Hi, I was wondering if anyone would know were to stat looking when the lights on a 1996 Polaris sportsman 400 quite working. I was driving it a couple of days ago in the snow and the low lights suddenly went out when I heard a pop, the high lights on it had quite working a few days before. would anyone know where to start looking for a broken part? Thanks!

 

Welcome! First off if you have a bad or weak battery(have it load tested if you're not sure) you can pop lights from the regulator/ rectifier trying to charge a shorted out battery (that won't take the voltage) and the voltage takes the path of least resistance which is always the bulbs.Check that the charging voltage at the battery is between 13.5 to 14.5 volts while at a high idle. Plus check all the wiring connectors on the regulator located between the front bumper and radiator. They have a bad habit of pulling out and not charging which can drain a battery down. Plus a regulator can sometimes over charge (16-18 volts normally) which can dry a battery up and cause problems. These are things you might need to check out along with the simple stuff like making sure the battery connections are tight. OPT

 

Thanks for the help old polaris tech, I tried checking what you said and it looks like I might have a short that's draining the battery. I'll see what I find after I check the wiring.

 

The positive line attaching to the battery was partly broken. I replaced the line and the bulbs, Now it's working fine. Thank's for all the help!

 

Make sure you're charging 14-14.5 volts back to the battery while running. OPT