I need some guidance from some of you charging system gurus.
Dusty appears to have an emerging problem with her charging system. The symptoms include:
- Voltage gauge showing ~13.5 volts when running down the road at 3,000 RPM. I've ridden approximately 300 miles in this condition and the battery has not (yet) discharged or resulted in a sluggish start. Prior to this, the gauge consistently showed ~14.2 volts @ 3,000 RPM.
- Intermittent (twice in the last two years) loss of power - engine seems to randomly bog when twisting the throttle. Both instances were within five minutes of a cool morning, first start. Turning the engine off and restarting seems to clear the problem. No codes were thrown.
- One recent instance where the Infotainment system powered-down while riding. The Infotainment system powered back-up after a subsequent stop.
Other pertinent facts:
- 2015 CVO Road Glide Ultra - stock 110 engine, ~43,250 miles
- Battery was replaced with a recently manufactured unit in September 2021
When I had the bike at the H-D dealership for other maintenance work this week, I requested they run a diagnostic on the charging system. The tech concluded the stator has failed (or is failing). I tried to get the details of his prognosis, but the service advisor wouldn't allow me to speak with the tech. The most detail I got out of the service advisor is the stator output was 0.3 volts. Further, the H-D stator was on backorder until early June.
The tech has approximately three years experience and I was not convinced I agreed with his prognosis. The yellow flag for me was if the stator is only producing 0.3 volts, how is the voltage gauge consistently showing 13.5 volts and no major ignition problems? I picked-up with bike and thought I would do a little diagnosis myself in hopes of narrowing the problem down to the stator or regulator.
I don't know much about motorcycle charging systems, but am pretty good at reading instructions and have some basic mechanical skills and tools (Fieldpiece SC66 multi-meter). Using the diagnostic process outlined by JP Cycles (
https://www.jpcycles.com/common-tread/how-to/step-by-step-instructions-for-testing-your-harleys-charging-system), I came up with the following test results:
- Battery voltage before charging - 12.4 DCV
- Battery voltage after charging on tender overnight - 12.9 DCV (tender showed fully charged)
- Charging system voltage test - 13.22 DCV @ 2,000 RPM (consistent with voltage gauge). I would expect this to be 13.8-15.0 DCV.
- Stator AC output check @ 2,000 RPM - 32.1 / 33.1 / 30.3 (3-phase system). That appears to be below or on the low end of the specifications. The test guide states one would expect to see 38-52 VAC (if 22 or 45 amp systems) or 32-40 VAC (if 32 amp system). After a little research, I’ve learned my model has the high output charging system, but I’ve not found a reference to the expected AC output ranges.
- Stator resistance check - within specification at 0.3 ohms for all three wires (resistance of test leads is 0.1 ohms)
- Stator continuity test - meter read 0.001 and the audible alarm sounded with a GREEN light. I'm not sure if this is pass/fail, as just touching the two leads together produces the same result.
- I did not perform the regulator test, as I didn't want to remove the regulator needlessly and it's usually a process of elimination. If battery and stator test good, the problem is the regulator. If battery tests good and stator tests bad, it's the stator and may/may not be the regulator.
Given the mixed results above, I'm inclined to conclude the stator is, in fact, failing because of the marginal stator AC output.
Can some of you charging system experts provide your opinion and recommendations?
Thank you in advance.
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Topic: Charging System Diagnosis - 2015 CVO Road Glide Ultra (Read 1072 times)