| Author | Message | ||
     Tq_freak |
Well, I think I join the ranks of the bad stator / regulator bunch. On the way to work this morning, 25 mile ride, Half way there I first notice I am at 6666 miles. Think to myself "that cant be good" and about half a mile later as I am watching for the ODO to change the check engine comes on and flash's SYSTEM VOLTAGE and then the battery light comes on, Flip over to the Battery screen and yep, its discharging. Pull a u-turn and head back to the house and it slowly drops the whole way back. was at 10 volts when I shut her off and didn't bother to try and re-start. Took the seats off and got a strong wiff of electrical "smoke" The regulator and battery were warm but not hot and the smell seamed to be coming from the regulator. Where do you all think I should start? Was thinking of trying the "un-fix" just to see what it does and if that doesn't have decent results then I guess its off to the dealer 2 hours away. | ||
| 1_mike |
Interesting you state the "regulator" was hot. Despite the harness redesign/change and all...I believe the main problem revolves around the regulator...NOT the stator. The wires coming from my regulator have been hot enough to turn the bright yellow insulation....sorta baby puke yellow. While it might be too late, I installed a small fan above my regulator. Right now it has an on-off switch. BUT...it "seems" to be helping, so in the next week or two, I'll wire it in permanent. It's an old computer power supply fan. It puts out 20cfm at .75amps. Though many think the stator is the problem, so far...I see the problem as the overly HOT (NO airflow), non-cooled regulator. Thanks Buell designers. At least they got it right on the XB models...! Mike | ||
| Dannybuell |
1_mike - can you show pictures of the fan setup for your regulator? THX | ||
| Freight_dog |
I incorrectly stated in the past that I have had two stator failures. In fact, the first failure was the regulator at about 800 miles, so I had the wiring harness installed then. Apparently they left the stator at that time, and it failed later at about 3900 miles. Hopefully this is a permanent fix. It has worked well for the last 100 miles or so. If not, I will be happy to let HD replace stators for the rest of my five year warranty and then I will try the "unfix". | ||
| Daniii |
We'll see, but I think the "Fix" is to protect the stator. If the stator was damaged before the fix, the fix only makes things worse. But we'll see. I lost the voltage regulator (to high voltage, no stator problems there), and so far two headlights. | ||
| Pammy |
You might be on to something there with regards to the regulator. Suzuki had the same issues. The regulator was in a bad spot. Replace the stator and the regulator (OEM mounting spot) and the same thing would happen again. The new fix was to move the regulator. | ||
| Ratsmc |
I started another topic on this then realized this is pretty much the same issue and questions so I'll just post my questions here: Since having the harness upgrade done, I have been watching my voltage drop at idle. It is getting to the point where I need to leave for work early to avoid any traffic so that I don't have to spend too long at a light. Clearly something is wrong but I am not completely sure whether this is the stator or the regulator (or both) and how much the harness upgrade is affecting the problem. The problem seems to be worse in the heat and in the afternoons when it is over 100 degrees but I am still seeing it in the mornings when it is only about 80. From what I have read, swapping out the regulator might fix the problem if the heat is causing the regulator to get too hot. Similarly, the stator baking issue is related to heat as well. My question is, what is the best course of action at this point? The bike is annoying to ride in this state but my real fear is that it will get worse. Do I just wait it out, expecting the stator to fry itself? Do I try to get the dealer to fix it? How likely are they to actually do anything? Do I drop the cash and time on the regulator mod? | ||
| Freight_dog |
Ratsmc. If it was me and I still had warranty, I would take it to the dealer. If you report charging issues they should at least inspect the system free of charge under warranty work. If you get a new stator, voltage regulator or both it is a much cheaper solution both short and long term, but you will lose use of the bike for up to several weeks while they get parts. With a new regulator and stator, you should be much happier with how it runs at least until the next failure, if it fails again at all. If you are out of warranty and are willing to do the work yourself, I would try the aftermarket regulator, rewound stator solution, assuming those components are fried. Good luck! | ||
