04 Ultra Volt Meter question
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6th Gear
Joined: Jun 2011
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From: SC
04 Ultra Volt Meter question
I have had to change my regulator for second time in 18 months. Any Ideas?? Also my volt meter reads 15 at all times!! Is this normal. Dealer says they have checked charging system and found no issues. They have no idea why! Any help is appreciated
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 871
Likes: 7
From: Manchester, NH
Dawg, what has been the MOCO and Dealers resolution to this problem. I just received a 2012 Tri Glide with this problem. My other Ultras were always 14.5 when riding and 12 at idle. Sure hope mine gets replaced under warranty when I bring it to their attention. Only two gauges I ever relied on were the oil pressure and volt readings.
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 14,744
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From: Phoenix '53, '88, '09 Big Twins
the voltmeter in the dash ( if accurate) will read the voltage at the dash- there is voltage drop through the wiring, fuses, switches and connections and it is affected by load ( how many lights on for example).
knowing this the voltmeter is an indicator of "normal" over or under charging or uh, my battery is shot.
true readings must be taken at the battery,
-with an accurate voltmeter- an old analog often needs the display needle zero'd out, so a modern digital is the way to go, much easier and more accurate
if for example the reading at the battery is 15 VDC or higher ( at low or high rpm) , that shows that the regulator is not functioning properly as the regulator should keep the voltage below 14.8.
The high voltage will cook the battery in time.
first thing to check on a regulator is a good ground, loosen, clean and tighten the mounting bolts, if you have a cover on it, throw it away ( regulators shed excess voltage as heat- if they can't shed the heat then they die.)
often a digital meter will show the lower voltage in the dash than in the battery ( motor on or off) that is the voltage drop.
on my evo the VD through the factory wiring harness was 1.7 VDC.
I wired the voltmeter to the battery ( using a relay) and then had more accurate readings, although my meter stubbornly read 1.5 volts low all it's life.
but that's ok, I knew what was "normal"
when I first got the bike the in dash would read almost 3 volts lower than the battery- sheesh !
Mike
knowing this the voltmeter is an indicator of "normal" over or under charging or uh, my battery is shot.
true readings must be taken at the battery,
-with an accurate voltmeter- an old analog often needs the display needle zero'd out, so a modern digital is the way to go, much easier and more accurate
if for example the reading at the battery is 15 VDC or higher ( at low or high rpm) , that shows that the regulator is not functioning properly as the regulator should keep the voltage below 14.8.
The high voltage will cook the battery in time.
first thing to check on a regulator is a good ground, loosen, clean and tighten the mounting bolts, if you have a cover on it, throw it away ( regulators shed excess voltage as heat- if they can't shed the heat then they die.)
often a digital meter will show the lower voltage in the dash than in the battery ( motor on or off) that is the voltage drop.
on my evo the VD through the factory wiring harness was 1.7 VDC.
I wired the voltmeter to the battery ( using a relay) and then had more accurate readings, although my meter stubbornly read 1.5 volts low all it's life.
but that's ok, I knew what was "normal"
when I first got the bike the in dash would read almost 3 volts lower than the battery- sheesh !
Mike
Last edited by mkguitar; Apr 8, 2012 at 05:13 PM.
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From: Vermont
They'll test it and verify it's not a charging system issue, then they'll tell you not to worry about it 
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