Voltage Meter

[JETHRIDGE]

I recently posted about alternator light staying on. It was the board, with some burning of wiring.
Daytona bmw repalced the board and repaired the wiring. I was told it was charging as it should.The dash voltage meter (85 R100 RT) won't show above 10 volts and it bounces back and forth. I think this meater is bad and want to replace it with an electronic one that gives me # instead of diferenc color lights. Siginal Dynamics has one but it has colored light to indicate voltage. Anyone know of one that showes the voltage in #.
thanks in advance
Jack Ethridge
Ocala Fl

[20774]

Before you do anything, check the grounds for the meter. I had a meter doing strange things to me and it turns out the wire that attached to the rear of the meter was coming loose.

Google should be your friend... Look for voltmeters, VDO or other brands, and it should be the right size...2-1/16"?? You may need to contend with waterproof/resistant, vibration, visibility, etc. Maybe something in a marine series... I think there are all kind of websites that offer voltmeters and the like...

Kurt in S.A.

[JETHRIDGE]

Before you do anything, check the grounds for the meter. I had a meter doing strange things to me and it turns out the wire that attached to the rear of the meter was coming loose.

Google should be your friend... Look for voltmeters, VDO or other brands, and it should be the right size...2-1/16"?? You may need to contend with waterproof/resistant, vibration, visibility, etc. Maybe something in a marine series... I think there are all kind of websites that offer voltmeters and the like...

Kurt in S.A.

Kurt, you were correct. I moved the wires on the back of the meter and it started to show increse in voltage as reves went up. I will need to take the meter out of the dash to do a perment fix but can't figure out how toget the meter out of the dash. Does it pry out or what.

[20774]

Someone with an RT is going to have to jump in here... I installed an aftermarket meter in my Luftmeister fairing and it had a large U-shaped braket that screws in from the rear to pin the meter to the fairing. I don't know what kind of access you have on the RT fairing, but if there's a way to get a mirror and a flashlight in somewhere, maybe you can see how it goes together. I wouldn't think it pries out...gotta be some kind of clamp affair on the backside.

Update...I just checked RealOem parts listing:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=0469&mospid=47845&btnr=62_0248&hg=62&fg=15

It does have some kind of u-bracket with a nut that pulls down on a stud on the backside of the meter. Looks like you'll need to be a contortionist and get your hands up inside the fairing somehow.

Kurt in S.A.

[Bob_M]

My bike is an 82 and the bikes after 84 were different, but the mount on the round volt meter is quite simple. the wires of course are spade connectors.

On my bike, the gauge itself is held to the plastic dash with a horse shoe shaped sheet steel bracket that has "legs" wider than the gauge. The legs contact the underside of the plastic dash but the bracket is fixed to the gauge with plastic, knurled nuts. Tightening the nuts tensions the "legs" of the braket against the underside of the dash, pulling the gauge taunt into its hole.

Reach up under there and unscrew the plastic nuts. The bracket will fall off and the only thing holding the gauge in place will be the wires and gravity.

[JETHRIDGE]

BMW shop repaced the dioade board and that solved the problem of the alternator light staying on. The voltage meator was not consistent, showing 10 volts, 8, 12 etc. I checked the wiring and made some better conections.
This didn't solve the problem. Replaced the meater with one from a Boat shop. When first installed it showed 13 volts when i started the engine.Now it is also is not consistend. Showing 10 volts, 13, 12, 10. One time it showed 10 volts I cut of the headlight ( I have a switch) and it jumped to 13. Then back to 10, etc.
Voltage does change with RPM change but slightly.I have run engine over 4000 rpm and no change, and then sometimes voltage showing gos up. Should the meater be consistent.Is this a regulator problem. O for the good old days. My last bmw was an r90/6 with no voltage meater so i have no experence with a voltage meater.(That was 20 years ago)
Thanks for the previous input and in advance for your input here.
Jack Ethridge
Ocala Fl

[manicmechanic]

Your meter indication will not remain steady. Once you raise engine RPM above a point where the alternator is generating more power than the bike is using, then the indication will rise. The amount it rises depends on how far the battery voltage dropped while supplying the bike loads while the alternator was below its cutoff. So at idle, you will see the voltage drop to loaded battery voltage. If, while at speed you don't see indicated voltage rise, then I'd worry about it.

[20774]

Have you put a known good hand held voltmeter across the battery terminals while observing the fairing voltmeter? Do they read similarly? My guess is the meter across the battery will be nice and steady for a given RPM and the fairing meter is all over the map. Sounds like you need to check into both ends of the fairing meter's connections as well as the wire run in between for any fraying insulation. A while back, I decided to wire my fairing voltmeter directly to the battery, routing the signal through a waterproof switch so I could cut off the power drain when the bike's not running. Now I know exactly what's happening at the battery...which is what the whole point is all about!!

Kurt in S.A.

[PAULBACH]

I have used this meter (http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/5-Function-Digital-Meter-p-16951.html) on my F650 for just about a year. It provides

voltage
time (actual and elapsed)
temperature
and an alledged black ice warning.

At $32 it has been a good investment.

Two drawbacks

not well designed against moisture in a rainstorm
you may have to remove a lot of tupperware to install it

[cjack]

My bike is an 82 and the bikes after 84 were different, but the mount on the round volt meter is quite simple. the wires of course are spade connectors.

On my bike, the gauge itself is held to the plastic dash with a horse shoe shaped sheet steel bracket that has "legs" wider than the gauge. The legs contact the underside of the plastic dash but the bracket is fixed to the gauge with plastic, knurled nuts. Tightening the nuts tensions the "legs" of the bracket against the underside of the dash, pulling the gauge taunt into its hole.

Reach up under there and unscrew the plastic nuts. The bracket will fall off and the only thing holding the gauge in place will be the wires and gravity.

This, the quote, is the pertinent info you need. The ground terminal on the back of the meter tends to get loose...I think it's a rivet that holds in on, but I seem to remember that I soldered one back on once. Be careful not to short the red wire on the back of the clock to ground when you are messing around in there. Or disconnect the battery ground at the battery.

[JETHRIDGE]

Thanks for All for the input reg voltage meter. I now know that the meter will move up and down (Voltage wise) I got the old one out with the help on the way in was locked in. Nuts came off easey. The new on has the same locking in set ou as the BMW one. It fit the hole so tight that i don't need the bracket, at least not yet. Now if i can find a clock the same size that will match the new volt meter. My BMW clock don't keep time so it's unpluged.
Tnaks again
JackEthridge
Ocala Fl

[gadwal]

The boat shop that sold you the volt meter, will also have a matching clock :thumb