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Jeanette Dole Posted on Apr 01, 2012

Ihave a 1981 sportster and battery not charging

Does the generator have brushes that you can change. it isn't puting any voltage out of generator. thanks

5 Related Answers

Anonymous

  • 173 Answers
  • Posted on Jul 08, 2009

SOURCE: Honda 1981 CB 750 - Battery keeps going dead.

Check for dead shorts by making sure all electrical components are in the off position. Remove the + battery lead. Slightly touch the lead to the + terminal on the battery in a sweeping pass by motion. If you see an electrical arch it is possible you have a bare wire or a compressed one shorting out your system. Start eliminating each component one at time to see what is causing the short. If you are a novice electrical engineer then you might think about contacting a real professional before you burn up the whole shebang.

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jamie

  • 1810 Answers
  • Posted on Sep 16, 2009

SOURCE: 03 883 sportster i need to locate and change the

check your batery fuses b4 you invest in a new stator assembly

Anonymous

  • 4565 Answers
  • Posted on Sep 24, 2009

SOURCE: which post is which on generator on a 1975 sportster?

the post should be the same as an original. The wires should be green and tan. Green wire goes to the post towards the front wheel and the tan to the post nearest the engine. Don't forget to "polarize" the generator before starting. procedure is in the service manual. Momentarily short between the battery positive post and the field terminal.

agent91

Ned White

  • 2100 Answers
  • Posted on Mar 10, 2010

SOURCE: I have a 1979 XLH 1000 sportster and I having a

Did you charge the new battery? Did you check the new batteries electrolyte? I have seen many a new battery come off the shelf, dead! Get one of those floaty ball things and check the electrolytes in the battery, every cell, if one cell is dead, it is no good. The voltage sounds a little low but it should charge up. I don't know what size your battery is, but my old sportster had a car battery in it. Never had a problem. But never left the house without a screwdriver either.

Anonymous

  • 4565 Answers
  • Posted on Jun 21, 2010

SOURCE: 79 sportster charging system voltreg and generater

This is unusual since the generator is usually pretty tough. I've got one question. Are you properly "polarizing" the generator? To "polarize" the generator, you need a piece of wire that will reach from the battery to the generator.

"With the generator on motorcycle and connected to regulator, connect one end of a jumper wire to the generator armature terminal. Momentarily touch the other end of the jumper wire to the positive terminal of the battery. This restores the magnetism, Remove the jumper."

This is directly out of an H-D service manual. The 'polarizing" procedure should be done anytime any part of the charging system is removed from the bike. Since a generator produces a DC current, this insures that the current is of the correct polarity.

Also, make sure that the voltage regulator that is bolted to the frame is well grounded. It depends on this ground to regulate the voltage. We usually put one of the "star" type lock washers between the regulator and the frame on each of the mounting bolts. The teeth on the washer dig into the frame and the body of the regulator providing a good ground. And, make sure that you've got the wires properly connected. The green wire goes to the "Field" terminal and the two tan wires go to the 'Armature" terminal. If you need a complete schematic, contact me directly at [email protected]

Good Luck
Steve

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I have a 1989 XLH 1000 sportster. For some reason the battery starts draining while sitting turned off and while driving it. I replaced the generator and added a gen. mounted regulator. However it...

first did you polarize your generator ? you must do this other wise your generator can discharge rather than charge , second if your voltage regulator is bad ,and yes you can get a bad one right out of the box it will not charge and when it sits it will dis charge you can check your regulator by using a volt meter unplug your voltage regulator one lead to ground one lead to your plug if there is any more than .5 dc volts your regulator is bad ,but more than likely your generator needs to be polarized or it will not charge,any early service manual will cover how to do it
Sep 09, 2013 • Motorcycles
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1979 Harley Davidson XLH 1000 Sportster generator

If the charging light is on in your 1979 Harley Davidson XLH 1000 Sportster, it indicates a potential issue with the charging system. Here are some steps you can take to check for the problem:
  1. Battery Check: Begin by checking the battery voltage using a multimeter. Ensure that the battery is fully charged, and its voltage is within the recommended range specified in the owner's manual.
  2. Belt Tension: Examine the belt tension of the generator drive belt. If it is loose or worn, it may not be driving the generator properly. Adjust or replace the belt if necessary.
  3. Wiring Inspection: Carefully inspect the wiring connections between the generator, voltage regulator, and battery. Look for loose connections, damaged wires, or corroded terminals. Ensure all connections are clean, secure, and properly connected.
  4. Voltage Regulator Check: Test the voltage regulator using a multimeter. With the motorcycle running, measure the voltage output at the battery terminals. It should be within the recommended range specified in the owner's manual. If the voltage is too high or too low, it may indicate a faulty voltage regulator.
  5. Generator Output Test: To check the generator output, you will need a multimeter capable of measuring AC voltage. Disconnect the generator output wire from the voltage regulator and start the motorcycle. Set the multimeter to measure AC voltage and connect the leads to the generator output wire and a good ground. The reading should be within the specified range mentioned in the owner's manual. If there is no or low voltage output, it may indicate a faulty generator.
  6. Fuse Inspection: Check the fuses related to the charging system. Ensure they are not blown or damaged. Replace any faulty fuses with the appropriate rating.
If you are unable to diagnose or resolve the charging system issue using these steps, it is recommended to consult a qualified motorcycle mechanic or contact an authorized Harley-Davidson dealership for further assistance. They will have the expertise and experience to diagnose and repair the specific charging system problem in your 1979 Harley Davidson XLH 1000 Sportster.
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My battery in 1981 suzuki gs 850 g keeps dying on me, I charge it up everytime I come back from a ride,the battery is only a few weeks old,could it be my voltage regulator,or a wire that has some of the...

