sounds like the rectifier aint charging

 

Is there any way to test this?

 

Scarp your right

 

it could either be the stator or the rectifier considering the stator charges the battery first then it goes to the rectifier. but its in the manuel on how to test and check everything. have u downloaded the manuel

 

Smurffy: When you use your winch (any winch) you are using more power than your charging system delivers. Thus, it is very important to have a very good battery. However, your battery does need to be recharged (either by your engine, or by an external battery Maintainer) after you've been using your winch. The quickest and easiest way to maintain your battery is with a Battery Tender. I connect my Battery Tender to my battery as soon as I am done plowing (or whenever I am not using my atv). Battery Tenders can be obtained for under $25 from Amazon.com and are every penny worth it. With a Battery Tender, your battery will always be in top condition, and your battery will actually last longer. I strongly believe that if you get and use a Battery Tender, your concerns will be over.
Also.....some winches use more power (amps) than others' do. The most energy efficient winch made is the Superwinch Terra. It does not draw as much power from your battery as other winches do. Therefore, your battery recovers MUCH faster after you've been winching.
No matter what.... if you've been using your winch a lot (as we do when plowing), you either need to run your engine for a while after using your winch (to recharge your battery), OR, (easier) just connect the Battery Tender to your battery when you put your atv away! That should do it for you Sir.
Happy New Year.

 

Thanks kentco, this makes sense. I'll try this and see how it goes.

Scrapmetal, I have a Chilton manual, I will check it tonight after work.

 

Check for 14 to 14.5 DC volts at the battery using your multimeter with the engine at maybe half throttle.

Then flip the multimeter knob to AC volts and hope to see less than one volt AC at the battery with the engine still at half throttle.

Anything more than a volt AC will indicate that your rectifier diodes are letting AC pass to the battery. And lead acid batteries will not tolerate AC for very long.

Rick

 

lol rick ur gonna have to go into detail on the multimeter due to.the fact he doesnt know how to use it. but he has one though. lol it aint hard though smurfy

 

I found I have to plow with the headlights off, or at least the last 15 minutes before I park or the quad battery is weak the next time I fire it up

 

Bought a Battery Tender and hooked it up. I will go further into this if the charger doesn't do the trick. Thanks everyone.

 

the expensive ones do. like the fluke. thats what i have and i love it amd i can use it around the house. but theres different kinds with different options. so u cant take a cheap one or one with wrong options or measurements and use it everywhere. its all depends on what ur doing and how much voltage u dealing with. but for.atvs im sure a cheap one will work if u learn how to use it right. and becareful with it cause u can mess them up measuring the wrong voltage on the wrong measurement or to much voltage one that cant handle it. and if udo that u can cause a shock hazard. but aint trying to scare ya. just follow directions carefully when given lol

 

Yeah, I bought a cheap one for testing my rechargeable L-Ion flashlight batteries. That is all I know how to use it for, and that is all I use it for. You'd think with all the setting on the dial, they'd include a page on where to set it for what purpose.

 

The biggest confusion for people is the knob labels - well, obviously.

The straight line over the V indicates DC volts and the wavy line over the V is for use in testing AC volts. The wavy line is analogous to alternating current.

The upside down horseshoe symbol is for ohms / resistance and is used for testing continuity in a wire or resistance in an ignition coil.

Yes indeed, you can overload and fry your meter a couple of ways. Measuring spark voltage would certainly be one way. Most meters max out at 10 amps of current handling capacity. If you attempt to measure current flow in line between the battery and the starter during cranking it will exceed 10 amps and hopefully only the fuse inside the meter will blow.

Radio Shack sells a good book on how to use a multimeter and I bet there are good You Tube videos out there.

Rick