' to frame ground. The regulator has cooling fins to prevent component overheating. It is important that the regulator is properly mounted to provide the grounding necessary for the zener circuit to function properly.
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 186
Likes: 2
From: Newcastle, Wa.
The stator's output is determined by RPM. The regulator is a zener-type diode that is designed to limit output to around 14 vdc. Any stator output below this value is unregulated, anything above gets 'shunted' to frame ground. The regulator has cooling fins to prevent component overheating. It is important that the regulator is properly mounted to provide the grounding necessary for the zener circuit to function properly.
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 186
Likes: 2
From: Newcastle, Wa.
Checked the stator pins to ground and they both show 0.2 ohms to ground, given that can I safely assume that the stator is bad?
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 4,133
Likes: 452
From: Pittsburgh
Ensure u have a good meter ground, ie dead short. The stator windings have to be completely insulated from frame ground. Any reading in ohms between a stator lead and frame ground indicates a shorted winding. The output of the regulator can be checked at the battery. U have done that and it sounds like you have a defunct charging system. You have changed the regulator-what's left?
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From: Straight Jacket Memories and Sedative Highs
Stator volts might be little low. Not sure softail is rated for. But I would expect close to 20 volts per 1000 rpm. I would check that again, while holding steady RPM. Check at few rpm levels. 2500, 3000 4000
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 186
Likes: 2
From: Newcastle, Wa.
Thanks very much to all that have responded to my questions. I believe I have a bad stator based on the readying I'm getting so now it's just a matter of do I install a new stator or do I pay the HD dealer $900 to do it for me.