my arctic cat 300 voltage reg gets so hot it burns out replaced with new one still doing same[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

 

They are supposed to get hot. Thats why it has such a big heat sink on it.
Atvs and motorcycles use a stator, and not an alternator. A stator runs all the time, and cant be cycled off, with a field wire, like an alternator can.
The excess juice ends up being turned into heat, at the regulator, if it isnt used up elsewhere.
Ride with the lights on, and itll aborb most of the excess juice.
You do have the battery hooked up, and its good?

 

They should not get so hot that they burn up. They do have a cut out in the regulator to keep them from overcharging. I agree that you need to check battery, connections (pay close attention to grounds), check voltage at battery with everything shutoff, start unit and check for voltage increase. Should stop rising somewhere around 14.5 volts. If voltage goes higher than 15 volts you are going to burn up regulators. Turning lights on may keep voltage down but does NOT fix your problem.

 

thank you very much . I have a new battery i replaced with regulator.I also cleaned all connections . thanks for the info on how the charging system operates.also what could be supplying the excess voltage and why? the machine is a 2003 4wd.


thanks again for the info.

 

thank you so very much for the information.I will check all connections and will do all the voltage test you recomended.If excess voltage is detected what could be cause? the machine is a 2003 4wd.
thanks again for all the info:

 

If the charging voltage checks other than 14.5 to 15.5 volts at 5000 rpm with the headlights on. Then you need to check the voltage from the stator (charge coils) to the regulator. That's where the voltage comes from. The charge coils should read 60 volts at 5000 rpm with the regulator disconnected. In later years they changed to a different test proceedure. Using the late style test the voltage should read 30 to 45 volts at cranking speed with the regulator connected. I suspect that either test is valid as they are testing the same thing a different way.

 

thank you for your reply. your instructions will be followed.Iam disabled & depend on this machine for hunting but thanks to you & the other guys in this forum my deer season will not be lost

thanks so much

368741

 

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

Join the club, without the quad or road hunting I wouldn't be hunting anymore either.

 

I have a 1998 artic cat 300 4x4...put a new battery on and the voltage reg burned out ..was letting it idle with the lights on...also drained the battery...bought another battery and replaced the voltage reg..lasted a few rides but the regulator got hot and started smoking..turned the lights off and it ran fine and quit overheating...whats going on with it?

 

I have the same problem as Phillip does. Except the voltage regulator burnt up after I put in a new battery. I started the engine and it was getting warmed up ( about 2 mins) and the voltage regulator started to smoke. I turned off the engine and the voltage regulator kept on smoking.
The wires burnt out and kept on sparking until they were off the heat sink.
I disconnected the voltage regulator and started the engine again and it still runs.
I assume the battery will go dead if I do not replace the voltage regulator but I don't want to replace the voltage regulator and have it burn up again.
What caused the voltage regulator to burn up when I replaced the battery?
Does anyone have any thoughts on that?
Would be very thankful
J-J