[tpar1220]

so... i have had this 04 sportsman 600 since new with zero mechanical issues.



yesterday while plowing snow the battery indicator started flashing and speedo needle changing colors! eventually draining battery. i figured since battery is several years old that it was bad.

today i dropped $103 on a new battery and charged it... stuck it in and continued to plow snow. bout an hour later i notice the battery indicator flashing again. stuck a meter in battery tender plug and is showing 12.01 at idle and doesn't change much with throttle. when fan kicks on the battery indicator comes on, when fan turns off the indicator goes out. since i was done plowing i parked it and stuck battery tender on it to at least keep battery fully charged... but apparently i have a charging system problem. edro:

so how do i test the regulator/rectifier and stator?

 

[Bkscon]

Same thing

I have a 2013 with only 104 mikes on it and when I plow my does the same thing. Would love to know why, otherwise it's awesome and alot of fun.

 

[tpar1220]

in the 10 years i have had this atv this is 1st time i have seen this happen. i never knew the battery indicator would flash or speedo needle changed colors. i don't think it is normal as i have plowed with it for many years.

something is up...

 

[InRBigness]

Should be closer to 14v when revving up. There are ways to check the stator output on the forum, cant think of them at the moment. Its stator or regulator in my opinion. Do a search on stator issues and I am sure you will get the right readings.

 

[tpar1220]

after doing some research i located the voltage reg. all connections seemed to be tight. i removed it and cleaned connections (which seemed fine). plugged everything back in and dang thing works as it should. 12.8 volts not running and 14.2 at idle and 14.6 at 2,500 rpm!

thats crazy... it's never that easy!

check the easy things first....

 

[jerzeyguy321]

Plowing with your winch pulls a lot of juice from your battery. If you plow in Low(I do), the battery doesn't get to recharge enough. My dealership told me if you see your battery light flash. Pick up the plow, drive around the block for five to ten minutes. Then, go back to plowing. And, you'll be fine.

 

[tpar1220]

Plowing with your winch pulls a lot of juice from your battery. If you plow in Low(I do), the battery doesn't get to recharge enough. My dealership told me if you see your battery light flash. Pick up the plow, drive around the block for five to ten minutes. Then, go back to plowing. And, you'll be fine.

yes the winch does draw alot of juice for sure.. but i been plowing this same property with this 600 for 10 years and never seen that battery light before. and since i put a fresh battery in it and it went dead... something was wrong.

luckily for me was just dirty connections at voltage regulator. but i did drop $103 for a battery i didn't need! :suspect: oh well, it is tip top again and ready to plow. so i am sure we won't see another snow flake...

seems strange though. my atv was down and forecast was for a major winter blast with up to 10" of snow. i got it fixed just hours before the storm was to start. we only got maybe 1".... lol... i didn't even bother shoveling!