My charging system on my 08 Ultra is working intermittently. I went for a ride yesterday and my battery light and check engine light came on. I looked at the gauges and the amp meter was showing 12 volts. I headed to the interstate to take the fast way home before the battery died and when I hit the slab I pulled the trigger on it....85 mph. Looked down and it started charging again. It charged all the way home, speed didn't affect it. Parked it, started it a couple of times and all is well. Checked for codes and had 3 codes. P 0562, b1123, u1016. I reset the codes and tried to start it again and it wasn't charging, blipped it a couple times and it went to charging.

So today I tried it again with a couple of starts and it works correctly. I rode to the gas station, filled it up and fired it up for the ride back home and it's not charging again. A couple of blips and it goes back to charging. I pulled the regulator and tested the stator and it is ok. I checked the wire from the battery and I have a good ground and power reading back to the regulator. I tightened the battery terminals as well and they were good.

I was under the impression the regulator is solid state and either worked or it doesn't, but I was told by and indy that it could still be intermittent. I don't believe the stator could be intermittent so I bit the bullet and ordered a new regulator. I tried checking the pins for resistance on the regulator and got one pin where the stator plugs in to read a weird reading compared to the other two pins which were almost the same reading, off by a couple of hundredths on those two.

What is funny a couple of days back I rode to the car wash and my left blinker wouldn't work and my alarm key light was on, but a recycle of the switch that went away. That would be the b1123 code.

I also checked for more DTC's when I got back from the station today and no new codes. I hate electrical problems! I hope the regulator fixes it.

 

New regulator fixed my '06.

 

Hope it fixes mine. I have 78,000 miles on it so I probably can't complain.

 

Could be this. What mine did. However it would charge half way since compensator spring was friction driving it. Could be a connection or a little bit of corrosion at battery. I would pull connections, not just tighten. Could be the battery is even broke inside. Do you wear your rain coat when you go thru the car wash? That signal light code says to me corrosion from a lot of water washing out the grease in the connectors or just bad connections or rubbed wires.

 

If it starts charging when you blip it, it sounds like a loose belt , but really check connections ,could be a bat but doubt it would come and go that much , stator getting weak maybe , keep us posted

 

96, no belts on the charging system of a Harley. Alternator rotor is spun direct drive of the end off the crank shaft with either a spline (what you see stripped out in my above photo) or the newer seration drive (little V's) like FP Watch has in his. Both will strip out from hard clutching and high rpm, and lots of times is why people think compensator bolt is loose. What happens is the spline drive goes, the rotor spins till the face wears and makes it look like the compensator nut or bolt got loose. The three leads out of the stator should be putting out about 36 volts AC at 2000 rpm when checked across them. (3 checks) since it is a 3 phase system. Do not check them to the frame or battery ground. They can be checked to a frame ground with the motor off using ohm resistance which should be zero. It is possible to check each to a earth ground but then they will only read 1/2 that AC voltage above. I personally do not think that is your problem since unless there is a bad connection or a broken wire.

 

sounds like mine did I had voltage coming from stator so I thought it was the regulator so I changed and rode it, same thing you need to check the stator to ground both sides grounded out on mine but still put out voltage needed stator

 

Your charging system is probably ok.
You are probably getting misleading indications from the readouts after the car wash etc.
Do what you can to dry out the offending systems .
Use compressed air and/or WD40 to dry out the bar switches .
Put a fan in the area of the gauges to dry them out .
Did you actually run the bike through the car wash ???

 

Could be this. What mine did. However it would charge half way since compensator spring was friction driving it.

I have the SE comp so mine isn't slipping.
Could be a connection or a little bit of corrosion at battery.

Checked battery terminals, tight and clean during diagnostics.

I would pull connections, not just tighten. Could be the battery is even broke inside.

New battery and load tested as well.

Do you wear your rain coat when you go thru the car wash?

I don't melt lol.

That signal light code says to me corrosion from a lot of water washing out the grease in the connectors or just bad connections or rubbed wires.

Since I do all my own work, 103 build, SE comp, Cams, oil......etc etc I know a little about plugs and dielectric grease and corrosion. I don't have that problem as I maintain my ride well. You might say I am somewhat **** when it comes to maintenance. Probably a left over OCD thing from my Air Force days as a helicopter mechanic. Thanks for the tips though as I like anybody else could over look something.


Maybe I didn't explain it well so let me say it again. The blinker problem occurred on the ride to the car wash and went away after I got there and went away after I recycled the ignition before the wash. It has not reoccurred since that initial event. The car wash was the type you use a wand to was with and I only spray the engine, bags, and wheels with it. I don't use it on the handle bars or batwing.

I washed it on Friday, rode it all day on Saturday without an issue. The voltage problem occurred on Sunday, after a couple of hours of riding with the wife. I checked the stator output, and checked it for a short to ground and it was good, I checked the battery terminals along with the connections on the starter. I pulled the VR and checked the plugs for corrosion, none found. I checked the ground and it was tight and clean. I checked for voltage back to the battery from the VR through the harness and it was good. I then tested the stator pins on the VR for continuity and found one pin was way different from the other two. I have 78K miles on my rig so at worse I end up with a new VR and I still have the problem. I have talked to several other wrenches I know and they all seem to agree with my diagnosis. I will let you know happens when I get the new one installed next week.

Thanks again, this forum is a wealth of info and has helped me many times in the past. In fact the stator test and diagnosis process came from the electronics section on here.

 

yes I know there is no belt ana allso no alt , was trying to be funny but must have missed