[DeadSportsman500]

Hello,

I recently had a battery die on my 2012 Polaris Sportsman 500 HO. When that dead/dying battery was in place, the lights would power on dimly while the key was on, and I would hear a clicking sound while trying to start it, but it would not turn over. The battery was tested and needed to be replaced.

Now, with a new battery that has been tested to be good, I don't get any electrical power when turning the key. No pod lights, no headlights, nothing. The Kill switch is in the run position, the fuses in the fuse box under the front storage box look good. I'm not sure where to go next. I'm not all that mechanically or electrically inclined.

The one thing that I am suspicious about is whether I fried something while trying to jump start it with the dead battery in. Are there any other fuses or circuit breakers in line that would stop all electrical power when the key is turned?

Thanks!

 

[Gangle04]

id try flicking kill switch back n forth a couple times it could be corroded and dirty then try wiggleing plugs at kill switch ignition switch and fuze possible dirty connection and make sure connections at battery and ground on frame are tight

 

[DeadSportsman500]

tried moving the kill switch around with the key on, and wiggling the wires on the kill switch, ignition switch, and fuse. All connections to the battery and ground are tight.

 

[Gangle04]

ok and since every since you hooked up your battery youve had no power??? make sure both positive wires are hooked up if theres two on these bikes i forget if the winch is ran off starter solinoid or right to battery terminal and grounds are correct just seams weird soon as you hook up a new battery you lose all power and mabye switch your main fuse with another just to be certain

 

[DeadSportsman500]

It is pretty odd. There are two cables that kind of go into one and that is attached to the positive side of the battery. It does seem like a fuse issue. But, I switched out the main fuse and that didn't fix it. I wonder if I fried something else while jumping it with the old battery. Is there an ECU or an ECM in this model? Or another fuse or relay somewhere that could have gotten fried?

 

[Gangle04]

the older sportsmans had a breaker instead of fuses newer ones only have the 4 fuses i dont know if you could fry ur ecm by boosting ive boosted alot off trucks and atvs and never had a problem...im pretty sure they do have fuseable links though the three blue wires that are about 3 inches long ive never done anything with them just read about them but i belive they are just pieces of wire meant to burn away before the main pos wires do so that there easy to replace if i remember right from when i had wiring issues the positive goes to the starter solenoid then the positive for the quad and the positive for the winch go off the positive terminal on the solenoid. the positive for the bike has three blue wires check those im not exactly sure how to test if you fried your ecm but i will look at the wiring schematics and see where those three wires go and you could test for power at those if you have a test light

k wires to check with test light direct from battery

1. middle fuse witch is 20amp(inbetween 20a and 15a)
2. red wire to circuit breaker located under front cover
3. red wire to voltage regulator

all of these should have power all the time

 

[DeadSportsman500]

the older sportsmans had a breaker instead of fuses newer ones only have the 4 fuses i dont know if you could fry ur ecm by boosting ive boosted alot off trucks and atvs and never had a problem...im pretty sure they do have fuseable links though the three blue wires that are about 3 inches long ive never done anything with them just read about them but i belive they are just pieces of wire meant to burn away before the main pos wires do so that there easy to replace if i remember right from when i had wiring issues the positive goes to the starter solenoid then the positive for the quad and the positive for the winch go off the positive terminal on the solenoid. the positive for the bike has three blue wires check those im not exactly sure how to test if you fried your ecm but i will look at the wiring schematics and see where those three wires go and you could test for power at those if you have a test light

k wires to check with test light direct from battery

1. middle fuse witch is 20amp(inbetween 20a and 15a)
2. red wire to circuit breaker located under front cover
3. red wire to voltage regulator

all of these should have power all the time

Thanks a lot for all of that info. I think we are headed in the right direction. I'm going to have to get a test light and get to testing those wires.

One question I have is where is the circuit breaker located and what does it look like? I have shop manual and wiring diagram and I believe the red wire you are referring to in # 2 is shown as the red wire on the FAN relay to 10A circuit breaker. But I am not sure where the circuit breaker is or if there is a way to reset it or replace it.

The other thing I am confused about is the red wire to the voltage regulator. I can't seem to find any info on the voltage regulator in the shop manual.

 

[Gangle04]

it is located under your pod behind front compartment behind that colored plastic cover it is a little silver rectangular box with two terminals with wires on them with a stud and nut. im pretty sure mine was mostly wrapped in black tape from factory

 

[DeadSportsman500]

So, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the ATV is fixed. The bad news is that I am an idiot. When I installed the new battery, I didn't noticed that there were two positive cables that need to be connected to the positive terminal. One of them had slipped back into the boot, and I only connected the other one. This is why the ATV had no power at all when I was turning the key. Once I noticed this, I hooked up both positive cables to the terminal and everything works fine now. Thanks Gangle04 for all of the tips and info.

 

[Gangle04]

hahahha no problem happens to all of us glad it worked out for you

 

[Craigaz]

Congrats on getting your ride back on the trail!

 

[DeadSportsman500]

Thanks. It was just in time for a huge snowstorm too. And, its my plow machine so I am really glad it was an easy fix. I'm going to also invest in a Battery Tender because that one died completely after its first winter. I noticed a lot of other people posted issues with the same symptoms as me, replaced battery now there is no power. It would be nice if they had simple fixes like this too.

 

[ATVguy]

Me too

Been there, done that. When I put the leads on the battery for the Battery Tender, I missed one of connections to the battery. But, it was touching the terminal and I was able to start and run it at my buddy's farm until it just died. Took a while to find and fix because the cable had fallen out of sight. Once reconnected, everything worked normal. So glad I had some tools with me.

 

[hatzie]

That's why I'm not a fan of connecting directly to the battery with more than the heavy leads.

I like to connect the low amp "main power" wire and tender to the always hot side of the starter contactor. The tender ground is on the frame end of the - cable.
It keeps the oops out of eventual battery swaps.

From orbit via Android.

 

[ATVguy]

Good point. I was putting the tender on in a freezing cold garage and went the quick route. I like your idea of the connection and will change it once the weather warms up.

 

[Lenny82]

Ok. So i am having this issue with mine now. After a cold winter my battery was done. Got a new one. I have no power to anything. I will try the fuses. See if thats the problem. If not anything else you can think off. Is there a power terminal that can be replaced? I love this quad but don't want to sink too much more into it.

Thanks

 

[bp405]

Ok. So i am having this issue with mine now. After a cold winter my battery was done. Got a new one. I have no power to anything. I will try the fuses. See if thats the problem. If not anything else you can think off. Is there a power terminal that can be replaced? I love this quad but don't want to sink too much more into it.

Thanks

What are you working on? Fuses are a good start. Check for power at the ignition switch next.