| Daniii |
Ratsmc, I believe your stator is fried. Same thing happened to Nightmare. I think the "fix" is intended to both unload the stator and probably keep the voltage regulator from overheating as well. Time will tell, of course, but my voltage has been between 13.9 and 14.2 since the new voltage regulator was installed. | ||
| Mac_inger |
Well,..i just got home from picking my bike at the dealer. Didnt take long,...they said the parts weren't back ordered as far as they knew. Here is what the receipt says : Stator assy voltage regulator gasket flywheel magneto ring sealing calibration update Turned the bike on and it was 14.3. Drove 20 minutes home. When i got here i was at 12.4. People keep saying they are annoyed with hearing about these charging issues and that many dont have problems. What the hell do i know,..ill just ride it until it dies again or hopefully it doesnt and then take it back in. | ||
| Tq_freak |
Did a little messing with it this afternoon. Measured the voltage across the battery running in the "fixed" an "Un-Fixed" states. In both instances it was discharging, only 12.5 volts and dropping. Does anyone have the spec on what the Stator should be putting out? I measured that also and only got about 2.5 - 3 volts AC, something tells me it should be higher then that. Heat on the regulator might be a problem, Maybe this winter I'll machine a heat sink for and see if that helps. | ||
| Nukeblue |
a/c output at 3,000 rpm should be 45-55 volts ac. directly from my wiring service manual **there is no spec for any other rpm** (Message edited by nuke-blue on September 15, 2010) | ||
| Daniii |
TQ, I think your stator is fried. | ||
| Tq_freak |
SH#T well, only hope was I was at idle. Fingers crossed. neighbors and wife aren't going to like me holding it at 3 grand to check it tomorrow. Thanks Nukeblue!! | ||
| 1_mike |
Danny - No, I don't have pictures. It's pretty simple. I just rerouted all of the wires, harness sections and hoses away from/to the right of the regulator. Then just set the fan above the regulator, against the subframe. It's pretty much locked in place by it's surroundings. I spaced the fan grating (wire protective cover) out .25" to make sure there is enough air availability above the fan. There is about .50" of space between the fan and the bottom of the seat. The wire grating is just insurance nothing gets into it and as noted, to insure enough air volume. Daniii - Not good to speak ill of things you apparently have no clue about. It just shows your ....... The regulators get hot...! They get hot because of what they do....they cut the output of the stator to a usable value. They also convert AC power to DC power...which also creates heat..! In case no one realizes...heat in electronics is a killer..! The 1125's regulator is in a very poor place for air circulation to carry off the aforementioned heat. As I stated...buy into it or not, it doesn't bother me. The fan appears to be doing the job it was designed for....air flow..to cool, in this case, my CR's regulator. I had serious thoughts of moving the regulator out into better airflow. Looks like I may not have to. Mike | ||
| Freight_dog |
Tq_freak, yes I think they all discharge at idle. My system seems to work correctly and sitting in traffic my volts drop to the 12 V range. As soon as things start moving, the volts jump back to the high 13's. This bike is just not well suited for city riding. Sucks for all of us who live in cities. | ||
| Jdugger |
> This bike is just not well suited for city riding. It's not the first, either. It might be the worst example of a modern bike that just doesn't charge at idle/low RPMs, but I had two different bikes of mid-80s make, an XL100 and Nighthawk 650, that would eventually stall out and die if you let them idle too long because the battery would drain. I'd sit at lights "Vrooom! Vrooom!" with the headlight only bright at the peak of the blip  I think sportbikes are kinda lousy in town for a whole host of reasons. The ergonomics aren't great for stop and go traffic, and frankly, they aren't that fun at all at neighborhood speeds. If I did a lot of in-town, I'd get either a Motard or something like an FJR where you have some bags and can go to the store or ride to work without having to wear a backpack with a change of shoes, your laptop, etc. | ||
