| Author | Message | ||
     Mac_inger |
Hey guys,..this is my first post here,..been a lurker for a long time. to the issue: 08 Firebolt 18 000 miles on it. On the freeway, suddenly engine light comes on. Just before i reach destination as i'm easing off the throttle, dashboard goes blank and instruments to 0, then as i was slowing the bike into parking it died. Tried to start it after a while and it would only click but not turn. Went and bought a new battery since i hadn't changed mine since i bought the bike. It ran great all evening until today when i started it in the morning it had the slightest issue turning then 10 minutes later down the street again the same: engine light, then dashboard gone, then it started backfiring like crazy until i parked. Same thing now,..clicks but wont turn. 2 weeks ago i changed oil,..both engine and transmission. This is the first problem i have ever had on this bike, thought they were immortal. Any ideas really appreciated as this is my only means of transportation. thanks Mac | ||
| Thespive |
Sounds like you have a bad ground, or possibly a draw somewhere. Recheck your battery connections and grounds to start. --Sean | ||
| Krueger08xb12s |
regulator/rectefier. my sister had a similar prob with a honda. basically, your bike is running off of the battery alone and getting no charge or elec support from the alternater | ||
| Xbgeorge |
I just went through the same thing. It's an 08 XB12R, with 12,000. It turned out to be a bad stator. | ||
| Skully |
Mac, Check the connections to the battery first. Keith | ||
| Damnut |
+1 Check the battery connections first. Then go through and do an Ohms/Voltage check on the stator and voltage regulator. There should be a procedure on how to do an Ohms/Voltage check in the Knowledge Vault. | ||
| Damnut |
Oh and the same thing happened to me on the way to work one day, turned out to be the voltage regulator. I now have a spare stator and voltage regulator sitting in my parts bin, just in case it happens again and I need one quick. | ||
| Mac_inger |
thank you very much guys. I will check these things in the mornings and come back to you im sure  cheers Mac | ||
| Mac_inger |
Damnut: do you by any chance have a link to the procedure on how to do the ohm/Volt check on stator and regulator? Been looking around for while cant seem to find it thanks Mac | ||
| Ghost_rider33 |
I had the same issue with my 08 Lightning. The dealer picked it up from my house, and they fixed it. They changed the stator and rotor, the battery and some other stuff. Warranty issue. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
It sounds like your battery is not being charged. There are several different things that can cause this, and the only way to determine the problem is to work methodically from the battery back to the stator. Here is a very good test procedure that I have in my notes. I apologize to the author whose name was lost in the haze of time. testing stator, voltage regulator, battery A no-charge condition can be one, the other, or both. Throwing parts at it is great! Keep guessing, you're making my HD stock go up. To properly test a charging system: Step 1: CHARGE the battery. Don't do this by revving the bike, do this by charging the battery. Step 2: Set multimeter to DC volts, and connect directly to battery posts. It should read 12.8-ish to 13.2-ish. If it's lower, see step 1, or replace battery. if your battery is more than two years old, it might not hurt to throw a new one in there, unless you like riding in tow trucks more than riding on motorcycles. Step 3: Start bike. Battery should NOT drop below (ideally) 9 volts while cranking. Typically, if it'll crank the bike over at a consistant speed, for a few seconds, it's fine. This is not a true load test, but it's close enough for the homeboy mechanic. If you own a true load tester, you shouldn't be getting your electrical advice from the internet, anyways. step 4: at idle, Multimeter should read 13.5+ volts. Just off idle, to redline, should read 14.4 volts. Less than 14 is serious cause for concern, as is much OVER 14.4. If it's 14.7 or higher, go buy a regulator right now, and avoid running the bike until it's charging at 14.4 or less. Battery explosions suck. OK, less than 14 volts? Check: Battery cable tightness, regulator ground, stator connections, etc. Re-test. THEN with bike OFF, unplug stator. Connect multimeter leads to stator side of the connector. DON'T jam your multimeter leads directly into connector, unless you LOVE intermittant electrical issues. Note: now is the time to pray some previous owner didn't JAM his multimeter leads into the connector. If you've ever met one of your wife's ex-boyfriends, you know what I'm talking about. Once making contact with your multimeter, set it OHM's. It doesn't matter which stator wire you connect to, as you'll try them all. Pick one pair, measure, then swap ONE lead to the other wire. Measure, then swap the lead you DIDN'T move the first time. 3 ohms or less, you're golden. if the meter reads "open" or similar, you're buying a stator. If it reads significantly higher than 3 ohms, you're buying a stator (what's "significant"? 