| Author | Message | ||
     Reducati |
i have 11k on the odo...it sunday, start my cr up, get dressed whilst she warms up...battery light is on...i look at the volts...11.8....system voltage message pops up...11.7 volts...check engine lights up...original stator, 2 month old battery. options? im thinking of the ebr rotar, and new stator. i know the ebr stator is $175..how much is the stator costs...and what kind of hours for labor (h.d. is around 90/hour i believe) thanks, and i welcome any suggestions. | ||
| Timebandit |
OK, you've got low system voltages, and the stators are known to fail, but nobody's established that you've got a bad stator. To know for sure what's causing the problem, you really need to run through the troubleshooting flow chart in the electrical diagnostics manual. Just because you have low volts doesn't mean that you have a bad stator. It could be any one of several things, so you really need to run through the diagnostics, or pay someone to do them for you. You didn't mention if your bike has the charging system harness or not. If so, don't forget to check the relay before offering someone lots of money to replace expensive internal parts. It's always possible that you have a cheap problem not an expensive one. | ||
| Samg |
After the light came on, did you take the bike out? And if you did, light shut of while you were riding ? | ||
| Samg |
Agree with timebandit | ||
| Reducati |
i reversed the harness update i believe around 6k, at least a year ago. i rode around the block, and the lights stayed on, and the voltage cont to drop. the harness update was on the bike from about 400 miles to 6k, and the last 5k w/o the update. | ||
| Reducati |
im going to have the bike towed to illinois harley, sometime this week  (Message edited by reducati on April 29, 2012) | ||
| Timebandit |
since you've eliminated the harness/relay from the list of usual suspects, then you've eliminated the only cheap to fix problem. now you're left with more expensive things, like stator, voltage regulator. i'm guessing that you're out of warranty, and the fix is going to be on your dime. the silver lining in all of this is that you caught the problem before you suffered a catastrophic failure on a ride, and got stranded somewhere like area one. your best hope right now is that it's a failing vreg. replacing those isn't very expensive compared to replacing the stator. if you end up replacing a dead stator, i'd go one step further, and have the dealer pull off your rotor while they have the bike open, and install the EBR rotor-exchange that adds the oil jet modification. right now, that seems to be the best fix for prolonging stator life. it makes sense to protect a new stator if you have to buy one. if you do end up replacing the stator, do you have plans for the dead core? i'm going to be borrowing an industrial photographic microscope in the near future to examine a couple of duds, and i'd much rather look at 3 duds than 2. i'd be happy to look at yours if you'd be willing to donate the dead core to our stator experiment project. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/290 431/676683.html | ||
| Reducati |
time, yes, i will gladly donate the dead stator if that what it turns out to be...one question...if it was the voltage regulator going out...would i not see high voltage showing up, instead of low voltage...and yes, im def going to get the ebr rotor. | ||
| Timebandit |
there are a bunch of different tests that you need to perform to determine if it's the stator or vreg. Check your email. | ||
| Reducati |
time...nothing in my inbox. | ||
| Timebandit |
then check you spamfilter. i sent you an email via a PM through the board. | ||
| Reducati |
got it  thanks! | ||
| Jumpinjewels |
I had called the HD dealer that we bought my bike from and was told to replace the stator/rotor it was about a 4 hr job. (Message edited by jumpinjewels on May 01, 2012) | ||
| C818919 |
I did it in about one hr. | ||
| Timebandit |
replacing just the stator doesn't take all that long once you know how to do it. the problem is that the first time that the average guy does the job it will be a learning experience and the job will take longer than you'd expect. the procedure is fairly simple -- you just disconnect the battery, disassemble some wires from their connectors under the seat, pull them through the bike, disconnect the oil cooler lines, disconnect the crank position sensor, remove the ignition cover and stator, install the new stator with the proper theadlocker, and then do everything backwards. pulling off the ignition cover and getting it back on without hitting the rotor with the stator is harder than it sounds. anyone who could do all this in an hour without buggering something up would earn my respect -- especially if it's the first time you've ever done this. replacing the rotor makes the job significantly more complicated. you have to drop the exhaust, you have to drain the oil, you have to remove the plug for the crank locker access port, then you have to do all that other stuff that i mentioned in the first paragraph for the stator, then you have to rotate the motor into the proper Top Dead Center position to lock the crankshaft, then you need to heat the rotor nut to remove it with a breaker bar, and then you can pull off the old rotor. then, once everything is off, you have to clean the 648 threadlocker off of the crankshaft with brakleen and a wire brush. then, once you've got the rotor off, you've got to disassemble the sprag clutch assembly and threadlock into place on the new rotor. then you get to bolt the new rotor down with loctite 272 and torque it to 300 ft-lb. once you've got all that done, you get to do everything I've talked about -- backwards -- to put everything back together. suffice it to say that having done this a few times, i would be impressed by anyone that could do it all in an hour. if anyone is willing to bill only an hour for the job, i'll gladly pay you in cash to do all the work on my bikes. i need a good buell mechanic who's better than i am. remember, 4 hours of shop time is an average, and that sounds totally reasonable for the complete rotor/stator swap. if you've done it before and you were well organized and quick, then you could get the work done in the 4 hour book time or faster. i don't doubt that an experienced tech could beat the book. if you're a DIY-type who's never done it before, or if you prefer to work at a leisurely pace, then plan on spending more than 4 hours while you familiarize yourself with the procedures and the methods for assembly/disassembly of the bike. if i wanted someone to do the work for me, i wouldn't balk at a 4-hour charge for labor, and I wouldn't be upset if an efficient mechanic billed 4 and got the work done in less time. that's how they make a living. you might find someone who is faster, but most shops won't bid under the book rate. if you can find someone who is willing to do the work for a one-hour time charge, then jump on the deal. (Message edited by timebandit on May 02, 2012) | ||
| Reducati |
Time, thanks for the post. Your posts, as usual, very informative....my mechanical skills dont make it past oil changes though....its at IL harley now..waiting on a diagnoisis...p/u my new ebr rotor..and on a side note, wow, what a difference a year makes..i went to EBR shop in east troy....the entrance is sweet!..like a history of Buell bikes in person....also the receptionist was very sweet! | ||
| Jumpinjewels |
Thanks Bob for your post. As I wanted to comment on the one hour poster I decided not to. As an experienced mechanic, it took my hubby close to 4 hrs to install my stator/rotor kit. And my bike is running great now. Voltage staying in the 14 range even with heated grips and vest turned on. |
