For some reason it seems that even if I charge the battery on my '07 Polaris Outlaw 500 the day before and let it run the next day all it does it crank a bunch of times and that kills the battery.
Its been rather hard to start lately. I usually end up jump starting it with my truck and it runs fine that day but usually doesnt start the next day.
I havent ridden it much since late spring so it has been sitting a bit. Every weekend or so lately Ive been firing it up after charging it on a battery tender charger and letting it run for a half hour or so.
Yesterday I rode it for a bit and it was running fine. Today it cranked over excessively, didnt start and killed the battery.
The cdi box is new (this summer), the spark plug is new (summer) and the battery is only a year old.
Ive never had this problem before and Ive owned the quad two years. It usually starts after a few cranks on even the coldest days (Ive ridden it when it was -5*) so this is a rather new problem.
It usually takes a bit when Im jump starting it then it dies a few times before it runs.
It doesnt fire right up as soon as I connect the jumper cables/jumper box.
runs some seafoam threw the gas man , its prolly startin to gum up . thats prolly causin the excsessive cranking time , as far as the battery goes i dont know if ya had to add the acid to it when ya got or whatnot but the initial charge may have fried it if not done right
Anything carbed that sits for prolonged periods of time gets gummed up because of Ethanol. FI seems to do fine, but small engines or carbed car motors don’t sit well. Check the floats or do what slowmarro said and run some cleaners through it.
injected shit does it also , not as much but the quad sits outside if i remember right and it sees a lot of moisture and so on . the seafoam is all ill use as a cleaner or stabilizer as it conteracts the ethanol thats in the fuel also so it dont eat the seats and so on
It is carbed. I dont know anything about carbs so Id rather not take it apart.
I think the battery needed the acid added to it and I had my friend hook it up to his charger the right way. It was fine until this summer, always starting when I rode it in the winter and spring.
It sits outside but I keep it covered.
So if I get a can of Seafoam and dump it in the gas tank everything might be ok?
I dont think Im supposed to be able to add any more fluid than the initial filling. Its a NAPA battery and Im not sure what the warranty is. Its just over a year old.
Ive got a trickle charger and a maintainer charger I can hook it to.
Most retail batteries are all made by the same parent company, Walmart, Autozone, Advance and if I had to guess Napa as well. Same parent company that owns Optima and IIRC interstate.
There are only 3 or 4 manufacturers of batteries, sold off and relabeled. So don’t worry about the brand too much.
Wet cell batteries typically suck as far as longevity goes, a few years is all you’re getting out of them and the warranty is typically no longer then a year. If your style battery is in the upper tier of pricing ($60+) opt out for a sealed type. More CCA’s and will last longer, but they are typically around $80.
My SV still has the original battery, never trickle charged, disconnected or cared for… it’s an 03 bike. My Gsxr has the same brand - '05 and its just fine. You can bet that if I had to get another one, I’d go with a sealed one.
Edit:
You posted this after I typed the reply. That’s the brand that my bikes have iirc. Definitely solid battery.
even the sealed ones still have acid , the initial purchase ya add the acid and charge it then seal it . most dont let the battey sit overnight without charging so that the acid settles , if ya dont the charge will fry the plates together and thus shortening the lifespan of the battery
Illl try to get it on my charger and get it checked out this week. I know it was around $53 for this battery and the one Griffin’s tried to sell me was $110.
Im still thinking its the cranking thats killing the battery and it being shot though.
It says sealed so I dont think it needs to be filled. I dont want to buy a battery until I can figure out the excessive cranking issue. I dont want to kill another battery.
I dont want your quad. I like mine when it starts and runs.