6 ohms or more). Now check all 3, one at a time, against ground (The engine, frame, chassis, negative battery terminal, etc). It SHOULD read open. If it reads any resistance (Ohms), at all, go buy a stator. OK. So we know the stator is not fubar'd, yet. Notice we're moving on, and we didn't ohm-check the regulator. That's because there is NO such test. Sorry. You can ohm-check it if you want, but it's not a valid test. I've measured several dozen, some new, some used, some old, some new, some bad, some good. The consistancy just isn't there. Because the regulator also rectifies, it can fail in many different ways. Undercharging, no charging, failure to rectify, etc. I've seen regulators with the backs melted off, putting out ZERO volts, smoking from the input voltage, and not having a proper ground, and they've ohm'ed out the same as the brand new unit that fixed the problem. Back to the stator. Bike OFF, switch multimeter to AC voltage. Now, this is the point where the bike can shock you, hurt you, kill you, insult your children, and knock up your wife. You're playing with AC, so no touchie on the wires, okay? Hook up, start the bike, and measure the AC output between any two wires. Got voltage? Good. Does it increase in a relatively linear fashion with RPM? Good. Honestly, at this point, I don't remember the spec, so maybe someone will chime in with it (Assuming they've read this far). If you have a service manual, it's in there. Now check the other combinations of stator wires, like we did for the ohm-check. If you have smooth, linear AC power starting at the mid-teen range, and ending up at 35 Volts or so, and the output is similar for all three legs, the stator is OK. It's the behavior more than the actual number at this point, but the number need to be reasonable enough to provide voltage for a 12 volt system. So if the stator is outputting (and if it doesn't pass the ohm-check, it won't be), and the battery isn't charging 14.4-ish, go buy, and install a regulator, and retest at the battery, looking for 14.4 (DC, you did reset your meter to DC to test the battery, right?) volts. If that doesn't fix it, let me know. Also don't forget to re-connect the stator to the regulator, before continuing on with other tests, or test rides. Don't ask how I know this. The connector between the VR and the battery, the infamous #77 is often a cause of this problem, but I think this may have been changed on your model. Normally the Voltage Regulator is the most fragile part of this system. Using Mobil One gear oil has been reported to cause premature stator failure: use HD Formula + in the primary. The secret here is buying the manual, work slowly, be patient. Just changing parts out and praying is a technique that can take months to fix this problem. Don't ask.  Let us know how you fixed it, OK? | ||
| Gunut75 |
Thats the best writeup I have ever seen! Nice work!  | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Perhaps the brother who wrote this will step up and take the well deserved applause. If I recall, he was a professional Buell Tech, who clearly knows his stuff. Anyone? | ||
| Murraebueller |
Most excellent advice | ||
| Mac_inger |
Unreal. Thank you Jon,..will let you know how it goes. | ||
| Mac_inger |
"Using Mobil One gear oil has been reported to cause premature stator failure: use HD Formula + in the primary. " btw,..two weeks ago i changed to mobil 1 : / | ||
| Brumbear |
POP goes the weasel | ||
| Mac_inger |
POP goes the weasel albeit it was the 20w50 v twin one that many here use normally .... | ||
| Nik |
"Using Mobil One gear oil has been reported to cause premature stator failure: use HD Formula + in the primary. " GL-5 Gear oil has additives which degrade yellow metals like those found in the XB stator... and many car transmissions. Of course you can't find GL-4 or earlier oils easily because GL-5 is so much better right?! Motor oil doesn't have the same effect. | ||
| Greg_e |
Mobil was supposed to have made a special motorcycle version of the synthetic oil that fixed this issue. I haven't studied the subject so I'm not sure if it is real or not. | ||
| Blake |
If the oil is touching the copper in your stator, the stator has already failed. | ||
| Mac_inger |
So now that we have established that my rotor is gone...! ...the stealership is asking 420 bucks for the part while Al sells it for 130,...how difficult would you say it is to swap the thing out myself ? (with help from a more mechanically gifted friend, who doesn't have buell experience unfortunately ) | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
A few suggestions if I may........ 1. Never go back to that dealer. Ever. 2. Buy part from Al. 3. Find local independent Harley shop to do work. Takes two hours max if you have done it before. Nothing here that a good Harley guy has not seen hundred of times before. Make sure you have the shop manual and parts book. 4. A good mechanic with the manual should not have any trouble with this job. The only problem is the engine shaft nut which is on pretty tight and should NOT be removed with any impact tool. When reinstalling the front nut, note that torque spec has been increased to 250 ft. lb.s. Not all guys have that big a wrench. 5. While the primary case is open, and the stator and clutch removed, you may want to check the condition of the primary chain, the clutch and especially the primary chain tensioner. It is a simple matter to replace them at this time. 6. Just one other thing. I would double check the stator failure diagnosis. A few weeks of Mobil One would be unlikely to cause failure. Possible, but unlikely. I would replace the voltage regulator as a precautionary measure as it is impossible to test them. Your dealer does not sound like a serious person, and snap diagnosis are easy to make and often wrong. A lot of dealers will just start out swapping parts, charge a lot, and keep going hoping to fix the problem without really ever diagnosing it properly. Keep us informed. Good luck. | ||
| Froggy |
Is your 08 still under warranty? | ||
| Moonrunrs |
Sorry, who is Al and how can I contact him if necessary? | ||
| Mac_inger |
It was a typo. Mine is 07,...not under warranty anymore. Al Leighton = http://www.americansportbike.com} | ||
| Moonrunrs |
Oh, okay thanks. | ||
| Froggy |
I would check that first. It is an issue on 07's but not the 08's, so before doing anything expensive take the few minutes and check it. |
