dogdoc Posted April 17, 2006 Report Share Posted April 17, 2006 I have a 2002 Polaris ATV that keeps draining the battery. I put a brand new fully charged battery on the ATV and it starts and runs great. The next morning the battery is dead. I fully charged it again and had the battery tested--tested fine. Hooked it back up and started the ATV great--again the next morning the battery is dead---so dead it won't even light up the neutral light. I've checked for the obvious things (head lights, tail lights) and such--just can't figure out what is draining the battery. Need some suggestions from the mechanics---If it can't be fixed with a scalpel and suture I can't fix it:) thanks todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowtechTurkeyHunter Posted April 17, 2006 Report Share Posted April 17, 2006 Re: ATV Mechanical question.... Obviously there is a severe dead short ... how did you test the lights and what not ... I would check for a short ... disconnect the lights and what not ... it could be a shorted starter ... to draing the battery over night I would lean more towards the starter ... Steve Disclaimer I am not a ATV mechanic but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted April 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2006 Re: ATV Mechanical question.... i just tested them by making sure they weren't on when the ATV was turned off and key out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted April 17, 2006 Report Share Posted April 17, 2006 Re: ATV Mechanical question.... its not a short. Its called a parasetic draw. Unhook the positive side of the batteryhook a test light between the positive post of the battery and the other end of the test light to the diconnected positive cable. if it lights up you have a draw. you could do the same with a digital volt meter. If the test light is lit up when testing that means something is draining on the battery, next step is to start pulling the fuses one fuse at a time and if the light goes out when you remove the fuse the draw is in that circuit. Is your charging system working? I would think maybe the magnetic hub is stuck or the swtich for it is stuck. but i would start with the draw test. Good luck you can pm me if you got any questions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted April 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2006 Re: ATV Mechanical question.... thanks sean--i'll give that a try. do i just use a normal circuit light?? I also have a voltage meter with a positive and negative wire for testing batteries and such--will that work? If so what do I set the dial on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted April 17, 2006 Report Share Posted April 17, 2006 Re: ATV Mechanical question.... Yes a standard test light will work. If you use a digital volt meter set it on miliamps. I would think a normal draw would be less than .30 milliamps. That would be alot for an atv though. Anything over would be excessive and do the same start pulling fuses one at a time. pull one then see what the draw is. if it does not change put that fuse back and move to the next one. hey good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldawg Posted April 18, 2006 Report Share Posted April 18, 2006 Re: ATV Mechanical question.... How old is your battery? I had the same thing happening to mine, and the battery was just garbage. The newer batteries don't last very long these days, or I just have real bad luck with them. Dawg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted April 18, 2006 Report Share Posted April 18, 2006 Re: ATV Mechanical question.... Todd, you could do like mirage suggests or you could connect your meter on the dc voltage setting connected to the battery, as you are watching the volts dropping you could disconnect the fuses one by one and watch for a few seconds to see if there is a difference in the rate of drop. When you find the one where the drop stops, that is the circuit that has a draw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widowmaker Posted April 18, 2006 Report Share Posted April 18, 2006 Re: ATV Mechanical question.... Make sure you are grounded good on the ground wire coming off of the battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.