[JasonF]

During our last ride we where heading back to our room after finishing up a great day of powder riding and my headlights went out. At first I thought that the relay had failed but then I noticed that all the other lights where still on including the tailight. For whatever reason I hit the switch for the high beams and the lights come on. When I hit the switch again the lights go back out, the odd part being that the blue dash icon for the brights is always on no matter how many times I hit the switch.
Another bizarre thing happened when I was filling up with gas the next day after dark. I pulled up to the pumps with the lights on and filled the sled. When I restarted the sled the lights were now off and I had to hit the brights switch to turn them back on. When this all started I believe the lights worked only on high beam but after filling up it was working with low beam only. :dazed:

Now to add one more piece to the puzzle, I just now go out to start working on the sled and the battery is completely dead. This has never happened before but could be a just a coincedance but doesn't seem likely.

Any ideas????
Thanks Jason

 

[snowfun348]

Sounds to me as though your high/low headlight switch is acting up. The tail lights are working fine because they do not go through the hi/lo switch. The switch could have some water in it but you will have to unplug the switch to check it out with and meter.

The battery being flat is another matter. Disconnect the battery and charge it up with a charger. When you hook the battery back up to the sled there should be very little current drain on the battery. If a relay is 'hung up' (not dropping out), there might be some current being drawn from the battery causing it to go flat. That being the case, you will have to find out which relay is causing the problem.

Good luck with the repairs.

Snowfun348

 

[JasonF]

Thanks for the reply Snofun

Well I figured out the bulb issue, I took the bulbs out and noticed that both low beams are burnt out. I'm not sure what would cause both bulbs to burn out at the same time but I'm sure it has something to do with my next issue.

I charged the battery back up and hooked up all the conections but now the sled won't run. I have e'start so when I hit the start button the sled fires up but its almost like its running in limp mode. There is no beeping to indicate that the key is misaligned and I swapped the battery out with one from a working SDI so I know its not a battery issue. The sled will run like its on one cylinder and rev up slightly if I give it some gas and eventually backfire. Both plugs are getting excellent spark and plugs have been changed. A couple of times when the sled quit running the battery light on the guage cluster beeped quickly and wouldn't go off until I pulled the fuse on the battery hookup. Both relays have been swapped with those from another sled as well and it made no difference, I was hoping it would have been that simple.

Hopefully its still a simple fix, hoping to leave for a long weekend in a couple days :huh:
Thanks J

 

[Thumbdoctor]

Jason,

I would check your voltage output at the voltage regulator because I seem to remember you having issues with your main relay toasting. Possibly the voltage regulator ground is loose or corroded. If they both check out, clean your battery terminals. The only reason for what you describe is higher than system voltage hence the low beams burning. If you start the motor and disconnect the battery the voltage will spike and fry bulbs when you increase the rpm. Logic dictates that the battery isn't getting a charge or the voltage regulator isn't regulating A/C output into D/C charging.

 

[JasonF]

Jason,

I would check your voltage output at the voltage regulator because I seem to remember you having issues with your main relay toasting. Possibly the voltage regulator ground is loose or corroded. If they both check out, clean your battery terminals. The only reason for what you describe is higher than system voltage hence the low beams burning. If you start the motor and disconnect the battery the voltage will spike and fry bulbs when you increase the rpm. Logic dictates that the battery isn't getting a charge or the voltage regulator isn't regulating A/C output into D/C charging.[/b]

This sounds like a good place to start, keep it simple right. What would be the appropriate output for the voltage regulator, anything 12-14volts??

Thanks Simon, Jason

 

[snowfun348]

I like to see 14 volts out of the regulator, just 12 volts is not enough to charge the battery.
Snowfun.

 

[JasonF]

Now the million dollar question. Before I could even test the voltage I noticed some buildup in one of the connections. In the middle plug in one of the metal prongs is busted off in the male side fitting. Could someone let me know what parts need to be replaced to rememdy this and how tough of a job is it? I'm getting a little close to being in over my head

Here are a couple pics, not real clear but you should be able to see what I'm talking about.
In the 4 hole pattern its the one on the top left that has the broken off stub.