'98 KQ 300 - Dead short at 20 amp fuse.

[Ed Zeppeli]

 

So I fired up the quad the other day and let it idle for about 5-10 minutes and it ran great then died.

 

I go to check it. No lights on dash, nothing.

 

Check the main fuse and it's blown. Key's off/out. Put in another and it blows immediately.

Pull out the meter and see that on the non-load side of the fuse holder there's continuity to ground.

Check all obvious things. Wiring diagram. Connectors. Frayed wires. Bad grounds.

battery measures ok at 12.8v.

I'm dreading taking off the front plastics but I suspect the regulator/rectifier. The wiring diagram shows the red wire (the suspect wire) goes to the ignition switch and the regulator/rectifier.

Anyone else experience something similar and/or have any troubleshooting tips that may save me the grief of removing the plastics?

 

Thanks much,

 

Warren

[Frank Angerano]

Have you tried to unplug the rectifier and then tested for continuity? I would start unplugging things and testing as you go along to see if you can isolate this.

Did anything happen while you were riding or is it possible that the wiring harness took a hit someplace ? 

 

[Ed Zeppeli]

Nothing while riding.

 

It had been sitting a week. Fired right up and five minutes into an idle this happens.

 

Will try unplugging rectifier if I can reach it without removing plastics.

 

Thanks

[Frank Angerano]

I think you should be able to unplug it. But if it’s deeper then that your going to have to remove the plastics anyway.  If this is the case then it’s a good time to take them off, fix the problem and also clean the bike up a bit as well as the plastics while they are off the bike.  

 

[Ed Zeppeli]

Ugh.

I just put them back off after being off for about six weeks.

 

 

[Frank Angerano]

That sucks ! 

 

[Ed Zeppeli]

Ripped into it today.

 

Looks like it's the rectifier for certain.

Burnt at the connector and disconnecting it eliminated continuity between red and black wiring at battery.

 

Any good sources for a decent replacement?

Also, do rectifiers just die like that or is there anything else I should check?

 

Thanks!

 

Warren

[Frank Angerano]

The main reason I’ve experienced in rectifiers going bad is heat! Some people paint them while cleaning up and painting a bike.  Also a lot of them are located close to the exhaust and in a place where air flow is limited.   The diode inside is the first thing to go and that causes a back flow of current. 

So it may just be that.