On the end of the harness is a plastic rectangular plug that has four colored wires attached. The brown wire goes to the ignition, the blue is the field wire and goes to the alternator, the red wire is the positive battery sensor and the white wire goes to alternator stator.
Q. What does a voltage regulator do on a Harley?
The voltage regulator Harley regulates the voltage through Harley Davidson’s instrument gauges, the speed meter, and the cluster, as its name implies. The driver can track the bike’s speed and motor life with the aid of the voltage controller’s visual display.
Table of Contents
- Q. What does a voltage regulator do on a Harley?
- Q. What controls the voltage regulator?
- Q. How should the voltage regulator be wired to work properly?
- Q. What are signs of a bad voltage regulator?
- Q. How do I know if my external voltage regulator is bad?
- Q. What can a bad voltage regulator cause?
- Q. Can a voltage regulator work intermittently?
Q. What controls the voltage regulator?
An automobile voltage regulator controls the voltage produced by the car’s alternator to recharge the battery. The regulator forces the alternator to maintain a voltage of between 13.5 volts and 14.5 volts.
Q. How should the voltage regulator be wired to work properly?
The voltage regulator should always be fed as smooth of a DC signal as possible (which gives the best regulated output) so it can regulate it down to its specified voltage. Remember, the input voltage has to be larger than the voltage that the regulator regulates out.
Q. What are signs of a bad voltage regulator?
6 Symptoms of a Bad Voltage Regulator
- High Voltage in the car battery.
- Dead Battery.
- Battery Light or Check Engine Light.
- Inconsistent Operation of Electrical Components.
- Vehicle Dies While Running.
- Dimming / Pulsing Lights.
Q. How do I know if my external voltage regulator is bad?
Symptoms of a bad voltage regulator may include:
- High voltage output.
- Low voltage output, sometimes.
- No voltage output.
- Lights dim or flicker.
- Faulty high-beam headlamp bulbs.
- Engine working erratically (weak or flickering ignition system)
- Adding water to the battery frequently.
Q. What can a bad voltage regulator cause?
If you have a bad regulator, it may cause many components such as the fuel pump, ignition system, or other parts which require a minimum amount of voltage to not function correctly. You may experience the engine sputtering, a rough idle, or simply a lack of acceleration when you need it.
Q. Can a voltage regulator work intermittently?
Unpredictable Engine Performance Engine stalling, sputtering and intermittent acceleration will occur when the vehicle’s voltage regulator is unable to handle the power put out by the vehicle’s stock (and faster-moving) alternator. This causes the regulator to burn out quickly because it was overworked.
