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Charging Problem 06 XL1200C

M

mlwildig

New Member
My check engine light and battery light comes on and drains battery. I have replaced the battery 3 times and regulator twice. Taken to the dealer and they have checked everything. Stator readings are 23 volts AC and idles and 60 at fast idles. Regulator reads 14.6 volts DC output. Grounds have all been checked and double checked, Battery has been checked and load tested. (less then a volt drop) Wire from regulator show 14.6 volts at regulator but at battery it is only 12volts or reads battery voltage only. Five HD mechanics have logged a total of 9 hours scratching their heads without solving the problem. Still the battery will not charge, engine light and battery light are on constantly. Continuity test have been run on the stator and shows 00.2 resistances. Continuity test on wiring from regulator to battery show no resistance.
Does anyone have any ideas why my system is not charging.
This all started after I had jumped on it and wound it up and then got off of it because a car pulled out in front of me. So high RPM acceleration with high RPM deceleration. Don't know if that helps.
 
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Wire from regulator show 14.6 volts at regulator but at battery it is only 12volts or reads battery voltage only.
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I would suspect that wire. It should read the same at both ends. Follow it inch by inch and see where the problem is.
 
Have checked continuity on the wire and it shows no resistances. Dealer had spend time checking the same and they are sure that it is good. I agree that that sounds like it has to be the problem.
 
Resistance is a funny thing. All it takes is one strand of wire to make a circuit and give continuity but that one strand will not carry the load properly.
 
This all started after I had jumped on it and wound it up and then got off of it because a car pulled out in front of me. So high RPM acceleration with high RPM deceleration. Don't know if that helps.
 
Could have thrown a magnet in the stator or some of the windings are damaged due to the reving that took place so stator/alternator is not producing 20V at speed (the regulator shunts the voltage down to 14.5 charge voltage) when at speed...the regulator is essentially out of the circuit when idling.
 
NEWHD74FAN could be on to something but from my experience (35 years in electronics) I think it's more likely that Glider's thought is correct. I've seen this exact problem many times.

Try looking at the output of the voltage regulator, at the regulator, at higher RPMs. If the voltage stays at the 14.6, or thereabouts, level at high RPMs then you've eliminated NEWHD74FAN's concern.

Do the same test again checking it at the battery. If you only read battery voltage then the wire is bad.

The best way to eliminate the wire as a problem is to bypass that questionable wire with another, known good, wire. You don't even need to cut out the old wire. Just parallel the new wire with the old one. If it fixes the problem, then you'll know what to do.

While you're playing with the wires, look to see if the wiring harness is being stretched tight anywhere. The physical movement of the engine under accelaration and deceleration may have stretched the wire to the point where some of the strands were broken. It could be as simple as that wire was cut just a bit too short when the wiring harness was built.
 
Well gentlemen, thank you all for your help. Glider you were correct in your thinking. It was not a broken or damaged wire but it was the connector itself. So same thing. The reason the jumper did not confirm that the regulator voltage was not getting to the battery was because the jumper had the same flat connector as the harness and neither was make a proper contact with the output side of the regulator connector.

So thanks as lot. Still had to pay for a battery and regulator that I did not need. But the problem is finally taken care of.
 
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