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Charging issue

2K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  Tferreri 
#1 ·
My 2012 road glide the other showed my check engine light and battery light when I started it. My volt gauge was only reading 10-11. I put my battery on charge when I got home for over night which I do on a regular basis. Brought the battery to my dealer and it checked out to be good. Anybody have any ideas on what could be wrong? Thanks
 
#2 ·
Could be a couple of things, regulator and or stator. Do you have a manual? The procedures are in it for checking the two. If you don't have a manual do a search on the forum or web, there are plenty of things out there showing the procedures for checking the regulator and or stator.
 
#3 ·
Steps for checking the two are below, I hi-jacked this from another thread for ya.

Step 1. Normally, you'd first load test the battery, but we know you replaced yours.

Start the engine and measure DC Volts across the battery terminals, the regulator should be putting out 14.3 - 14.7 vdc at 3600 rpm and 75 degrees F.


Step 2. To check the regulator unplug it from the stator. Take a test light and clip it to the negative terminal of the battery and then touch first one pin and then the other on the plug that goes to the regulator. If you get even the slightest amount of light from the test light the regulator is toast.

To do this with a meter which is more accurate: black lead to battery ground, red lead to each pin on the plug, start with the voltage scale higher than 12vdc and move voltage scale down in steps for each pin. Any voltage is a bad regulator.
You may get battery voltage on all three pins on the newer 3 phase regulators.
The no voltage is for older type regulators with diode indicating the diode is bad and the regulator needs replacing.


Step 3. On the other part of the disconnected regulator plug. Set the multimeter for Ohms x1 scale and measure for resistance across the pins of the stator. You should read something around 0.1 to 0.2 ohms for the TC88 32 amp system.


Step 4. Then check for continuity between each pin on the plug and frame/engine ground. The meter needle should not move (infinite resistance)(digitals will show infinite resistance) if the meter needle does move (indicating continuity)(digitals will show some resistance), recheck very carefully. If the meter still shows continuity to ground the stator is shorted (bad).


Step 5. Set the meter to read A/C volts higher than 30 volts (the scale setting for voltage should always be higher than the highest voltage you expect or you may fry the meter). Start the bike, and measure from one pin to the other on the plug (DO NOT cross the multimeter probes! - touch them to each other). You should read roughly 16-20 vac per 1,000 rpm.


Step 6. If the battery was good under load test, if the stator is NOT shorted to ground, and the stator is putting out A/C voltage, then the regulator is bad (most likely even if if passed step 2).


Generally the following is true:
Check your owners/service manual for the system amp output for your bike.
22 amp system produces about 19-26 vac per 1,000 rpm, stator resistance is about 0.2 to 0.4 ohms.
32 amp system produces about 16-20 vac per 1,000 rpm, stator resistance is about 0.1 to 0.2 ohms.
45 amp system produces about 19-26 vac per 1,000 rpm, stator resistance is about 0.1 to 0.2 ohms.
 
#7 ·
I was fast to replace the MoCo-kit with a decent after-market kit, granted mine was a old shite :D and the new 3-phase 40 amps made a helluva difference!
The 2012 has a stock 38 or 48 amps system depending on model?
Anyway I would get a quality kit like the Cycle Electric alternator 80-kit that produces 50 amps at 2500 rpm. And it's made in the USA.
 
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#8 ·
I checked my regulator thanks to bandit 7's help and hopefully did it right. you tube helped a lot also. ordering a new one in the morning. Also did a little back ground and found out that in 2012 there was a recall on regulators. Not a safety recall though. Thanks for the help!
 
#12 ·
I had the same exact issue a few months ago. Was the regulator and I got a new one from Jon @ Horny Toad. Great price and service. Do yourself a favor and replace the battery at the same time. I didn't and soon after it died and left me at the dealer who charged it and tested it. It came out ok and then 2 weeks later died again. Yes I do hook up to tender when bike is in garage. 2nd test of battery showed it was bad and replaced under warranty. Only 6 months old at the time.


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#13 ·
I ended up buying one on ebay. Cost was a huge factor. 220.00 at the dealer. 90.00 for the one I bought from a company css auto electric> came labeled from a different company but both American and of course its made in china. isn't everthing. but still I'm pretty happy overall. heres the ebay Item number 171789739048
 
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