Re: Stator Gone Bad
This fix can get involved and if your not comfortable with fixing electrical things it may be best to have it looked at by a local indy. Since you got a reading of "18" on your friends meter, it kinda tells me your friends meter is not reading right or has a problem. The B1004 is an error for the Fuel Level Sending Unit and I don't see how that relates at all to your problem.
To repair this yourself will require you to buy a good meter.
I bought a new battery, since the existing one was already 2-3 years old, and also a cheap multi-meter from Harbor Freight (probably not the good meter you were referring to, but serviceable, I hope), and did at least some of the testing that Glide posted. The results are below and seemed pretty good. Until I got on the bike and again and took a couple short rides. After putting in the new battery on Thursday, I took the bike around the block. Both lights came on together and went off together about 10 seconds later. Then, yesterday, I did the testing, then took her out again. When I fired up the bike, the check engine light came on normally, then went out. But then it came on again for about 10 seconds. Then it went out and stayed out. The low battery light didn't come on at all. This happened on several starts. I thought I might be home free. But no, on my last ride, the check engine and battery lights came on, but went off again after a few seconds. so I'm really puzzled.
Here's are the results of my testing. Does this all sound normal?
Step 1. First things first, load test the battery. Most places like Auto Zone will do it for free. Even if it measures over 12.5 vdc it can still be bad under a load. Battery is typically rated at 19 amp hours and 270 Cold Cranking Amps (CCA).
It's a new battery, so I'm going to assume it's OK
Start the engine and measure DC Volts across the battery terminals, the regulator should be putting out 14.3 - 14.7 vdc at 3600 rpm and 75 degrees F.
I don't have a tach, but it does flicker between 14-15 (the DMM doesn't seem to do decimals) when I rev the throttle
Step 2. To check the regulator unplug it from the stator. Take a test light and clip it to the negative terminal of the battery and then touch first one pin and then the other on the plug that goes to the regulator. If you get even the slightest amount of light from the test light the regulator is toast.
No light whatsoever
To do this with a meter which is more accurate: black lead to battery ground, red lead to each pin on the plug, start with the voltage scale higher than 12vdc and move voltage scale down in steps for each pin. Any voltage is a bad regulator.
You may get battery voltage on all three pins on the newer 3 phase regulators.
The no voltage is for older type regulators with diode indicating the diode is bad and the regulator needs replacing.
My DMM's probes won't reach that far, and not sure from the above if I have a phase 3 regulator, although it does have three pins
Step 3. On the other part of the disconnected regulator plug. Set the multimeter for Ohms x1 scale and measure for resistance across the pins of the stator. You should read something around 0.1 to 0.2 ohms for the TC88 32 amp system.
I have a 38 amp system with three pins/sockets. I measured across the sockets with the DMM probes and after jumping around briefly, the reading settled at .6 ohms (the max in the manual for my system is .5, so that seems to be in the ball park, again given the cheapo dmm).
Step 4. Then check for continuity between each pin on the plug and frame/engine ground. The meter needle should not move (infinite resistance)(digitals will show infinite resistance) if the meter needle does move (indicating continuity)(digitals will show some resistance), recheck very carefully. If the meter still shows continuity to ground the stator is shorted (bad).
touched the red probe to each socket (the pins go to the regulator) and the black probe to the frame. My meter is digital and there was no change in the reading, so I assume that means no continuity.
Step 5. Set the meter to read A/C volts higher than 30 volts (the scale setting for voltage should always be higher than the highest voltage you expect or you may fry the meter). Start the bike, and measure from one pin to the other on the plug (DO NOT cross the multimeter probes! - touch them to each other). You should read roughly 16-20 vac per 1,000 rpm.
Couldn't do this test by myself
Step 6. If the battery was good under load test, if the stator is NOT shorted to ground, and the stator is putting out A/C voltage, then the regulator is bad (most likely even if if passed step 2).
Generally the following is true:
Check your owners/service manual for the system amp output for your bike.
22 amp system produces about 19-26 vac per 1,000 rpm, stator resistance is about 0.2 to 0.4 ohms.
32 amp system produces about 16-20 vac per 1,000 rpm, stator resistance is about 0.1 to 0.2 ohms.
45 amp system produces about 19-26 vac per 1,000 rpm, stator resistance is about 0.1 to 0.2 ohms.
Also see here...