| Author | Message | ||
     Nkjn3979 |
Hello, I am new to the forum! I have to say this site is pure awesome. Anyhow, I purchased 2001 Buell Blast about a month ago. When I purchased it, the previous owner said to always keep the bike battery on a trickle charge and gave me one of his during the sale of the bike. So, as I was riding I noticed the bike would start well in the morning when I leave and start to die out by the time I ride back home. I bought a new battery and changed the spark plug to the irdium plug. Still, the bike is losing charge. So, I bought a multimeter and checked the battery. While not running battery reads 12.4. While running it drops to 11.9 and when I rev the engine, it goes back up to 12.1 or 2. I am guessing there is a problem with the stator, but I can't be sure. Also, I checked the battery volts with each fuses in and out. Fuses all checked out ok. The battery is not being drained while the bike is off, though,(checked with the voltmeter). Please HELP!@!!!! | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Regulator, stator or rotor, probably the stator. The battery is being drained from normal running (running the lights, ignition, etc. without being charged back up). The Blast charging system is not my forte' , so hopefully others will now chime in. While I could figure out the appropriate diagnostic checks, I do not have them from memory and since changing the stator is a somewhat involved procedure I don't want to condemn it without further investigation | ||
| Nkjn3979 |
Thank you Gearheaderiko! It is a bummer having to carry around 15lb battery jumper everyday.  | ||
| Buellistic |
With the FACTORY SERVICE MANUAL and PARTS BOOK for your YEAR/MODEL BLAST you can trouble shoot the problem/problems as all the necessary information is in the two books ... | ||
| Nkjn3979 |
Thanks for the advise Buellistic. I have the owner's manual in PDF format, but I am quite a newbie on all bike related stuff, so I'm seeking help. PLEASE HELP~~  | ||
| Milt |
Buy the Factory Service Manual and Parts Book. These two books are the single best investment any Blast owner can make. | ||
| Patches |
Physically check your Wiring Harness for defects. Videos may help some. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb7WHaL_dz8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPOEkm3YFew http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwnFCTeNdc0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyNYlaoInUE | ||
| Buellistic |
With the engine running at 2000 RPM, the voltage across the + and - terminals should be between 13 to 15 volts ... This also applies to your car or PU truck !!! | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Yep, he's already checked that. He already knows the system isn't charging. What he needs to know is it the stator, rotor, regulator or broken wire? How about helping him out with the simple diagnostic procedures needed, rather than piecemeal it to him in random little morsels until he's so fed up he takes it to the dealer or (as has happened far too often) he just sells the bike. | ||
| Nkjn3979 |
Thanks for all your help guys, especially Gearheaderiko. I am planning to take out the regulator to see if it is working, if not I think it is time for me to take it to a RIPOFF motorcycle service shop..... | ||
| Ezblast |
Both stator and regulator usually go - one killing the other - check regulator for bleed to the stator - check both pins, and check voltage from regulator to battery. if both ok - then stator - usually - though regulator usually trashes stator when going bad and can be a more common of the two, also using gear oil in the primary can also trash your stator due to excessive sulfates. EZ | ||
| Nkjn3979 |
Thank you Ez, I will give that a try. Starting with the regulator. I am a big fan of your work! I will update as I probe for the problem. | ||
| Nkjn3979 |
Hello Guys, I tried taking a look at the regulator....but I cannot not find it....or how to search for problems.... would you please help a newbie out??? Thanks, Below are the photos of the voltmeter on the battery. First With Key OFF  While IDLE  While REV   | ||
| Ezblast |
Should run at hottest 12.4 at temps above 230, usually should be 13 and above - regulator bleeding frying the stator? EZ | ||
| Ezblast |
regulator black box under frame area for seat for max cooling. Two pin connection goes into regulator from stator. EZ | ||
| Patches |
 | ||
| Ezblast |
oops - silver - lol EZ | ||
| Nkjn3979 |
