Hello all, so I take my '06 Street Glide in for some new tires. I get a call from the dealership telling me that my stator has died. While taking the bike for a test ride after replacing both front and rear tires the tech noticed that the volt meter was only at 10V. tested the stator at the shop and it is not producing the right voltage to charge the bike. Now I was having no electrical issues what so ever with the bike when I took it in. So I find it rather interesting or perhaps "convenient" that this would happen all of a sudden while in the posession of the dealership. So my first question is during the removal of the wheels to replace the tires is there anything that could have been knocked loose (plug wire, etc.) that could be showing a bad stator that the dealer is not looking at? Second question is are these stators something that would just die without any warning signs of a problem? Last question what are some signs of a failing stator that I may have noticed but didn't realize they were a sign of an electrical problem? The dealership is set to replace the stator tomorrow, but I wanted to get some information before I give them the final OK to begin the work. They are charging me around $550 to replace the stator.

 

If you have a manual, it will tell what voltage to expect when and where. Does seem a little co-incidental, but who knows. If you have some knowledge you have ammo to pick their brains. Simply not putting out right voltage doesn't make it for me. Sorry couldn't provide more technical data. I may be wrong but should be able to ohm out the stator, maybe not.

 

I had my stator go, thank goodness it was under warranty, in my case it gave me a warning. The voltage was a little low, also whenever I turned anything on, you would notice a change in the voltmeter. Did they check your voltage regulator, also that seems to be a rather high price, what are they charging you for part/labor? It's not a long job, if they're charging more than an hr labor, its too much IMO, I watched the tech and from start to finish with testing it took him approximately 45 minutes.

 

A dead battery can kill the stator, as can a bad regulator.

In both cases the alternator is stress trying to put out higher current than in normal operation.

using air tools on the compensator nut ( in the primary) can knock the magnets loose on the rotor, causing them to bash into the stator.

signs of a bad stator would be bike not charging fully, voltmeter reading lower than usual ( the in dash voltmeter usually reads a couple volts low on our bikes)

ask the service manager ( not the "service writer" at the desk- the service writer is a commission position- he makes money for selling you service and parts) to look into your case as a good will gesture.

Let him know that the bike was hunky dory when you rode it in, and it is too much a coincidence.

Let him know that you came in for tires as a long term ( or potential) customer, and that unless they can explain this to you satisfaction, you'll never be able to feel good about spending money there again.

- $550 seems high, question that.

ask them to cut you a deal on the parts at cost, and to reduce the labor cost ( take out the % for the shop and the service writer- enough to pay the tech who has to buy milk)

which dealer, we have 6 or 7 dealers in the valley ( although some of them are multi dealer owners).

I'm guessing arrowhead from your location- I had a good experience with those guys for a warranty fix...


I hope it works out to your satisfaction and please let us know how the dealer treats this event.

Mike

 

Being in the repair industry i have had my share of coincidences. You know vehicle comes in for an oil change and next day the water pump goes out and now its the shops fault. It may or may not be their fault but **** happens. Like others said not a difficult job. Save some coin and do it yourself. You never know the stator might be ok. They might have overlooked something.

 

It is Arrowhead and I have delt with them in the past. I have to admit that I don't necessarily pay attention to the Volt meter on the bike when I'm riding so I can not say that I've noticed any issues there. I replaced the original battery in March of this year and have had no problems with the bike starting, dimming lights, or other electrical issues since replacing the battery. I have no reason to suspect that the dealership "did" something to the stator, I just wonder if they looked at all possibilities before determining that the stator was bad. I think I will take your advice and talk to the service manager in the morning. What things should I ask to be checked other than the stator? My guess would be voltage regulator, ground wires, and connectors.

 

yes, talk to the service mgr in an upbeat manner- call ahead and ask him to set aside a few minutes for you.

that allows him to get up to speed before you show up full of coffee and wound up.

let him know what you know.

ask that he check the diagnosis, and that if a cause is shown, then you'll bite the bullet.

It would be nice if they can cover some of the costs- ask them.


I live a mile from Stubbs- I ride past them to arrowhead 20 miles for the perception I have of good service i have had there in the past ( and the poor service from stubbs).

arrowhead is part of a very large company, it's not a mom and pop, hopefully this won't make them value you less.

Mike

 

Spoke with the manager this morning. He stated that during the test ride the check engine light came on. So they brought the bike back, checked out the battery, voltage regulator and stator and determined that it was the stator. They are charging me 2.7 hours labor to change the stator an he states that this is the book value on the job. They don't actually have the stator in stock so the work won't begin until tomorrow. I think I'm going to call around to a few other dealerships and see what they would charge me to replace the stator and see what their labor times are going to be.

 

I've changed out stators in about three bikes, and I think 2.7 hrs for labor is high. I'm not a certified Harley mechanic, and I can change one in about 1.5 hrs.

 

Hey Dude. I know how mechanically inclineded you are so I would do two things. First as you have indicated, call around and get a firm quote on changing that Stator. Also, it's winter time, per se, and see if they are running any specials on labor and such. Second, read over the manual and seach the forums and see if this is something that you can really do on your own. I know your worried about getting the bike back home. Push comes to shove rent a U-Haul garden trailer and bring it home with the Xterra. Remember, if you end up going to another dealership you're either going to have to drive it there or trailer it there. You can also see the dealership will pick up your bike. Back here in good ole Pgh where its now freezing, Hot Metal will send out their driver to pickup a bike they are going to repair.

Last, pull out your camera Dude and put up a picture of your bike on you Signature. You've done a really nice conversion job on it so show it off.