Hi guys

Just bought a lightly used 2004 Outlander Max and I love it so far. It only has 300 miles on it and everything seems to be working great. Last weekend, I got a message on the digital LCD area where the hours/milage/trip meter show up that said "fail"

there is nothing in the manual what-so-ever that refers to a message like this and I'm hoping one of you can shed some light on this. Anyone else ever got this message? What does it mean?

Thank you in advance....

 

Just "bumping" this message back up to the top in hopes that someone might know what this message on the odometer means.

thanks in advance

 

I don't own an Outtie but I have read about this enought to know what it means. It's going to be a bad voltage regulator. I know, I know they were supposted to have moved it to the back to prevent this on newer than 03 models, but it is still happening.
Bottom line; you need a new voltage regulator.

 

DoctorTurbo is right on with that assessment. My '04 quit in the middle of a hunting trip after I winched a Polaris Sportsman 500 out of the soup. It was the second time my voltage regulator failed and both times it was while running hot and using the winch. My dealer installed a kit to move the VR to the rear near the battery and got Bombardier to spring for a larger amp battery since mine got cooked. They say it's a combination of too much heat where the VR is located behind the radiator and too small a battery to support winching. That last failure was back in October and it's been good since then. I'm at about 700 miles now which is about 150 since the repair. I think the dealer said there was a tech bulletin about this issue too.

Steve

 

Wow, what a great forum! I bought a '03 Outlander 400 from a buddy with 550 miles on it last weekend. I put on maybe 5 miles when I noticed the temp light came on. My '05 Outlander did the same thing about a month ago with 300 miles on it. I replaced the temperature sender on the rad on the '05 and everything is fine for now. I went to the dealer yesterday and bought another sender assuming this was problem again. I used a jump wire on the circuit so I know the fan works. Anyway I rode for a few miles tonight and the fan still does not come on. The warning light did not come on but the coolant should have been hot enough. I even checked with a infrared gun and it registered around 185F on the sender itself. To make matters worse the carb must be dirty as it won't idle properly. I adjusted the idle to no avail. I guess I'll remove the carb and clean it and see what happens. Also while I was idling the Outty the "FAIL" came on the speedo. You guys say the VR is shot. I can't find any help from my service manual. When I bought my '05 I asked the dealer if there is any common problems with these models and he did say the VR. He said not much you can do except try running it with the headlights on all the time? Just wondering, would the VR have anything to do with the idling? How do you test a voltage regulator? Any suggestions on the heating issue? Thanks for any info, Monty

 

It sure can. Modern ign. systems don't like voltage lows and highs. It screws things up. Fix that first.
This is your test.........it's shot. Talk to your dealer about this..........I think there is a TSP on it. If so you get a new one for free.

I need more info to talk about the cooling issue.

 

Everythings OK now. As for testing a VR, all I did was wire in my multimeter on the battery cables. I revved it up a bit and the meter was registering over 18 volts. Replacement cost $150 Canadian. Carb adjustment from RV mechanic neighbor, 12 cold beer! Went for a ride last weekend, bike is running awesome now. I wasn't very happy initially though. I just replaced temperature sending units on each Outlander within a month, both with under 500 miles, $60 a pop. Is this just a coincidence, I doubt it. When I asked the dealer if this was a common problem,with the VR, he responded yes but BRP sells a kit where you put the VR by the battery, where it a lot cooler. He said it cost 350 for the kit. I stood at the counter in disbelief. I didn't even question if the price was $3.50 or $350. I assume it is $350.00 considering the price for all of their replacement parts!