Hi,

I have a problem with my 2001 Polaris Sportsman 500. It was running okay before.

Symptoms:

I can start it with the pull start but it runs weak. If I turn on the lights or try to engage the winch, it almost stalls. It doesn't even generate any power to operate the winch. If I turn on the lights, they will be really dim. If I let it sit running, it eventually stalls and doesn't charge the battery at all. 4WD doesn't even engage and speedometer is not working.

I can hear a crackling sound coming from under the plastic located under the hi-beam light. I removed the plastic and it appears that the winch solenoid or the coil is emitting the crackling noise. I touched it (along with the wires) and I could feel a strong vibration. Battery is brand new (but completely discharged).

Can a worn coil or winch solenoid cause all this?

Any idea?
Thanks!

Check the charging back to the battery at idle and a little above.Make sure the battery connections are tight!! A lot of people overlook this and it will not charge if either cable is loose. Voltage should be between 14 to 14.5 volts. If the charging output isn't enough it will drain a battery down quickly. This could explain why it's hard to start,dim lights,no awd,etc.Has to have a constant 12 volts at all times.Make sure the regulator/rectifier connections are good.The red wire is bad about coming unplugged and not being able to charge. Even brand new batteries out of the box can fail and I had a stack of em at the shop at times. If it's charging good,have the battery load tested.Check these things out first as it's they are most likely the cause(s) of your problems. Winch commutators can go bad,short out,but if it's not receiving enough voltage while trying to operate,then could be making noises also. If it isn't charging(connections are good and tight at the battery and regulator) most of the time it's the voltage regulator itself.http://www.psep.biz/store/polaris_at..._regulator.htm

Thanks for the reply.
I've checked the connection to the battery: everything is properly tightened.

My new battery was working fine for the last few weeks.

Now that the battery is completely discharged, I started the polaris with the pull rope and got a 5 Volt reading at the battery. If I give some throttle, it drops to 4V... I guess I will take a look at the voltage regulator.

thanks!

Most of the time it's either a wire has come loose from the regulator not allowing charging or the regulator's faulty if you have a good tested battery or a new one.They can fail at any time.