I have a 2004 polaris sportsmen 700 with 7400 miles on it.
two rides ago my battery light started flashing in the middle of the ride, so I thought it was the battery, I went and bought a new battery, and that did not cure the problem. my battery lights still flashes and apparently the charging system on my quad is not putting voltage back into the battery.
I had this exact same thing happened a few years ago and the dealership put in a new stator, it had 5200 miles on it at the time, and that did not cure the problem, I took it back to them and I overheard one mechanics say to another, "you always do a regulator rectifier before you do a stator" well, needless to say they must have put in the regulator rectifier and my quad worked fine for over 2000 miles. Whether or not I got totally hosed at the dealership for the stator remains subject to speculation, but, that's another story for another time.
These are the questions that I have:
If I replaced the regulator rectifier, do you think this will cure my problem?
How long does a stator usually last? I don't have any accessories that require electrical power.
Is it possible to test the regulator rectifier to see if it is bad?
I weighed my options, and there weren't very many, take it back to the dealer and get ripped off again, or try to fix it myself.
So I opted for the latter. I ordered the part from Don Wood Polaris and I installed it and low and behold it worked just fine.
A little tip that I discovered: a couple of months ago my RPM gauge starting acting funny, and I just dismissed it as having a lot of miles on it and\or the sending unit was bad, but, I did not know that the RPM gauge went through the regulator. So, needless to say, when I put this new regulator on it cured the RPM problem right away, so I guess that would be a warning sign that your regulator is going bad.
I hope someone can benefit from my experience, instead of being at the mercy of the dealer, especially with electrical problems.
Concerning my first situation when this happened about 4 years ago, I truly believe that all I really needed was a regulator.
I weighed my options, and there weren't very many, take it back to the dealer and get ripped off again, or try to fix it myself.
So I opted for the latter. I ordered the part from Don Wood Polaris and I installed it and low and behold it worked just fine.
A little tip that I discovered: a couple of months ago my RPM gauge starting acting funny, and I just dismissed it as having a lot of miles on it and\or the sending unit was bad, but, I did not know that the RPM gauge went through the regulator. So, needless to say, when I put this new regulator on it cured the RPM problem right away, so I guess that would be a warning sign that your regulator is going bad.
I hope someone can benefit from my experience, instead of being at the mercy of the dealer, especially with electrical problems.
Concerning my first situation when this happened about 4 years ago, I truly believe that all I really needed was a regulator.
Got the same issue on an 04 600 Sportsman... battery is only a year old... charged it up (everything looks good)... Battery sits at just over 12 volts. But it's not charging. When the machine is running, it still reads 12 volts (should be around 14).
I find it hard to believe the stator is bad... that kind of stuff rarely goes bad (i have less that 1200 miles on it).
What exactly did you replace? I was thinking voltage regulator... what is a "regulator rectifier"?
I'm asking because the 600 is basically the same machine as the 700.
I believe the regulator\rectifier is the same thing as a voltage regulator. I believe this will cure your problem.
After fully charging the battery, does your battery light flash after 10 or 15 miles? This is what mine did.
"What exactly did you replace?"....... specifically, it was a regulator\rectifier and I can give you a part number if you want. Although it will probably be different for your machine. Maybe not tho.
If you go to Don Wood Polaris and you fill out all the information about your machine, and you get to the microfiche, I believe it's under electrical and taillight, and I believe it's number 25. It is a square box that sits underneath that removable front panel.
If you have a more questions just post, I will reply.
You have to take off the front rack and then take that plastic piece out and that regulator\rectifier sits in there. Mine was black and it was about 3" x 3" and about a half-inch thick. It had five wires coming from it. The new one, was a different style. It was bigger it had the same five wires coming out of it, but it needed to be relocated and they will provide you with a a template and directions. You have to drill a couple of holes in a brace.
Thanks for the info... that's exactly what mine is doing. I need to figure out which '04 that I have - mine was the 1/2 year model that had the electronic gas tank.
Also, my fan sounds like the bearings are coming out of it... so I pulled it out too. Then I saw the price of a new one -$265 list - holy crap! I have two polaris ATVs and they may be the last ones... I cannot believe how expensive parts are for them. Is this a polaris thing, or is it across the industry? I'm big into sleds... have quite a few Arctic Cat snowmobiles. I could buy a new "top end kit" for the engine for that price.
My fan on my 96 magnum 425 went out , so I bought a universal fan on ebay. The fan was a 8 inch pull/push fan that you just attach to your radiator and your back in business for less that $30. These fans are little but the really put some air out. polaris stock fans are very expensive.
i have a 2004 sportsman 700 and i have put a new stator new voltage regulator and it still is not charging right.....unless i give it gas it will not charge and then i put new carburetor and it will not run when you give it gas but it will idle is there somthing i need to do to the new carb pl help
First of all, the charging system does not charge at idle - the engine has to be above about 2400 RPM to start charging - at idle it is operating off battery voltage, at around 1800 RPM it is breaking even (battery is not powering the vehicle, but not charging either).
The carb is a separate issue - it will not accelerate because when you open the throttle it is getting more air with too little fuel - just calibrate the carb to run properly.
Why did you put a new carb on? “New” carbs typically mean cheap china and can cause more problems than the original one. The old one is already calibrated to your machine (assuming no one screwed with it), meaning jetted correctly and the idle screw and needle set correctly. The service manual will tell you what jets it should have for your elevation and where the idle screw should be, but the china carbs are totally hit and miss for quality and accuracy. I have had good luck on the 3 i have installed, but i will always buy a quality rebuild kit for the original and give it a good cleaning with carb/choke cleaner. The only ones i have had to replace are ones that someone else has monkeyf’d up beyond repair. If you have never messed with carbs, they are simpler than you think. Take pictures of each stage so you know how it came apart. The 2 or 3 jets in it are all unique so you cant put them in the wrong place. The biggest challenge is not losing the tiny parts. The most crucial thing is making sure the idle jets microscopic holes get clean. Pulling off the bowl and flushing it out will rarely fix anything. Pull each individual piece out and flush out the passage ways and blow out with compressed air. Be careful to watch for other parts flying out with the air. I use a tiny stainless colander to clean the small stuff.
thank you i just bought it the guy i got it from said he never miss wiht it but i found a rebuild kit in one of the compartment so i know that was a lie it would run good but would not idle so put this new one on now it will idle but run unless you put the choke on wtf payed 100 foe new carb
If it ran good but no idle, then take off the bowl. Be careful not to strip the screws. You’ll see the main jet in the middle, the idle jet is usually right next to it inside a tube. Small flathead screwdriver to unscrew it. Usually has 6 or so pin holes in the side and a through hole to a pin hole on the end. I have had to use tiny wire from a wire brush to clear the holes. Use the carb cleaner to flush. Should spray out the end and out the side holes. They can be stubborn, but that jet is what allows your rig to idle. Post pics of it if you aren’t sure and i can point it out from there. If you paid $100 for it, then it should be oem or you got took. China carbs are 30-40.
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