How do you check the charging system on a 1995 Harley Davidson FLHT?

Answer 1

the very first thing you do is check your battery voltage. should be at least 12.7v (DC) or more. if not, charge your battery. after battery is charged, verify the voltage by hitting the start switch to turn engine over, dont start it, just take the excess charge off the battery. should be 12.7v or better afterwards. if not, take it to auto zone and have it tested for free.

using a digital multimeter, set on volts ac (very important volts AC), fire the bike up, remove the leads from the stator (front of engine - bottom right side - front of primary) there will be two holes to put your DMM leads (doesnt matter which way) the output should be 16v (AC) - 20v (AC) for each 1000 rpms. ifyou rev the engine to 2000 rpms, it should read 32v - 40v. 3000 rpms - 48v - 60v etc.

if not, bad stator. do yourself a favor and replace the stator and rotor

to check voltage regulator, (after stator output has been verified) reconnect stator output leads, very important --- CHANGE setting on DMM to volts DC --- , place positive lead from dmm on positive battery terminal, now negative on negative terminal, with the bike running voltage should read between 13v (dc) - 15v (dc).if not, rev the engine a little to see if it goes up.

if <13 or >15, probably a bad voltage regulator.

those are the only three components in the charging system.

battery --- about $90,

regulator -- little over $100,

stator and rotor -- over $300,

riding your harley, knowing you fixed it yourself --- priceless,

(provided you did it correctly, and torqued all your nuts and bolts, otherwise.... hospitals are expensive)

BUY THE SERVICE MANUAL --- NO, YOU HAVE THE OWNERS MANUAL!! there is a HUGE difference. you'll see. its worth its weight in gold. especially at an $88 an hour labor rate. Good Luck, D sorry man, the stator output leads are on the LEFT side of the engine, in front of the primary.

my bad,

D

Answer 2

take it down to local battery shop and they will test it in the bike,for free, its also a good place to be if you need a battery.