replacing the battery in a 2008 polaris sportman x2 800

whoisjeff · #1 (**permalink**) 08-29-2009, 04:42 PM

Hi all, just wanted to ask a quick question which I may be answering myself by even typing this.
I have a 2008 Sportsman 700 X2 that I bought last year. I put maybe 80 miles on it and then moved so I stored it at my parents in the garage (its been there for about 7 to 8 months). Today I went and was going to crank it up and let it run, but no big surprise the battery was completely DEAD. I threw some jumper cables on it and the lights and instrument panel came on. I tried to crank it and all I got was a clicking sound. Kind of like the sound a car makes when the solenoid goes out and wont turn over the starter. The instrument panel said "WAIT" "FUEL" and had the number "52" and "101" at one point. After a few tries it started up but then died again. From this point it continued the clicking noise previously mentioned. I also made sure the jumper connectors had a good connection. Now I know I'm going to need a new battery but I'm kind of curious if Polaris has a safety feature that will not allow it to start if there are other problems. The air filter is brand new and as far as I could see there were no other problems except for coolant not flowing through the tubes when it did start the first time. Anyway I guess my question is, is this normal if the battery is completely dead and will a new battery fix the problem. It's basically a brand new machine as I didn't abuse it or run it ragged when I got it. I used it for a ATV safety class and then stuck it in storage for a while. Any help would be appreciated. I wanted to ask for opinions before I took it to the Polaris dealer and had to drop a pretty penny to have them look at it.

**Bruce!** · #2 (**permalink**) 08-29-2009, 05:41 PM

First off, welcome to the board!

H2O · #3 (**permalink**) 08-30-2009, 07:29 AM

First I would take the battery out and slow charge it over night. I don't think you will need to replace it. It should take on a charge and be fine.
The clicking noise you hear means the starter is not getting enough power.
Also clean your battery connections well and make sure they are tight when you reinstall the battery.

whoisjeff · #4 (**permalink**) 08-30-2009, 03:34 PM

Awesome, I'll give it a try in the morning. Do I just need a normal battery charger or one specifically for an ATV battery. Also what amp/voltage should I put it on?

cdakers · #5 (**permalink**) 08-30-2009, 07:42 PM

You can use anything that charges at 2 amps or less. 1.5 amps would probably be ideal, but up to 2 should be safe.

cdakers · #6 (**permalink**) 08-30-2009, 07:43 PM

Forgot to mention make sure it's set to 12 volts.

cdakers · #7 (**permalink**) 08-30-2009, 07:46 PM

One last note - DO NOT try to start the machine with the battery charger connected to the battery. Good possibility of frying the rectifier in the charger, depending on what kind you are using.