Voltage Regulator fails

jeepin270 said:

So to fix the problem, I just have to replace cap, v/r and ecu with the 2010 parts?

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I don't think there is a 100% fix. The updated VR is supposed to be beefed up quite a bit more than the 08 model though. I don't think they have a full grasp on what is causing the failure at this point. Electro Tech had stated in another thread that it is a good idea to check the wires in the taillight and hand warmers as they are prone to grounding which may contribute. When I got my sled in 08 I did quite a bit of rerouting of cables anyway. Quite a bit of stuff looked prone to rubbing and grounding around the steering stem. Tape off any exposed connectors. I spent some time zip tying and routing wires around the voltage reg as well ensuring it could get the most air possible. Cut the foam pad between the electronic shelf and clutch guard so so air can flow through the pre existing whole.
Those of you having multiple failures I would push Polaris to replace the entire harness. Could potentially save some headaches and save them more $ in warranty. Just a thought

I believe that the issue is with the rectifier portion of the VR, i think it is alowing the ECU to be exposed to alternating DC, that is one half of a sine wave. If it were a pure VR failure the lights would burn out pretty quick. It sure was nice when the systems were all separate, now they want to run everything on DC. So if there is a problem with the handwarmers you get left out in the cold instead of having cold hands.
Polaris wiring is the pits, i've seen wires cracked inside the insulation, pins pushed back, poor soldering, thin insulation, crappy routing. Handwarmers rubbing through and shorting and tailight harness chaffing under the tank are 2 spots to look for.
There is no overcurrent protection at all for the VR/magneto. I am contemplating putting a small fuse block right after the VR to protect it.

Electro...

I dont belive that the Edge VR's had any problems.

Now.. I have my ME.... but no my EE... so this is where I fall short.

What would keep someone from running an Edge VR and running that into the the stock CFi VR?

From what I know.. the edge is a simple 1 input plug... 1 output plug... setup... the CFi is a 1 input plug... 2 output plugs (ECU and Chassis)... which is why you wouldnt be able to run the Edge by itself.

Giving the stock CFi VR/rect some "pre cleaned" power might make its job easier??

Also... you talk about voltage spikes causing problems... do you think that deleting the headlights exaserbates the problem??

Then transient voltage spikes taking out the VR's.... hmmm a mal functioning chassis relay could cause this as it loads/unloads the stator??

Other places to look for chaffed wires are coming from the stator to the VR (major)... and the entire wiring harness in general.

The wiring harness going to the tail light, under the tank, out the front and lots of other areas would be suspect too.

Also, as pointed out, having a really good ground wire, say 10 Ga...grounding to both the engine and the chassis and returning to the clutch guard/electronics mount may also help.

What to do??

Make sure your connectors are all clean and that the terminals inside are engaging the Male/female portions well... use dielectric grease.

Run supplemental ground wires.

Check for rub-thru on the wires or areas of potential chaffing and put protection on.

Make sure the headlights are installed and working,

Check the grip warmer areas for problems/shorts (this area is probematic to start with.
Twisting the throttle block to put it in the "right" place can oftern tear at the grip warmer membrane/wires and cause a short.

If you have ANY electrical problems such as grip heaters not working... or headlight/tail light problems... this could be the death-nail for the VR's... don't ignor this kind of thing.

I don't think you would want to clip the output from the stator before the VR/Rectifier since it most likely is using the whole wave and not one side as is common with simpler setups, the output from the stator should be fairly constant in nature, albeit increasing in voltage with RPM.
If there is any issues with handwarmer output, dimming lights, etc, etc you should unplug the offending item. Polaris ATVs use a very similar system, and appears to be nearly identical, on those you can shut off the lights without issues. They do however have a large battery to act as a shock absorber for any issues that are intermitant in nature. Some of the sleds have failed with electric start, that being given the wires that charge the battery on the sleds are in my opinion undersized, say the sled has sat for a while its cold, you start it and the battery gets a good bit of discharge, then the electrical system is put under a heavy load, with alot of drop between the output at the VR and the battery itself.
Luckily I have had no problems my self, but when/if I do the root cause will be figured. Funny thing is that even at the local dealer (father in laws) they haven't had hardly any unexplained failures, but that comes from the experiences we had (I'm a former pol mech) with the 900s.
I have since lost contact with Steve at polaris who is one of the EEs for them, I am going to try and find his number and have a chat with him, he was one of the few there who would call and discuss problems with me, instead of going through the warranty dept, where they don't know anything.

my brother has a 07 600 IQ HO. after the sled is warm the dash goes out and the lights dim. he said the sled still runs fine. he's been riding it the way it is for the past two nights. wanted to wait and have the dealer run it through the computer before he spends 100$. is this the voltage regulator?

I'd bet on that sled that its the handwarmers or the taillight harness. Easy check unplug the warmers and the taillight harness under the hood.

fastpolaris said:

my brother has a 07 600 IQ HO. after the sled is warm the dash goes out and the lights dim. he said the sled still runs fine. he's been riding it the way it is for the past two nights. wanted to wait and have the dealer run it through the computer before he spends 100$. is this the voltage regulator?

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If it has a short and he keeps riding it he increases significantly the chance of frying the ECU.

i was running my d7 last year NO taillight and one small headlight kinda confused why mine didnt go out. since my warranty is up am i stuck forking out the cash for vr and ecu if i had all my lights on???

Fried VR & ECU Warranty

If your out of warranty and you VR fried Polaris will warranty it due to all the failures including the ECU. Unless your sled is modded out or if you wronged the dealer you should be covered.

R44guy said:

If your out of warranty and you VR fried Polaris will warranty it due to all the failures including the ECU. Unless your sled is modded out or if you wronged the dealer you should be covered.

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I have a new ECU coming but the dealer is still not convinced that there are any ECU issues out there. I sure wish my old dealer was still in business.

voltage regulator failers?

Does any body know, are most of the sleds with V.R. failers are with or with out electric start. I was just wondering if having a battery in the system would help absorb some of the voltage spics or surges.

ridgeclimber said:

Does any body know, are most of the sleds with V.R. failers are with or with out electric start. I was just wondering if having a battery in the system would help absorb some of the voltage spics or surges.

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Doesn't seem to make a difference from what I've heard here.

I think it is a cooling issue with the VR. Having all of the electronics under that pretty plastic shroud can't be helping with the already marginal airfow through this area.
This doesn't seem to be as much as an issue on the flatland sleds, which would make sense if it is a cooling issue. Don't recall the early CFI sleds having the same problem and they used the same (look the same, probably different part numbers due to wire lengths etc) system. I think those regulators were more exposed, and therefore cooled better. Heat is the enemy for electrical items and greatly reduces their life expectancy. I would start by plumbing some air to this area.
Neil

that could be it.i have lost two vr i took a 2 inch hole saw to the cover i think polaris needs to move that stuff to a kooler spot.

mold said:

My 09 800 died on the trail today. Missed a couple of times, gauges went blank then the motor stopped. Had a real bad burt electrical smell. Seized up last year now stinky electrical problems this year. WTF?!?!?

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This is exactly what mine did this last weekend, even had the electrical smell.

sum-it said:

that could be it.i have lost two vr i took a 2 inch hole saw to the cover i think polaris needs to move that stuff to a kooler spot.

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Do we even need the cover?

can the vr be intermitent? i have a 2010 600 that quit while going in reverse and would not restart for about an hour. about 20 min before this happened it did miss alittle for just a second. this happened last ride< now worried its going to happen again. will the vr leave a code in the ecu? as of right now everything seems to be working and rode a couple hours after this happened.