Especially if you have a Warn 2.5ci Winch mounted onboard....

I have a 2.5ci that was part of the Polaris purchase agreement. The dealer did the install ad all appears to right. A couple weeks ago I had the 400 Sportsman at the dunes, brought it home, fired it up and backed it off the trailer, then hosed it down and let it sit for a couple hours with the ignition "OFF", key in pocket. When I went out a couple hours later, it was deader than dead. A volt meter registered ZIP, nada, bumpkiss for juice in the system. The next day I played with it and couldn't get the battery to take a charge unless all the leads were disconnected so I did so and pulled it out of the bike. When I reconnected later, it was showing dead again....until I disconnected the Winch lead, then it showed juice. I took it to the dealer (50 miles north), squawked the problem and left it there. 2 days later they said they checked it and nothing was wrong, it all worked! Hmmmmmm...I thought!

Last Saturday I brought home a 500HO so the wife and I went out for a Dune run. No problems at all. Came home, washed down the 2 Utes and while I was tinkering with one of them, I kept hearing a click clack sound coming from the 400...it sounded like the engagement and disengagement of a solenoid or something similar yet a bit quieter. I narrowed it down to the winch "Contactor" which is where all the wires go to and come from. I couldn't feel anything when it clicked but it sounded exactly like it does when you activate the handlebar switch with the winch power disconnected....click / clack. This happened intermittantly every minute or two until I disconnected the winch power lead....then nothing. I reconnected the next day and left the Ute at a trailer shop where they were doing Mods to my new trailer to make a custom fit rack for one of the Utes to ride on. After a couple hours, the guys couldn't start it, it was WAY dead again. The dealer wants it back to Guinea Pig with....I said "screw that" as they have already proven to me that they can't proberly turn a wrench! I went direct to Warn Industries with my problem. They referred me to a warranty center in Redding, CA and the guy sounds like he knows his stuff. He told me that they have seen numerous issues with the handlebar switch and contactor that sometimes cause the winch to fry! My winch works fine but I'm sending the handlebar switch and the contactor in for an updated version under warranty. Apparently they have fixed the issue so a repeat shouldn't be a problem.

I thought I would post the experience here so maybe some of you that have had or might have a similar experience will know what to expect and maybe what is causing it.

 

TreeDoc....I'm assuming you have the low voltage thumb/rocker switch.....You said you have the "contactor", not the seloniod.....
Just checking as I have the "contactor" with the low voltage switch........Keeping an eye on your thread for anyones problems.....

 

Yeah Kushman, I have the little thumb rocker switch and the contactor. I have now removed them and boxed them up for shipment in the a.m. tomorrow. I'll keep you posted as to the outcome.