GEN light still on with the ign off

Electrical issues
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ridermike
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GEN light still on with the ign off

#1

Post by ridermike »

Rode my 60FL to Southern Thunder Rally yesterday. Stopped for fuel and noticed the GEN light still on with the ign off. Turn ign on and off a few times and it went off. Stopped to eat and the same thing again but this time it wouldn't go off. Thought the dash cover might be shorting the switch but it was not, another ten turns of the switch and it went off. When I got home and switched off no light on, but as I was stowing some gear I looked over at the bike and the dam thing was on again, then it went out on its own. All stock 6v system with no problems for 3000 miles. Any suggestions?
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Re: GEN light still on with the ign off

#2

Post by john HD »

mike

your cut out relay is sticking.

you might try cleaning the contacts or adjusting the relay.

replacement with a solid state unit is also an option.

john
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Re: GEN light still on with the ign off

#3

Post by awander »

Mine did that right after I put the bike on the road after sitting for 8 years.

i tapped the relay case a couple of times, and the light went out. then I cleaned the relay contacts with a piece of cardboard, and it hasn;t happened again.
ridermike
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Re: GEN light still on with the ign off

#4

Post by ridermike »

Thanks Andy & John,
I knew I would get a fast answer from people who have been there done that.
Thanks
Mike
ridermike
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Re: GEN light still on with the ign off

#5

Post by ridermike »

Cut out was stuck closed. Cleaned contacts with jewelers file and 320 grit, all seem to work fine for about 20 miles. Then, GEN light came on and would stay on except at very high rpm. I was at Cyclemos Vintage event and Mike Silvio let me borrow an oem regulator and all worked fine so I tossed the repop junk regulator (600 miles on it). Now the problem is finding another regulator. Tedd has none and seems no one else has one either. 74510-47A black 6v Anyone out there have one rat-holed or know where to find one?
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Re: GEN light still on with the ign off

#6

Post by panz4ever »

have you checked www.nosparts.com
ridermike
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Re: GEN light still on with the ign off

#7

Post by ridermike »

Yes Panz, no luck.
I called Sam at S&G cycle in Tn. and found one. I don't know why I didn't think of him first, he's one of the BEST! I just hope the one he has came from a different lot than the last batch. It looks most of them were junk. (Accel repops)
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Re: GEN light still on with the ign off

#8

Post by Panacea »

I think when you file the points you remove a hard layer that is more resistant to arcing and sticking than the material beneath, so from then on they are more prone to stick.
Zoomin
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Re: GEN light still on with the ign off

#9

Post by Zoomin »

Adding to this older post to try and help but I also have a question. Full disclosure, I’m as sharp as a bowling ball with electrical gremlins. My bike is a bone stock 62 FLH, I have it owned for more years than I can remember. By bone stock I mean it’s the 6 volt, generator system with the stock style voltage regulator.
I got the itch to ride the other day, it was colder here, about 43 degrees. Bike fired up on third kick and I went for an approximate 10 mile ride. All was good! Got home shut the bike off at the ignition switch and noticed the generator light on the dash was glowing faintly. I had never seen that before. Anxiety was starting to set in, the old girl had seemingly decided to punish me for waking her up from her 3-month slumber. I turned the ignition switch on and off a few times…..generator light continued to just barely glow when the switch was in the off position. At that point I disconnected the battery ground wire and of course the light went out. Hooked the ground wire back up, no generator light glowing, fired the bike back up, shut it off and sure enough the generator light was glowing again. Repeated this procedure two more times with the same results. Did some research online and it sounded like the cut out relay points were sticking closed. Hooked up the battery again no light started the bike, shut it off, generator light was glowing, tapped on the voltage regulator with a screw driver handle and the light went out. So I guess I’m just adding to and reinforcing what some of you guys already knew…… and now I know. After tapping on it, starting the bike, shutting it off a few times the light never came back on. I took the cover off the voltage regulator without the bike running, turned the ignition switch on and pushed the points together on the cut out relay and sure enough the generator light would glow, replicating the issue I was having. So I was satisfied that I figured out that’s what had been happening. What I didn’t understand was after pushing them together, the points would stay stuck together until I pulled them apart with my finger tip. So with the point tips apart and the cover off the regulator I started the bike, cut out points would close and stay closed until I shut the bike off and then the points would open. Did this a few times and they acted that same way each time. All seemed normal now. Cleaned the point tips for good measure, started the bike and all seems good. So my question is why would they stick like that? Is this a sign of more trouble down the road like the regulator has got weak or something and its gonna be hit and miss with it? Also the other set of points in the regulator appeared to be closed and stay closed while I was observing in the regulator. Didn’t matter if the bike was running or not, those points appeared closed all the time, unless they were opening and closing so quickly or ever so slightly that I couldn’t see that action with my old eyes. Does all this sound normal?
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Re: GEN light still on with the ign off

#10

Post by awander »

It sounds like the cutout relay in your regulator is not releasing all the time when the bike is off-it may just need to have the spring tab tweaked to give a little more spring tension.

You can find the manuals on how to tweak the regulators in the documentation section here.
Zoomin
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Re: GEN light still on with the ign off

#11

Post by Zoomin »

Ok thanks !
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