I do not like the exploratory parts replacement method either. I attribute the cost to "Murphy's Law". If you need to replace it you can bet its going to be expensive.

Then again, how much TIME do you want to spend chasing down a wiring short? OR is it just better in the long run to replace the wiring harness? TIME vs MONEY, you can always earn more money.

 

Howdy Swampy
I think one can fully ohm out and perform a cont. test on an entire atv wiring harness is less than 45 mins,,, call it an hour, MAX... and raditaing out from the battery, i would assume the issue would be found rather quickly ..

wiring harness, for about 100 bucks off ebay, will take at least as long to get shipped and then tear down, then install.... call it 3 days, if you are willing to literally buy the time for shorter shipping time...

so, i guess its a question of what do you do with 3 days wait? me.. i would be testing for faults while i was waiting for it to come in