my highbeams and brake light are not working but the lights do turn on, just no brake light and no brights. anyone got ani ideas what that could be? could it be a simple fuse? im not very good with mechanics. also, the machine was outdoors in the cold for quite some time and i charged the battery and it started no problem, runs excellent but if i leave it off and then start it even a few hours later it wont start, its like the battery doesnt hold the charge or something. any information or pointers would be much appreciated, thanks.

 

I am not sure if the two are related or not very hard to tell.

I would start wit hthe easy one first. The battery. Remove it from the machine take it inside and trickle charge it over night. USe a voltage meter set to DC voltage and test the battery voltage between terminals. You should get something around 12-13 volts DC. Let the battery sit for about 12-24 hours not hooked up. Retest the voltage. YOu should have very minimal drop.

Usually what happens is you have 12.8volts after charging and 12 hours later has dropped to less than 10 volts. Which can cause starting issues.

The reason for removing it from the machine is you may have a short that is draining the battery AND causing your issue withthe lights.

If the battery looses voltage to around 10volts just sitting there the battery needs to be replaced. Charge the new battery for the anount of time specified with its instructions and put it into the ATV and see if you still have starting issues the next day.

If not, then check your lights.

Note the position of the terminals and the physical size of the battery and go to like Wally's and you can get a replacement for like $40. Otherwise the dealer will charge you $100 or more.

Hope this helps.

SJ

 

thank you, your information was much appreciated, however, i now know for sure that the problems are not related. the battery was finished and i replaced it. it starts and runs fine but i still have the highbeam/brake-light problem. if anyone may have an idea as to what is causing it and how to fix it , that would be awesome, please post a reply. thanks

 

Ok, good hear you have the battery taken care of.

The only connection I can see on a wiring diagram between the headlights and tail lights is a fuse in the fuse panel (should be next tot he battery) and that they both draw power when the ignition key is in the "ON" position. Since your lights work but your hi-beams do not you could have a short between the ignition, the light switch or to the lights itself.

I know my brake light gets stuck on when the foot brake gets stuck. So you will need to check the foot brake switch as well as the hand brake switch for the brake lights. This is assuming all connections are clean, good and bulbs are good.

Swampy

 

so if the lights work but the high-beams and brake light dont then it for sure is not a fuse, right? and if it is a short, is there a way to tell where the short would be? i noticed that you mentioned the short could be in a few different places if that is what is wrong. the brake light is not stuck on, i did check into that, so i thought maybe the high-beam/brake light problem may be related but to be honest i have no idea. is this an expensive job? i thank you for your help, you are very knowledgeable and i appreciate it lots.

 

I would not rule out a blown fuse unless you have removed them and checked them.

The wiring diagram shows two lights in each housing. One hi and one low beam. The ground wire appears to be connected to the low beam lights so if your low beams work the ground is good. There appears to be a yellow wire coming out of the hi-beam lights that goes to a 10 amp fuse in the fuse panel.

Under the seat next to the battery should be a clean plastic cover with 6 fuses under it. They are all labeled pretty good.The 6 fuses are:

blue 15 amp Fan
red 10 amp Lights (includes tail lights)
blue 15 amp Accessories
red 10 amp Ignition
red 10 amp Lo-beam
red 10 amp Hi-beam

I would pull the Hi-beam fuse and the lights fuse and check them just to be sure. Mine are the flat 2-blade plug in type. You usually have to pull them and look at the little metal link inside them in a bright light.

It's always best to look at the easy stuff first. Plus, fuses are cheap.

If the fuses check out good. Then it is either a bad switch or a short. Not hard to find just time consuming to locate. Shop time at a dealer is probably going to be around $90 an hour!

Swampy

 

wow, that is expensive if i have to take it to a shop. thanks for the information, really helped out. i will check the fuses and see if its that, hopefully it is because that will be quite a bill for sure. i have to ask, do you think its possible that the high-beam problem is related to the brake light not working when pressure is being applied to either brake? again, thanks for the information, signing up with this site has proven to be a very good idea and all the information you have provided has been top-notch, thanks for that.