I have seen a lot of people post about there quad not starting properly but I have a little bit of a different issue. Ever since I had my quad (about a year and a half now) I've never had it start up when I first hit the ignition it would always be the 2nd or 3rd time of me hitting it and throttling it up to get it to start. I even always have it on a trickle charger when not in use.

I have been having more trouble lately so I have decided to buy a better battery that was sealed and was a 12N12 instead a 12N9 to see if it would fix the problem. At first it started right up a lot faster.

Now back to my problem. Last weekend I disconnected the trickle charge at night and the next morning I left with it on the back of my truck and I get out to where I was going and try to start it and it was doing the same thing as it previously did with my old battery but seemed like it didn't have enough juice to turn all the way over. So I jumped the four wheeler from my truck and got it running and used it all day turning it off and on. When I was getting ready to leave I went to turn it on and it wouldn't even click or try to start, I jumped it again and was able to get it back on my truck and come home.

I got my meter out today and checked my voltage on my battery and it read a little over 12 volts I then tried to start it and it turned over one time started right up. I turned it off and went to turn it back on and never started back up. I Checked my battery again and it still read right around 12 volts. I left my meter connected to my battery and went to start it and as soon as I went to start it the battery dropped to 5 volts. I then started thinking it might be my starter, I connected my negative end on my meter to my starter where the battery cable is connected and it read 11 volts I was expecting it to be nothing. I then left it connected and went to start it and it dropped to 4 volts.

I am now trying to decide whether I should get a new starter or not as it seems that something is continually pulling juice. I also checked the volts on my wires and determined it was a short somewhere on the cables to the starter.

Any help or guidance would be appreciated

 

You seem to have the symptoms of a bike that is not charging. If the battery is down, when you press the starter the voltage will drop right down, in fact the solenoid sometimes clicks out as there isn't enough power left to keep it engaged, that is when you get that buzz of the solenoid clicking in and out. The other possibility is a "drain" from a partial short or faulty component, this can be checked by removing one battery lead, ignition OFF, connect an ammeter between the lead and battery terminal, any ampage is a problem, but more than 0.2 of an amp and you need to find where the "leakage" comes from, often a faulty voltage regulator.

If there is no drain, charge the battery up, get it started again and see if the voltage, with the bike running, hovers between 13v and 14.5v depending on revs, (often max at just over idle). If the bike isn't charging, it could be the regulator, the wiring or the stator. I usually go for substitution of the regulator first, if that doesn't cure it, I check the positive and negative wires to the regulator, with a test lamp, this must glow brightly, any resistance between battery and regulator will lower the voltage the regulator puts out. Finally if everything else is OK, go for stator checks, if there are three wires from the stator to regulator, check all three have the same resistance when you connect the ohm-meter between any two wires. Then check that none of them are earthed.

 

Okay so I replaced my voltage regulator, CDI, ignition cool, and starter relay. I went to turn it on and definitely sounded better but still wouldn't start. I then jumped the four wheeler with my truck and got it to run almost sounded like the engine was a little flooded from trying to start it so many times and hitting the throttle. I let it run idle for a 5 to 10 Minutes the colts were ready 14.6 while running. I then turned it off and went to turn it back on and now all it does is click doesn't turn over or nothing.

When I apply the brake the volts drop and the neutral light either goes dim or out and the brake light will go from bright to dim. I then jiggle the brake cable coming down from my hand brake and the light goes bright and hit the start button and it clicks off. When I jiggle the line the Volts go from around 7 up to 12 when the light comes on.

I read somewhere else that someone was having a similar issue and replaced the fuse and it works fine now. I don't know if jumping it and the electrical issues I have had in the past might have caused the fuse to blow or not.

I can tell you that if the light goes dim and I disconnect the two plugs going from the battery cable the voltage jumps back up.




These are the plugs I disconnect and the voltage goes up



I followed the battery cable and this is what it leads to. 3 wires split open and one wire soldered into it.