Start the bike and put a voltmeter across the battery; you should get a reading of probably around 13.5V. If you're getting only about 12V or less, the battery isn't charging. From there you will need to go to the alternator terminal on the regulator and see if you're getting more than 12V. If you are, the regulator is probably bad, if not it could be a bad rectifier if there is a seperate rectifier or a bad stator. Good luck and safe riding.
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I have a 10KW SIEMENS generator Model #0059090 - Cat#ASGNO10RBS, it was installed May 26-2011.Generator workrd fine after runing all the test required. We had a very short outage less then a minute, after...

Most of those chargers have a fuse in line between the battery and the charger which you should check. They are two stage chargers meaning when there is a large voltage drop, they go to a high rate charge until battery voltage reads about 14.3 - 14.6 VDC then drops to a float volatge and normal float voltage should be about 13.33 VDC. When they go to a high rate the light turns red, when they go to float the light turns green. When the fuse blows the light stays green because it doesn't see any voltage but the charger isn't doing any work.
1helpful
1answer

If the brushes on my 79 sporty get oil on them will cause it not to charge

I can't say that I have ever run into this problem before. The brushes are on the outer end of the generator from any oil and not readily available for oil to get on them. The bike would have to have a terrible rocker box leak and the protective band would have to be off. But, I guess it's possible for oil to prevent a generator from charging. It's simple enough to pull the end off the generator and clean up the commutator ring and the brushes. Make sure you polarize the generator when you put it all back together by momentarily shorting the armature terminal of the generator to the positive post of the battery.

Good Luck
Steve
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1982 Yamaha XJ 550, the battery will not take a charge. New battery, checked all connections, ran all the tests (stator, brushes, and alternator). Replaced the voltage regulator/recifier. Not sure what is...

It is corrected properly, right? + to the wiring harness and - to ground ... right? Are you certain about the rectifier? Is the battery charged at this time?

You know a alternator cannot make power unless you first put power into it ... right? Alternators (unlike most generators) are not self exciting. If your battery is weak or "dead", the alternator cannot make electricity to charge the battery. I don't know what the rating of your alternator is. Your battery should be fully charged before you do any more tests. If you have a 1 amp charger, allow at least 10 hours for a full charge. Don't cook your battery with a big, powerful, fast charging automotive battery charger.

Good luck with your repair ... I hope you find this response helpful.

Thanks for your question @ FixYa.com
2helpful
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Polorized generator as per manual. went from no output to .2-.4 amps. do I need to rebuild the generator?

Hi, I own a 1976 XLCH1000 and had a similar problem some years ago.
The dynamo must be energized correctly as if not it wouldn't work.
Disconnect the two wire on the dynamo.
Connect a volt meter from the armature connection to the bike frame, negative.
Start the bike up and on a fast tickover there should be 2 to 5 volts present. Momentarily connect, while still monitoring the voltage, a wire link from the field connection to the bikes frame (earth or negative of the battery). The voltage should shoot up to about 25 to 30 volts. If it does you have a good dynamo. If the dynamo is flashed the wrong way around then a negative voltage instead of a possitive voltage will be produced and damage the regulator if it is the electronic type, like on mine.
If the voltage is low, change the brushes and clean the commutator with some wet and dry paper scraping out between the segments to clear the dead carbon deposits. Don't forget the end bearings are "Oilite Bearings" Don't use grease a drop of 20-50 is fine.
Anywhere else in the world, we put voltage on to the field terminal to produce current at the armature, trust the Americans to be different!
Ride safe and loud pipes save lives!
Hope this solves your problem.
0helpful
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I have a 1979 XLH 1000 sportster and I having a charging issue.I replaced the battery and the voltage regulator and had the generator rebuilt and still it will not charge the battery.Ive checked the...

Did you charge the new battery? Did you check the new batteries electrolyte? I have seen many a new battery come off the shelf, dead! Get one of those floaty ball things and check the electrolytes in the battery, every cell, if one cell is dead, it is no good. The voltage sounds a little low but it should charge up. I don't know what size your battery is, but my old sportster had a car battery in it. Never had a problem. But never left the house without a screwdriver either.
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I have an 84 sportster and i just replaced regulator generator and battery but the bike still wont stay charged i started the bike by jumping it and ran it around the block and when i shut the bike off it...

DId you check or rather take the charging rate, how do you know if its charging or not?
You may have to replace the rectifier.
But first test its charging rate.


Knight (yamaha XJ750 A 1981)
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