Voltage Fluctuation

[roadrageisfun]

Today I was riding from Lafayette, LA to Baton Rouge right before the LSU game. After getting stuck in 90 plus degree weather the voltage on my bike started fluctuating between 11 and 14 volts. My engine light and oil lights would come on. I thought it may be because the bike was hot. After sitting for about 2 hours I started back home and once again the warning lights came on. Anyone have any ideas???? I am going to take it to the local HD dealer on Tuesday. I hope they can figure it out with little or no problems.

 

[RedLdr1]

I do not know if your bike is affected but there is a H-D recall going for defective Voltage Regulators on 2012 models. There is a thread here that you might want to check out...

EDIT: Here is the thread on the recall...

 

[Ol' Grey]

Agreed.........When seeing that type of fluctuation of voltage, my first thought would be a bad voltage regulator. If you've got a multi-meter, you could even test for it while the bike is parked and at idle. Set the meter at 20 VDC and when touching the multi-meter leads to the battery terminals, if the readings continue going all over the chart, it's probably a bad v/r.........At idle, the readings should only fluctuate by a couple points and close to 14.2V give or take. Same/same if the readings were to continue climbing above that 14.2V area. The voltage regulator wouldn't be doing it's job and if it were to keep climbing, it would eventually over-charge (and probably toast) the battery.

 

[Bikerbozo]

What they said. Also, I have a '10 TG. No recall. Voltage regulator started going recently and was replaced under warranty. More seriously is the Stator. A lot harder to get to. Mine was replaced last year, lost all charging voltage. Rode it to HD with battery only.

 

[Deeman]

Had the same thing happen to me voltage fluctuation and engine light and oil light came on. It is the voltage regulator get it replaced.

 

[BinIdaho]

My '09 TG did that last week...the system relay switch wasn't making contact....had dealer pick up and that's all it was...tech pushed the relay switch in and bam, everything works. But, I'm blowing the same 15 amp fuses like crazy....turn signals/brake lights/horn/reverse motor goes out. The only add-on was the trailer wiring last year...all other add-ons are plug/play. Could it be a lose or bare wire...replaced the 15 amp with a 20.

 

[Ol' Grey]

My '09 TG did that last week...the system relay switch wasn't making contact....had dealer pick up and that's all it was...tech pushed the relay switch in and bam, everything works. But, I'm blowing the same 15 amp fuses like crazy....turn signals/brake lights/horn/reverse motor goes out. The only add-on was the trailer wiring last year...all other add-ons are plug/play. Could it be a lose or bare wire...replaced the 15 amp with a 20.

If a fuse keeps blowing, it's not recommended to replace it with a higher rated fuse as the higher amperage fuse can allow too much current to the component(s) that the fuse wants to protect and in some cases, can cause fire :AGGHH: It's better to replace the blown fuse with the correct rated fuse and find out what the cause of the problem is.

You're spot on in that it could be a loose wire, bare wire or a bad ground wire for the component. Any of these faults can cause increased resistance, then the fuse pops. If the turn signals/brake lights/horn/reverse motor are on the same fuse, you could check the connections and ground wires for each component. If the above items are on separate fuses, then it might be a wiring problem within the fuse box itself.

Do you remember if the fuse(s?) started blowing before or after the add-on of the trailer wiring ? If the problem started after the add-on, it might narrow it down to the trailer wiring (connection or ground wire) If the trailer wiring was tied into a fuse that's not been blowing, then it's probably something associated with the previous stock items.

 

[trikermutha]

When does the fuse blow?? Example after the brakes are pressed?? or when the horn is blown?? or when the turn signals are turned on??

We do not recommend a larger fuse till the problem is figured out..

 

[roadrageisfun]

Local Harley dealer got me in on a Sat morning and replaced the Voltage Regulator under the recall. Was in and out of the shop in about 45 minutes. Everything seems okay now. Thanks everyone for your input.

 

[Ol' Grey]

Local Harley dealer got me in on a Sat morning and replaced the Voltage Regulator under the recall. Was in and out of the shop in about 45 minutes. Everything seems okay now. Thanks everyone for your input.

Excellent! Thanx for taking the time to let us know that you're good to go ThumbUp

Enjoy and Ride Safe...........

Edit: Which reminds me.....BinIdaho, any up-dates on your electrical prob ?

 

[Lakeman]

I was blowing the fuse for the brake lights, tech and speedo. I found the brake light switch wire connector was shorting to ground (had worn thru female plug from vibration). This was a bugger to find as it did not make conctact to ground all the time.