Should I Fix the Regulator-Rectifier or Buy a New One?

If the regulator-rectifier on your motorcycle, ATV or side-by-side isn’t controlling the voltage properly, should you buy a new one or try to fix the one you have?

Partzilla’s powersports pro John Talley hosts live Q&A sessions on our YouTube channel every Friday at 3pm Eastern. In this session, John was asked if a faulty voltage regulator should be fixed or replaced.

Regulator-rectifier testing

Regulator-Rectifier: Fix or Replace?

My regulator is not controlling the voltage. The battery is being overcharged, and all the diodes seem to work. Should I buy a new regulator-rectifier or just fix my current one?

John Talley: You really can’t fix a regulator-rectifier, because all that circuitry is usually inside of a metal container with fins on it. And they pour this — I don’t want to call it a liquid — but they pour a resin over it and that encapsulates everything. But you’re right, you can do a test on the diodes and they’ll test fine, but that’s just the rectifier part of it. The regulation comes from a different circuit, and evidently yours is confused. So I would say just go ahead and replace it.