Hello guys, I saw an old posting about Regulators EZBLAST wrote. Ezblast: It's pretty easy, first check the battery voltage, it should be 12-12.7volts DC. Next start the bike and rev it to about 2k, the voltage at the battery should be 13.5-14 volts DC. If you don't get anything over 12vdc with the engine running you will need to find where the leads from the stator plug into the regulator. On the tubers it is just above the oil pump and is a round connector with 2 pins. Unplug it, change the meter to AC volts, start the bike again and see if it runs around 27 volts AC @ 2,000 rpm. If not your stator is dead, if it does then your regulator is dead. There are more detailed tests but that is the simplest and fastest. If your bike isn't starting due to a weak battery, go ahead and charge it for awhile. I followed the test and here are the results.   While IDLE the stator was giving 27.3 AC charge. So does this mean that I have to replace the Regulator??? | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
I would assume its the regulator. I can't of any reason it could be anything else. Much easier to replace too! | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
PS thanks for using the search feature! Great repost. | ||
| Ezblast |
Damn that EZ guy gets around - nice find - lol EZ | ||
| Swampy |
Right, If you are getting that kind of voltage from the stator wires at idle it is probably the regualtor, (assuming that when you rev it the AC volts go up from idle) The regulator takes the AC volts and converts them into DC volts by acting as a diode only allowing the top part of the AC voltage wave form, or 1/2 of the AC voltage, so half of 27.3 is...13.65 which would be a good charge rate at idle...make sure that all of the connections are clean and correct before you buy stuff though. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Thank you Swampy! | ||
| Nkjn3979 |
Hello Guys! Good news, my new regulator came!  I installed it and when its on, the charge goes up very slowly while idle. I have not yet drove it around but I left it on a float charger for the night. I will drive it around 20 miles tomorrow to see if the battery recharged. I ran into some trouble though, The connection from the stator to the regulator, Picture Below, is there a correct side to plug them? There were a weird symbol on both cables so I matched the sides accordingly, but would you guys double check this for me Thanks!  The picture is blury but there is a symbol on each of the cable. Also, what is this thing?  From my research it is some kind of smog reducer only in CA. When I was working on the regulator, I checked the cables connected to this thing, and it was a mickey mouse job. All the tubes were connected with nothing and pluged with rusted screws. I guess the previous owner did something... So I took this thing off the bike, will this affect the riding? Thanks for all your help guys!!! | ||
| Nkjn3979 |
ONE MORE QUESTION~~~~ Is it OKAY to leave the float charger on the battery while the battery is connected to the motorcycle? Will the charger damage the electrical system if too frequently charged(like every night)? Thank You! | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Yes, CA smog canister. Large hose gets plugged. Small hose going to carb gets plugged. Small hose going to tank is left open. DO NOT CONNECT THIS CANISTER UP. it's okay to leave the battery on a "Battery Tender" (tm) all the time. If its not a "battery tender" brand charger then read the directions as it depends on the charger and serious damage can result from turning on the ignition with other types of chargers connected. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
PS Mickey Mouse job is perfectly fine when it comes to the CA EPA charcoal canister. The most important thing is that it is disconnected!! You can clean things up later (it has a lot of unnecessary hoses now)! I'll try and remember to check the regulator. | ||
| Indiebiker |
First off, thank you very much to Nkjn3979 for pasting the testing writeup and pictures. Very valuable info here and it's much appreciated. I'm in in the same boat- something wrong with the charging system and I have a new battery. When I run the bike, it slowly loses voltage, and the voltage does not increase at all as I rev it. Using the test posted above, I ran the bike with the stator to regulator plug disconnected (round plug with 2 prongs) and tested the AC voltage. With my multimeter set to AC voltage (not DC) it showed exactly 0.0 (no) voltage. I tested it by touching the multimeter prongs to both the female and male ends of the plug (I couldn't tell if there was a positive/negative side so I tried it both ways on each end and still no voltage). Is it safe to assume the stator is dead? Did I test this the correct way given that I had a zero voltage reading? Secondly, if my stator is dead, what all is involved in replacing it? The primary/stator cover looked like it would be tricky to remove due to all the things in the way. Any guidance here would be appreciated. | ||
| Ezblast |
yes - you'll have to go into the primary - just a bit of wrenching, no big challenge - if you plan to go there there are other things you can do as well that make the bike a better bike as well. EZ |
