[brownd1]

I have disassembled down to wiring harness. Could not find any wiring touching frame. Have disconnected all plug in connections. Hooked up battery through the fuse box. Fuse still good. Planning on connecting plug- ins one at a time until fuse blows. Is this a viable plan? I need to know what order to plug in wiring. Thanks in advance.

 

[Pain]

Yes, it's a valid plan. There is no right or wrong order to plug things in, because any one of them could be the short. In fact, you can probably find the short using an ohm meter. Go to each plug and check for continuity until you find the culprit.

ADDED: I mean continuity to ground. If you are going to use the "plug in" method, I would plug one at a time and then unplug it if it is not the one shorted before going to the next one.

 

[Redracer]

Completely different machines but on my 450 I kept blowing the main fuse. I later found that the spring behind the start button had collapsed and the contacts were being touched causing the fuse to blow.

 

[brownd1]

rectifier/regulator problem

I did as stated above. First plugged up regulator/rectifier-blew fuse. Unplugged rectifier-put in new fuse. Plugged in all other connections-fuse still good. How can I tell if it is the rectifier or wiring to the rectifier? Ohmmeter reads 7 ohms with all prongs on the rectifier. Thanks again for any help.

 

[Pain]

I'm inclined to believe it's something beyond the rectifier causing the problem, but I will wait to see Helmut come along and post the circuit diagram. He's a great source for such things and will be along this afternoon, I'm sure.

But, in the interim, you can see if there is a plug on the other end at the rectifier and if there is, unplug it and see if the short is in the wiring. 7 ohms isn't a direct short, however, so I'll have to wait to look at the diagram before I can offer other input.

 

[Helmut]

Here is the charging system diagram. Let me know which model the Rancher is, TM, TE, FM, or FE and I will post the whole wiring diagram.

 

[shadetree]

i bet your stator is grounding out inside the case...i have seen the flywheel bolts...that hold the one-way bearings back out..and destroy the stator..causing a dirrect ground short.

 

[brownd1]

Rancher is a TM. Will a dealer be able to test the rectifier? I am trying to find someone with the same rectifier that I could try.
Additional info-About three weeks ago I told my son to pull it under the deck before we went on vacation. About 10 days later he gets on it and it will do nothing. I think the battery has went dead. After charging, still nothing. Then we find that the fuse is blown. Put in another fuse, it blows. Then came the disassembly.

 

[Helmut]

Here is the test for the regulator/rectifier wire harness.

 

[Helmut]

Here is the wiring diagram for the '03 Rancher 350TM.

 

[Helmut]

I don't know how well you can see the diagram. It was too small and I made it bigger, but it's blurry now.

 

[Pain]

I'll look at it further tomorrow [getting ready for dinner] but based on the original pictures, if it were possible to identify the 3 connections marked as Y, and use a meter to test between each of them and then again from each one to ground, one might be able to tell if the alternator is bad....and I'm assuming the alternator in that diagram is the stator?

That is a wild guess on my part, but based on what shadtree said, I would be more inclined to believe it's something like that instead of a rectifier going bad while the machine sat under a deck for 2 weeks.

 

[Helmut]

and I'm assuming the alternator in that diagram is the stator?

Yes, that's correct.

 

[Helmut]

 

[Pain]

I think Shadtree might have nailed it then. If the plug going to the alternator/stator causes a short, then I think he needs to pull the cover off. Thats my gut feeling.

ADDED: Do those measurements above first. I can't see them, but do them first before cracking the case. Thanks Helmut.

 

[Helmut]

I think Shadtree might have nailed it then. If the plug going to the alternator/stator causes a short, then I think he needs to pull the cover off. Thats my gut feeling.

It would be worth checking out.

 

[Pain]

I can't really see those pages Helmut posted above, but do those measurements first. If you can do them without cracking the case, great. If not, I think you need to open her up.

 

[Helmut]

I can't really see those pages Helmut posted above, but do those measurements first. If you can do them without cracking the case, great. If not, I think you need to open her up.

The test that I posted above pretty much says to do exactly what you said in post #12, above.

 

[Pain]

Well then, I RULE, don't I! Just kidding.

 

[Helmut]

Well then, I RULE, don't I! Just kidding.

Yeah, you nailed the test. LOL.