Hi opt! Again....
I still have that 98 polaris sportsmen 500 and I went to plow the drive way tonight and after two passes the lights started to dim when I picked the plow up by the winch, then finally died. Is it possible it is a bad battery? Or what ever the wheeler has for an alternator? I plan to take the battery back to advance au to tomorrow after it charges tonight. I have it on 2 amp charge, and I forgot my wife left the lights on 2 weeks ago completely draining the battery but after a good night's charge it started up and been running fine. Battery is a year or two old. Thanks a bunch!

 

My 2001 500 sportsman would run fine with a bad dead battery, I just pull started it off I go. I did this for a month before getting a new battery.

I left the head lights all night on my dads 97 500SP and killed the battery, same thing I just pull started it and it rode fine until a good 15 minute ride recharged the battery.

Not sure how a bad battery would stop a running ATV. I hear the newer ones 2005 and up with ECM or EFI need a healthy good battery.

 

It would not operate the winch thou when it was acting up last night...

 

I never used my winch with a dead battery but everything else worked fine, like lights.

Would it only stall when you tried the winch?

 

Yes it stalled when I was trying to pick up the plow, and the lights dimmed then finally went out whike trying to pick up the plow, when the woman killed the battery a bit ago I started the wheeler by pull starting and rode all over hell and left idling for a hour or so, shut the wheeler off and the battery was still dead. So does this mean the alternator or what ever it is called on the wheeler is shot?

 

Maybe the winch is just to much for the Alternator on its own without battery help.

To check the charging system just pull start it and put a voltmeter on the battery cables, if it reads high 12v or low 13 volts at idle its working fine.

 

With the battery cables unhooked from the battery? The battery has been on the charger all night, last year it worked fine

 

No just leave the battery hooked up. If its running but on battery power alone it will not read over 12v.
ATV batteries are not like cars you do not expect a whole lot of years out of them.

 

Okay sounds good when I get home from work I will put the volt meter on it whole it is running. Thanks tlc

 

Look under the front panel to see if one of the regulator wires has pulled loose. Common problem on the early Sportsmans. Charge the battery up,then check voltage. Should hold around 12.6-12.8 volts with charger off. When trying to electric start if voltage drop below 9 volts with a load on it,usually you have an open cell and battery would need to be replaced,especially if it's at least charging 14-14.5 volts off an idle once running but not holding a charge. If it's just showing battery voltage or less while running and regulator wires are hooked up,common problem on these shorting out. You can check the regulator out by checking resistance between each yellow wire to each other and to ground. NO wire should zero out to each other or ground. I've found several times when this happens a battery can be sucked dry,shorting out along with needing a regulator/rectifier also. If you need a regulator you can find one here. #4060173 (newer part #2203636) Either one will work.Polaris ATV Rectifier Regulator Even Amazon has them for 26 bucks.