I have a 2002 eton rxl 90 that will not hold a charge. runs fine when it started but then the battery goes dead after a few starts. Thought maybe the regulator is bad but i can not find out how to test it. I get about 3 or 4 volts when i disconnect the battery. anyone have any ideas?

 

I don't understand what you mean when you "get 3 or 4 volts when" the battery is disconnected. Three or four volts measured where? The battery? The regulator? The stator? Were you measuring AC volts or DC volts? Was the engine running or stopped when you took these measurements? All of these things are important. We need as much detail as you can muster.

The quad charging system is tested by measuring the DC voltage across the battery terminals when the quad is running at a fast idle with the headlights off. The voltage should be between 13.5 and 14.5 volts. If it is the charging system is working. If the battery voltage does not measure higher than when the engine is off then the charging system is not working.

The charging system consists of the stator charge winding (one of three winding in the stator), the voltage regulator, the battery, and all associated wiring.

There are more tests that can be done to pinpoint the problem, but lets start here and go further based on what you find.

 

I only get 12.5 volts across the battery when the motor is running, no matter how high it revs. I have a new stator and still the same problem.