Hi there! This is my first post to this forum. I have came here many times in the past seeking information and have found this board to be super helpful.
The guy named "Old Polaris Tech" is like some kind of god to me lol.

So anyway, to my issue.
I have an 04 Sportsman 600. I changed out the ducati ignition junk 2 years ago.
Since then, if I ran the lights or hand warmers, the breaker switch would heat up and shut down the whole gauge pod and the entire machine for a few moments, then I could refire it shortly after(2-10 seconds) when the breaker cools off. My cob job fix for the last little bit was to simply not run lights or handwarmers. I pretty much only use this rig to plow a small parking lot, so it hasn't been too terrible to use like this.
Well, now its getting worse. Despite no lights or handwarmers being run, the machine is shutting itself off every few minutes. If i run the lights/handwarmers, it shuts down noticeably sooner. The way it acts, I am pretty sure it is not the lights or handwarmers only, but another component somewhere on the bike.



I can feel the bag the breaker is in and it is hot. This leads me to believe there is excessive resistance some where in the system, probably something in the ignition system or maybe even a weak ground somewhere?

I was hoping someone could help me speed up the trouble shooting process and give me tips on what I should test and maybe a rough explanation. I have a decent multimeter and know how to use it to measure resistance.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

Just split the bag open and change out the 20 amp circuit breaker. They get weak from use over time,can trip and then reset plus corrode from moisture and do the same thing. Here's a good breaker compared to a couple worn,corroded ones.You can get these at any auto supply for a few bucks.

 

Thanks Old Polaris Tech. I was hoping you would chime in on this one. I didn't cut open the bag yet, but I will try this. seems a lot easier than what I had in mind. It just wasn't feeling like that is the issue, but it won't hurt to give this a go.

Thanks again for your advice.

 

First thing I could think of. The breaker is mainly for power to the dash,starter,lights,fan and switches from the battery.Plus it needs the battery for ignition. The breaker may solve the problem but if the engine keeps dying after yo replace it,you may have other problems.

 

Old Polaris Tech, thank you for your suggestion. The auto parts store only had a 15amp and a 30 amp on hand, I went with the 15 because I wanted to get rolling right away.
I didn't think it would be so rotted since it was sealed in a bag.
I idled it for about 10 mins running the lights and hand/thumb warmers and it didn't pop, so I think you did it!

Thanks again!