VR temps and stator voltage

[lognomore]

A couple of weeks ago I lost the VR and ECU, after replacing the VR, ECU, and the capacitor, I took it to the dealer to flash the ECU. At that time they informed me that the stator was not putting out enough voltage causing the VR and ECU to go out also saying that was a voltage spike coming from the stator. They say that it would jump up to 18 to 20 volts from 10 volts. The new stator is now reading a steady 10 volts on the yellow wires. Is that right? Also how warm does the VR get as my new one gets really warm. After spending to fix this I really don't need any more problems. Thanks for all the good info that comes up on this site, really helpful! By the way this on a 07 700 dragon, I really like this sled just don't need any more problems.

 

[R44guy]

logonmore, So you paid for the repairs on your sled? Is your sled all modded out or is it stock? If it is stock did you ask the dealer for help with the repair? The way it looks is that Polaris has covered alot of these repairs if after the sleds were out side of warranty coverage due to the number of knowm problems. I would consider writing aletter to Polaris with a copy of your repair order asking for some help! The VR does get pretty warm on both my CFI RMK's.

 

[lognomore]

The sled is stock, no mods. I did all the work except for the reflash which Polaris did. The dealer did call Polaris about covering the parts, their response was that it was out of warranty to long. If I had 5000 to 6000 miles on it I wouldn't feel so bad about it but it only has 1400 miles on it. The dealer did give me a good discount on all the parts but still it was spendy. The other thing that I did was ground the engine to the chassis because there is only one wire that comes from the stator to the harness then to the chassis and also grounded the plate that the VR, ECU, and the capacitor are mounted on to the chassis. Don't know if that will make a difference but it can't hurt.

 

[thefullmonte]

I got a little carried away with the hole saw. Drilled a nice hole below the VR and will remove the foam from this area. Also used the saw on the plastic cover. One whole right in the tower above the ECU that holds the belt. Found room for another right above the coils. As well I took the dremel to the air channels above the VR and made them run the full length of the opening. There is a molded support on the bottom side where I stopped.
I would just remove the dang thing if I could find a place to safely mount a spare belt. I may still do that and just keep one in my tunnel bag.
I am also putting larger spacers between the VR and the capacitor. I hate to hack the thing apart like that, but electronic components need cooling. Even in the winter. I'm just not willing to take chances anymore. I used to think that the OEM way was the right way and they did it that way for a reason. Polaris has definitely changed my thinking. I will also be adding additional ground wires.

 

[akrevrider]

Monte,

Can you post pics of venting the ECU please? I have the shock & footwell vents and see it needs a lot of improvement around the ECU area.

In addition to proper grounding I was thinking about vibration reduction via rubber bushings between the two plates??

My main wiring harness had several loose wires; wonder if any of them are harness grounds that can be grounded to the chassis?

This is one weak link on the IQ chassis that needs improvemnet IMO.

Let's keep the ECU overheating & fixes posted.

akrevrider

 

[Rick!]

The sled is stock, no mods. I did all the work except for the reflash which Polaris did. The dealer did call Polaris about covering the parts, their response was that it was out of warranty to long. If I had 5000 to 6000 miles on it I wouldn't feel so bad about it but it only has 1400 miles on it. The dealer did give me a good discount on all the parts but still it was spendy. The other thing that I did was ground the engine to the chassis because there is only one wire that comes from the stator to the harness then to the chassis and also grounded the plate that the VR, ECU, and the capacitor are mounted on to the chassis. Don't know if that will make a difference but it can't hurt.

This is probably a really smart thing to do. The plate is riveted to a painted surface (and the tunnel) with plated rivets so there is a convoluted ground path to the chassis and the engine. I think Doo uses a braided strap from the MAG front mount to the chassis to complete the ground loop.

 

[lognomore]

I'm really tempted to take the plastic cover off and leave it off so that the air can get right to the VR. That cover really is restrictive. The belt and spark plugs can go into the tunnel bag. The idea of spacing the capacitor up from the VR would help get more air to the VR. One other idea would be to somehow mount a small fan above the VR but don't know if one could be found that would hold up to the environment. Power to the fan would be no problem as there are plugs that have 12vdc available and the small fans use very little power. Hopefully a solution can be found. Thanks everyone and keep the ideas going!

 

[Ron]

Has this been a problem with 2010's? I ask because it's my understanding that Polaris got a bad batch of VR's in 09. Also the ECU's have been improved in 2010.

 

[thefullmonte]

Here are a couple of pics of what I did. Gees I can't believe you made me take a break from doing my taxes.

If you take a dremel to it be aware of the support moldings on the bottom side. The more I think about it, I will probably just leave it off.

I put the hole right below the resin area of the voltage regulator.

 

[lognomore]

I like what you did to the cover, at least get more air to the VR. I think that I will see if I can come up with a fan similar to a computer fan that runs on 12 volts and mount it to the cover. It will be connected to the power plug up front which means that it will run continuously as the engine is running. It would be interesting to see if it will last.
I would be looking for any excuse to get away from doing taxes!!

 

[Ron]

Monte, Now put an intake dam over the hole so it will get some "ram" air when the sled is cruising down the trail.

 

[08poo800]

Stator

I was out in the snowies this past week when I noticed my 08 D8 was not charging. The battery indicator was running low and then would blink and the entire display would shut down. I packed it up for the day and took the sled to Saratoga the next morning.

After about 3 hours of testing different voltages and trying a new VR, they determined the stator was most likely the problem. They had a new stator in stock and decided to go ahead and replace it. It had 1 bad coil that was causing the problem. The stator was covered by the 3 year warranty that I opted for back when I snow checked it.

The sled ran very well the next day and hopefully I will not have any more problems from here on out. Time will tell.

Great dealership in Saratoga and great people to work with.

 

[thefullmonte]

Monte, Now put an intake dam over the hole so it will get some "ram" air when the sled is cruising down the trail.

That might work since I have an Airframe mesh hood. JK I don't get that carried away....OK, but just sometimes. Lol.
The belt covers half of the hole on the lower left anyway. I was just hoping to allow warm air to escape more easily.

 

[Ex-Flit]

I have been thinking about this for a while now, why are the VR's have been burning out so often? Monte has a good point about heat but I wonder if lognomore isn't on to something with the ground wire from the engine to the chassis. I had a similar problem with a bobcat of mine I kept burning out regulators for my heater they would get hot and melt. The dealer kept telling me I needed a new wire harness which was around $2500 after they installed it. So we started asking questions and was even going to try a heaver duty regulator, when some one told us to check the grounds. We pulled every one of them and cleaned them up, including scraping the paint off the frame. We have not changed one regulator since ( 2 years now) we use to change them every 3 days. It can't hurt to try.