Why my ATV battery wouldn't charge - the rectifier

[coocoo1ify]

haha

[JimSheetz]

I think my Kawasaki KE100 has the same problem. Thank you for a very instructive video.

[Silverhorn2]

Good video ... have same problem with my Super Sherpa, very frustrating problem.

[ssears1396]

hey how much does a battery cost 4 an 4wheelers plz coment back

[Brown1286]

@ssears1396 I don't know, depends on the size and battery brand, mine was around $25 I think.

[skippers96]

I have the same fourwheeler with the same problem...thanks mate this was very helpful

[Brown1286]

@skippers96 Thanks, I hope yours is as easy to fix as mine was.

[apricotsnms516]

in May of this year i bought a KE100 since then, i spent everyday working on it, and spent about $600 in parts and service. and i completely rebuilt the bike. along with a ton of frustration and hurt emotionally of course, nothing fixed it.

so today, i sprayed some WD-40 into the stator/points/magneto area. waited about 3 hours. now it runs perfect..

i dont know if i should be happy, or want to kill it. all this time i had that wd40 sitting right next to my bike!

anyway thanks for the upload.

[Brown1286]

@apricotsnms516 That sounds like something I would have done. I hope the WD-40 keeps it running.

[apricotsnms516]

@Brown1286 yeah as long as i don't keep the bike out in the rain! lol

[gusocorredor]

@apricotsnms516 wait a minute!!! where did u spray WD40 in the connectors or where exaclty?? I HAVE SAME PROBLEM ON A YFZ 450!!!!

[apricotsnms516]

@gusocorredor what color are your plugs? mine were completely oil/gas soaked. and i sprayed like 1/4 of a can in the opposite side of my carb. next to my front chain-drive gear (the wee one), it spins, if you put a screwdriver on it it will stick because its a magnet, particularly on the points. i also didn't mention that i adjusted the points (like 2mm....) and that helped A LOT. if you need a picture of what it looks like on my ke100 i can get you one.

[gusocorredor]

@apricotsnms516 what points are you talking about, can you post a video?? and reply with the link?? plzz

[apricotsnms516]

@gusocorredor ok sure, probably up tomorrow, it's been a looooooong at work. haha

[HecticAussie]

6 years to figure that out eh , well , congrats for sticking with it champ :)

[Brown1286]

@HecticAussie yeah, I didn't actually mean I spent every waking hour of 6 years figuring this out - it's more accurate to say I put up with it for 6 years.

[ldumas227]

thanks man - my big bear seems to have the same issue.  i hear there's a special charger for these ATV batteries, so i was checking on here to get info on those and found your video. i think i'll have the battery checked 1st, but it lost it's charge w/in a few days (brand new), so this rectifier may be the ticket.

[Brown1286]

@ldumas227 I figured it was either a slow drain due to a short or the charging system. It really is easy to test once you have a manual. I checked mine out of the library, for free of course, so the only tools I used was a $10 multimeter to test the wires the manual said to test. The charging system is made up of the stator and the rectifier, and if either goes bad, it doesn't give enough voltage back to the battery to keep it charged. Good luck.

[edzgarage]

Good job fixing your quad. Our Arctic Cat 250 blew it's vreg too. They must be very cheap.

[Brown1286]

@edzgarage Thanks. Yeah cheap as in cheaply made, not necessarily cheap to buy. Thank goodness for eBay. Honda wanted $300 for a new one. $40 is much better. Its not like I'm going to be showing it off or anything, its just a box with an electrical board in it.