Ok..The other day i went for a ride...no mud just a road trip up to buddies...then when ready to leave ..no start..no lights..nothing....I pulled start it to get home...Today I started to dig into it..started tracing power..by the way battery was charged..it was on a maintainer while it sat till I got to it...checked battery with meter an showed 12.8 volts,....

began probing with meter an test light...started at ignition first..no power there...then srated testing the red wire that comes off battery to feed the front ..no power....then I seen on the wiring diagram there was a fusible link right after the battery ..used my test light and probed before and after the link...well no power after ..so link was blown....took it apart and confimed it...

went to NAPA and got a waterproof spaded fuse holder...soldered it it and shrink wrapped it....bike started right up...reved it a bit an shut it off..went in house to wash up an get a beer..went to start it..no go..checked fuse and it was blown..hmmm...inserted a new on and turned on ignition...all good..then started it....all good ..while doing this watching the fuse to see if it blows....now the kicker..when i reved it i seen it blow....replaced it...now i started it again..let it idle for 10 minutes...all good..as soon as i give it gas it blows....

Any one have any ideas what is the cause...

the red wire feeds the ignition and speedo and voltate reg..then when on it feeds a red blue wire to cdi box

any help would be great..its so hot out trying to fix this..lol...thank god for cold beer
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2002 Sportsman 500 HO

 

That's why Polaris uses a thermal circuit breaker instead of a blade fuse for the main circuit breaker. It'll reset if there's problems. Needs to be at least a 20 amp blade fuse. If it's still popping that along with tripping the original breaker,then you need to start at the battery and work forward checking connections,grounds, checking for shorted wiring and possible shorted out switches. Something is causing it to pop.Wiring problems wasn't one of my favorite thing to do either.Plus check charging back to the battery while it's at an idle. Should be around 14- 14.5 volts. If it's more than that or even less a faulty regulator could be causing problems.

 

How big is the fuse ? When you start it it takes the battery down , revving it up makes the charging system produce more current till the battery is back to normal , if your fuse is too small it will blow . As OPT said , you should have a circuit breaker , not a fuse and to check the wiring to make sure the positive isn't grounded to the frame . . You didn't say what size fuse ,I would try a 30 amp breaker and see if it cures the problem .

 

thanks for the come back....I talked to a tech at Polaris dealer and he told me not to replace the fusible link with a fuse...the fusible link will take a spike in voltage as a fuse wont..and also the fusible link has a special wire in to burn and break before the harness does..its hair thin wire...plus you go a guage smaller than the wires your protecting..so if the harness is 16Ga wire I have to get 18 ga fusible link..

I am going to NAPA today to get 2 fusible links so I can test output of voltage or a short ant where,,,

 

The tech is right about not using a blade fuse.Replace the breaker with the same size that came on it. 20 amp. Then go from there.NAPA AUTO PARTS

 

ok its all fixed..running great again...i got the fusible link at NAPA for 3.99 over the polaris price of 30.00..its just a wire off the battery that feed the harness..its not a breaker ..this is all it is..http://www.ebay.com/itm/Polaris-Kit-Fusible-Link-2202147-2461085-/281380184471?pt=Motors_ATV_Parts_Accessories&hash=item418390e197&vxp=mtr
OPT thanks for helping..your a great asset here...

Oh after examining the fuse wire it was more corroded if any thing..the shrink tube on it was comprimised and wires corroded...the wires are thin as human hair...so they burn out faster....

just for info for others...you go a guage smaller for a fusible link...so it your protecting 16 ga wire you get a 18 ga link..they are color coded to the Ga ..the fusible link is what protects the whole harness not components like the breakers do

 

Freaky thing,had plenty of circuit breaker problems,but think you're probably the first one on the forum that posted they had this fusible link fail. Never had one fail in all the years I worked on them that I can remember. Glad you found the problem as we were thinking you installed the blade fuse instead of the main circuit breaker. Was wondering why you kept calling the circuit breaker a link.. Electrical problems,gotta love em.. For the other owners it's item #27 on the parts list. Dirt Cheap Yamaha, Honda, Arctic Cat & Polaris OEM Parts & Accessories – Cycle Parts Warehouse

 

OPT...it took me while to find it was that..I metered all the problem areas that could be a possible cause..no power to any of them..went to ignition switch no power..then the feed to the voltage reg..no power...sat an looked at the wiring diagram followed the feed wire back...seen the link in the diagram...took a pin test light..tested before the link had power..tested after none..yay found it...

cut the link off ..after examining it I seen it was corroded under the insulation..the shrink wrap on it was bad so water must have of got in an corroded the wires they just crumbled and all green....the wires are so thin in the link..I guess to make it burn out faster than the harness wires..
rode it for an hour and kept feeling the link and was not hot..just to make sure i had no short any where...

but now I will keep a spare in the box with me when I go riding..never know...

I just retired so now have lots of time to ride