Headlight high beam suks

[Smoked U]

Literally and figuratively.

Baby Vee (96 Magna) has blown the high beam on two bulbs now when the throttle is opened up. Low beam and driving lights are ok.

I'm wondering if the voltage regulator is screwed up. The lights get brighter when the RPMs are up from idle. I know they should get a little brighter with the alternator spinning up, but I don't remember this much of a noticeable increase in the past.

Comments anyone?

[lragan]

Do you own a voltmeter?  If the voltage goes above 16V when you rev it, your regulator is what suks, not the headlight...

[TLRam1]

Post your high voltage when you check it, curious minds want to know.

[rjb/AKA Bob Barram]

Yep, sounds like the voltage regulator. That is the symptom/result I had with the bad regulator. Whenever I accelerated or revved the 2000 up the lights would get very bright and twice a bulb popped. Another symptom is the horn. When it is revved up beep the horn and see if it is higher pitched than when idling.
Don't wait for the battery to go bad on a long trip, mine boiled over.

[Smoked U]

I got my regulator in and got it installed tonight on Baby Vee so I could bring it along to Beavers Bend.

All I got to say is I better never meet the Japanese engineer that designed the location of that regulator under the battery box. It was a real b*t*h to get at and change.

No more bright lights now so I am guessing that's it.

See you at MOOTMaG.

[TLRam1]

Did you have to take the battery box out or can it be installed as is?

[roboto65]

Well you do not have to take it out which you would not do unless you remove the rear fender but you have to go in from the bottom it can be a pain

[Sledge Hammer]

Is it practical to open up the regulator and replace the damaged components? Or did the manufacturer just pour a whole bunch of epoxy into the shell so that "no user-serviceable parts" are inside?

[roboto65]

They filled it full of epoxy sorry no parts to fix!!!!!!!!!!!

[rjb/AKA Bob Barram]

It helps to have double joints and small fingers.

[Sledge Hammer]

They filled it full of epoxy sorry no parts to fix!!!!!!!!!!!

What a wonderful engineering idea! Surround a component which gets really hot with a medium which doesn't conduct heat very well. We'll sell millions of replacement units that way!

Since this is a family-oriented forum, I will limit my comments to saying that when the person who made the decision to use epoxy gets home today, I hope his mother comes out from under the porch and bites him on the leg.

[Curtis_Valk]

I hope his mother comes out from under the porch and bites him on the leg.

ha ha ha ha!!! I read a comment similar to that in Field and Stream magazine about 30 years ago.  It seems someone stole the hitch drawbar out of a fellows receiver hitch on his pickup.  His comments went something like "I hope it breaks just as you are launching your boat and your mother is unsuccessful in attracting help as she runs barking along the shore." ha ha h a ha!!!!

Curtis

[Smoked U]

Did you have to take the battery box out or can it be installed as is?

Oh yeah, you can install it from below. Like the man says, double jointed fingers and a lot of teeth grinding. I was ready to start throwing wrenches.

Rotsa ruck!

[Charles S Otwell]

I don't have double joints or small fingers   so I removed just the battery box and replaced the regulator with one off of a 450 Rebel.  I added two 55 watt driving lights from Wal-Mart when I changed out the regulator, and that has been over a month, I am getting a solid 14 volts at idle or revved up, and haven't had any problems since.

PS new regulator was $90.00 to $150.00, 450 Rebel regulator was free , yes I'm a tightwad..