I have a 2001 yamaha warrior 350. the battery seems to not be getting a charge. If I disconnect the battery jump from car battery then disconnect jumper cables the battery wires will show a reading of about 2-3 volts when tested. I'm new to atvs. what parts are involved in charging a battery. how would I test it too.

 

With the battery connected, start the quad. Take the leads of a voltmeter and touch the quad battery cables before they reach the battery. Have a friend rev the quad, the voltage should rise to 13-15 volts on the meter.

If they don't, test the rectifier and stator. Replace as needed. You can get a new stator at www.rickystator.com Before springing for the whole stator, I'd replace the pickup coil.

If voltage is fine, replace the battery. Charge the battery fully before use using a 2amp trickle charger, NOT a car charger. Then maintain the battery with a battery tender. A good brand is Battery Tender.

 

how do I test the rectifier and the stator. would a car battery charger be fine if it has a trickle charge mode. is there a difference?

 

Call motorcycle shops and see if they can test the rectifier and stator or use your dealer. I say that, but I don't hold much hope that they can or will. The reason being labor cost. It's cheaper for them and you to just replace the suspect parts with new ones. Shops make money on job turnaround. Every day it's how many can we fix today and get paid for. The time it takes to do yours could be spent doing three others. That's why it takes so long to get major repairs done.

You can replace the rectifier yourself, just get a manual or go to yamaha.com and set up a user account and use theirs. Then find the cheapest prices on the web. MrCycles wants 74.00 plus shipping. There are other vendors, shop around. Make sure you get the stator from Ricky Stator if you need one. He charges 150.00 for new. Mr Cycles wants 374.00.

Were I you, I would use the yamaha site manual and try CLEANING the stator/ rotor assembly first and reassemble and test. Then I would replace the pickup coil, it's only 39.00,then the rectifier, then the stator. I would do the stator last because it's the most expensive, and they rarely burn out.

If you can't do this yourself, I would at least buy the parts and have someone else install them. Most shops will go along with that.

And yes, your car charger will work OK as long as it's a 2 amp trickle , anything over 2 amp is too hot for these dinky batteries. I would still buy the battery tender. It MAINTAINS a full charge, where the charger just CHARGES the battery.

 

All the suggestions HeftyLefty gave you are excellent info , and the only thing that i could add is that you first trace down all your ground wires for a short ; i had this very same problem with my 89' GMC Safari Van yesterdayand it turned out to be a loose ground cable wire !

I also ran into this problem untold times in the 20 plus years in the Small Engine Industry , it could be either the main ground cable , or one of the many ground wires or a corroded wiring cuplers ; i would trace these things down first it could save you money and time doing this first !

If it turns out to be in the charging system if you can find a honest Dealership they will check the componants free of charge if you remove them and take them in for a quick check ; my local AC Dealer did this for me all the time when i started working my freinds and my own quad even years before i bought my Cat from her !

I hope this helps , and welcome to the forums ; and i hope you find the problem and doesn't cost you an arm or leg in the proccess !.........

 

I took the cover of the stator and oil poured out??? it seems oil shouldn't be in there since its electrical. is this normal?

 

There is on the clutch cover side for sure , and if merory serves me right on my first Honda atv i owned there was some oil in the side where the flywheel was located ; but the stator was sealed on my Honda !

Not sure about the Warrior someone will correct me if i'm wrong on your Warrior , i hope this is of some help ; HeftyLefty or someone else may be able to tell you for sure !.....