| Daniii |
Well, my bike has always idled at 13.8 volts or above, even with the fan running, at idle. I've never had an issue with riding the bike in traffic (I live in Plano, work in Richardson, and if you know this area, it's definately urban.) And if the wiring update does what it is supposed to, the voltage regulator doesn't have to dissipate as much heat, as the stator doesn't put out as much current. At least that's the plan. Your fan seems like a good idea though. But if you are seeing 12V at idle, I think your stator is toast. | ||
| Dirty_john |
Think I will get hold of a CPU cooling fan tomorrow, come to think of it I have an old PC with both a casing fan and a CPU fan, I even have some heat conduction paste left from a recent PC build Good idea to fit a fan to the regulator, there is some good logic in keeping the regulator cool. Thanks for the tip 1_mike (Message edited by Dirty_john on September 16, 2010) | ||
| 1_mike |
Dirty - Make sure you get a fan that's 20cfm or higher. I don't think a lesser cfm fan would be enough air flow. In this case, the more the better. I've seen them with as much as 50cfm at .8 amp draw. That would be the best way to go. Also get the wire grating. And just to prove my point for you non-belivers...I didn't come up with this idea...I pilfered it from the computer manufacturers...! Most all high powered main chips have their own dedicated fans on them. Mike P.s. - I've never seen less thAn 12.8 volts on the dash gauge. And that was at a long signal on a 105 degree day. But because the overall voltage has dropped slightly from when new...AND..all of everyone elses problems...I'm just doing what I can to let my "extra" stator remain in it's box as long as possible. (Message edited by 1_mike on September 16, 2010) | ||
| 1_mike |
Here's a good fan.. Same dimensions as the one I have, just more air output. Look around this site, you may find a higher output fan. Mike | ||
| Keef |
Patton makes some nice air recirculators they flow lots of air.........  | ||
| Red93stang |
What is the turn around time now for a stator and regulator job at a dealer? Are the parts still on back order? | ||
| Mac_inger |
Redstang: mine took 4 days. Dealer said the parts are Not backordered. On a side note,..im seeing as low as 12.4v with brand new regulator and stator. You guys think i should go back and have the dealer recheck installation ? | ||
| Freight_dog |
Mac, I would say no. The system will not charge at idle. If it does, the VR may be bad, it is set up to operate at 2/3 capacity below 3000 rpm. My brand new stator shows low 12's at long idle, jumps right back up to 14 when I move again. That is normal. I would say revving to 3000 rpm at stoplights is a bad idea too because you are adding a LOT of heat and in no way will the fans keep up until you are moving again. | ||
| Mac_inger |
Freight_dog thanks for the info. Last thing i would do is rev it at idle. Practice has shown me (and it makes sense) that voltage drops drastically when the bike is hot. In fact keeping it above 5k rpm all the time has actually been showing me lower voltage because of the heat generated,..im having better luck somewhere around 4.5k and actually not running the bike that hard. Btw,..im seeing 12.4v in traffic and heat,..not only at idle. Im glad these discussions are still going with everybody's input. If there's anyone that can solve an issue is the combined brains of this board | ||
| 1_mike |
Mac - As noted...as heat goes up..... Hence...a "cooler" regulator...! Granted, we haven't had many 100+ degree days lately here, but even the 90+ degree days, the output has been good and not dropped below 13.2 at any time I've noticed since the addition of the fan. No more 12 volts so far. Keef - Showing your ignorance again. On the other hand...if I could get a small, harder breathing fan in there...I would..! Mike | ||
| Mac_inger |
Mike pm-ed you,..didnt want to continue hijacking the thread. | ||
| Freight_dog |
I apologize Mac, I assumed you meant at idle. If you are seeing 12 v at 4,000 rpm and higher, something is still wrong. Yes I would take it back. | ||
| Tq_freak |
Well, was able to test it off idle and I am officially screwed @ 4 grand my stator is putting out 3.4 volts, that is not good. Anyone dealt with H-D of Hickory NC? Looks like I will be calling them on Monday. |
