This question is about my predator 500. Ive posted on polaris forum but nobody can seem to help. My quad is killing my battery within 10 min . just put a know battery did the same thing. I have replaced the stator and the voltage regulator and still doing it. It will run all day with no battery just have to jump start it so i dont think its my stator. Any ideas would be really helpfull. Thats what i love about my blasters they are so simple and easy to work on. Oh and I cant sell it or put a stick of C4 on it and blow it up. Its my wifes ride
eletrical need help
- Thread starter Oakie's Atv's
- Start date
You've got a bad short somewhere in the wiring harness. For a fresh battery to go bad that fast, it shouldnt be too hard to find. When you go to hook up a battery, Id be willing to bet the negative terminal sparks when the connection is made. This indicates you've got an unwanted current draw. Forget the charging system for now; the engine will run forever with no battery whatsoever (so the ignition system isnt killing it), and the quad should still start for several days with a fresh battery, even if the charging system doesnt work and never charges the battery at all.
Start by carefully checking the battery cables, especially the positive cable between the battery and the solenoid. Be sure no insulation has worn off the cable, causing a direct short to the frame. Check all the connections for corrosion and looseness.
No trouble found? Find the power wire for the machine's wiring harness. It is a smaller (14 or 16 gauge in most cases) solid red wire, and it will either be connected directly to the battery or to the starter solenoid where the positive battery cable attaches. Unhook this wire and install a freshly-charged battery in the quad. Watch for sparks and/or let it sit overnight. If the battery sparks or ends up dead the next morning, you likely have a bad starter solenoid.
By unhooking the power wire to the machine's wiring harness, you have isolated the starting system from the rest of the bike's electrical system. Now all you are worried with is the battery itself, positive battery cable, starter motor, and starter solenoid. Occasionally, a starter solenoid goes bad when the magnetic switch inside fails to fully open or fully close after being activated. When this happens, you get an electrical arc across the contacts inside the solenoid, which will quickly kill even a new battery. The arc doesnt have enough amperage to activate the starter motor, so it goes undetcted until you seek it out. This is the most likely cause of your problem.
If, however, the battery on the quad ceases to go dead after unhooking the main wiring harness for the test, you have something wrong in the chassis wiring harness. Check the main power wire, all connections, and all your fuses. Also be sure the wire between the igniton switch and the wiring harness isnt pinched by the handlebars or steering stem, causing a short.
Good luck getting it figured out! This should point you in the right direction. Keep us posted on what you find!
Start by carefully checking the battery cables, especially the positive cable between the battery and the solenoid. Be sure no insulation has worn off the cable, causing a direct short to the frame. Check all the connections for corrosion and looseness.
No trouble found? Find the power wire for the machine's wiring harness. It is a smaller (14 or 16 gauge in most cases) solid red wire, and it will either be connected directly to the battery or to the starter solenoid where the positive battery cable attaches. Unhook this wire and install a freshly-charged battery in the quad. Watch for sparks and/or let it sit overnight. If the battery sparks or ends up dead the next morning, you likely have a bad starter solenoid.
By unhooking the power wire to the machine's wiring harness, you have isolated the starting system from the rest of the bike's electrical system. Now all you are worried with is the battery itself, positive battery cable, starter motor, and starter solenoid. Occasionally, a starter solenoid goes bad when the magnetic switch inside fails to fully open or fully close after being activated. When this happens, you get an electrical arc across the contacts inside the solenoid, which will quickly kill even a new battery. The arc doesnt have enough amperage to activate the starter motor, so it goes undetcted until you seek it out. This is the most likely cause of your problem.
If, however, the battery on the quad ceases to go dead after unhooking the main wiring harness for the test, you have something wrong in the chassis wiring harness. Check the main power wire, all connections, and all your fuses. Also be sure the wire between the igniton switch and the wiring harness isnt pinched by the handlebars or steering stem, causing a short.
Good luck getting it figured out! This should point you in the right direction. Keep us posted on what you find!
