Sorry, I missed that, it's a 2000 Xpedition 425:

I disconnected both Brown/White cables from the 2 connectors leading to the coils and with the AWD switch in the OFF position, neither had +12v (a good start)

When I switch the AWD to ON, one the cables had +12v and the other did not. I unplugged the connector from the switch and traced the cables through the loom and they are in good condition, so no short in the loom.

When I unscrew the switch, I can see the connecting pins and the small lamp, this is the bit that I find strange:

There are 6 pins:
1 = Brown/White to wheel coil (supposedly -Ve)
2 = Red/White, which has +12v
3 = Brown/White to the other wheel coil (again I assume this should be -ve)

When you active the switch, it bridges pins 1 + 2 and therefore puts +12v directly onto one of the Brown/White cables to the wheel coil.

The switch appears to be in good mechanical condition, which is why I'm confused because it certainly looks like it's doing what it's designed to do, but at the same time it's shorting +12v directly to ground, weird.

I even checked the wiring diagram in the manual and everything matches perfectly, very strange...

Hoping you can make sense of my explanation, your help is very much appreciated.

 

I under stand what your saying,but the simple fact is that the brown/white is the ground only and should not have power! Problem could be a switch if it's throwing voltage to these wires and you can't find any other wiring problem that could be causing this.

 

It's a 2000 Xpedition 425, after looking at the wiring diagram I'm wondering if it's a simple case of putting new head and tail lamps in as they all blown?

 

No harm trying,plus check this wiring area also. Electrical problems can be simple to find or frustrating.

 

I'm having trouble locating the replacement headlight bulbs locally as they appear to be proprietary to Polaris, looking on-line they are quite expensive,

know any good on-line providers for these?

 

4030061 is the Polaris part number. They have them here plus you can try ebay,etc if you can't cross reference one from a local auto store. Polaris 4030061, ATV Parts Cross-Referencing

 

thanks again for your help

 

Old polaris tech,

It has been a few months since plowing season, but to answer your question, I pulled the brown wire out of the connector to the speedometer. I have only used the wheeler around the house and maybe one or two trail rides. I am trying to get it ready for next plowing season, but the problem I have now is, no electrical. No AWD, no electronic reverse, no lights, no fan. It starts up using the recoil, and runs great, but it will overheat at low speeds on a long ride. There is still a battery in the machine and I have not run it without a battery. My first step is to replace the battery to see if that will wake everything up, but I am worried of frying a new battery if something else is wrong. Any ideas or plan of action?

 

Check up from the solenoid for a sealed plastic pouch. This is a 20 amp circuit breaker that allows power to the front.They can short out ,but you can pull start it,but no electric start,etc.If you don't have power,fan won't operate,will get hot,no lights,awd,etc. You can slice the pouch open and check for corrosion on the terminals. Available at any auto store for a few bucks. Item #2 on parts break down.http://www.cyclepartswarehouse.com/f...2000&fveh=5532

 

I sliced open the plastic pouch, and everything looked clean. I took the circuit breaker out, gave it shake, and could here something rattling around inside it. Picked up a new circuit breaker, put it in and still nothing. Any other ideas?