davefrombc

I don't know of any adapters to allow a battery charger to act as a maintainer. Depending on the output of your solar charger, It could be a "maintainer" Dash board solar chargers rated between 5 and 10W and 13 to 13.5v will act as a maintainer.. Maintainers typically normally output a very low amperage, generally one amp or less and a voltage between 13 and 13.5v to apply a very low charge rate to balance the internal leakage of a battery. Normal full charge voltage of a 12v leaed acid battery is between 12.5 to 12.8V

Newer vehicles with fuel injection and ECM controlled engine management have a constant very low draw on the battery, so when parked for extended periods it is a good idea to either disconnect the negative terminal or use a disconnect switch to to stop the draw by the ECM. If you use a maintainer it really isn't necessary to disconnect the battery negative. Be sure to use a trickle charger rated as a maintainer , not just a trickle charger..Some trickle chargers could overcharge a battery over time , leading to electrolyte loss and battery damage. Most new maintenance free batteries are sealed so you cannot top up the electrolyte with distilled water like the old flooded batteries. Even the old vehicles that only had a clock drew some from the battery and killed it faster than when a disconnect was used.

The biggest killer of all forms of lead acid batteries is letting them sit without a maintainer on them, or at least bringing them to full charge at least once a month when they are not in use.. When a lead acid battery drops belo2w full charge , either from being parked when partially discharged or by normal internal leakage the lead sulfate produced can harden on the plates. When that happens a lot of the hardene4d sulfate does not break down back into lead dioxide and sulfuric acid. You don't notice the slow loss of capacity because of it unless the battery is often left at deeper discharge rates. Any lead acid battery that sits idle for long periods loses a lot of capacity over time and if allowed to drop extremely low can easily short out when thicker sulfate can flake off the plates on recharge. A battery regularly used and kept full charged when idle can last for years while one allowed to sit for long periods at less than full charge can fail in a year.. My Quad battery is about 5 years old, as is the one for my riding lawnmower. Both are on trickle charge maintainers when not in use. The AGM battery in my 2016 Traverse is likely original as I bought it used 5 years ago. I know its reserve capacity is very low now and I will likely have to replace it next winter. As I have mentioned in other threads, a good maintainer is a lot cheaper than buying a replacement battery every couple of years.

I do too Jen . Lithium Ion batteries are great for capacity and holding their charge; but they must be charged with chargers designed for them, not with ones for NiMH batteries. Another caution for Li ion ones is to keep them out of the sun where they could get overheated. Li FePO4 batteries used in solar systems and power stations are much safer than the older Li ion batteries but they still need to be charged with chargers designed to work with them, and they cannot be used for starting service as they are designed for a long draw at low amps (deep cycle) rather than the short heavy draw of a starting battery

I don't know what garbage fires due to rechargeable D, C , A and AA /AAA batteries improperly disposed of has to do with lead acid flooded, gel or AGM batteries used in vehicles. I seriously doubt anyone is tossing full size vehicle batteries into garbage cans . Some of those garbage truck fires could also have been caused by old alkaline batteries tossed with some charge still in them and shorting to metal and igniting paper.. If a Lithium ion battery is shorted out it can quickly overheat and burst into flame itself and start a fire , but like the others it's because people are just tossing them into the garbage improperly.

The AGM in my Chev Traverse is still working but it doesn't have much reserve left at 12 years old

The "Start/Stop" feature is something in some newer vehicles that allows them to automatically stop when brakes are held at stop lights or other time you're stopped and holding the brakes. It auto-restarts the engine on brake release. For those vehicles a deep cycle AGM battery is recommended because of the very heavy load .. A regular battery would quite rapidly degrade and fail. Many , but not all AGM batteries are built deep cycle.. AGM batteries ARE good in all vehicle uses.. They're specifically recommended for use in vehicles that use start/stop because they deliver the higher load and deep cycle needed by those vehicles. It's not the battery itself having the start/stop program. AGM batteries are the best choice for bikes and ATV /UTV use in all seasons.

Best ATV for older riders is one they enjoy riding and can afford. I still enjoy my 1991 Honda Fourtrax 300FW at 82, but yes, I'd enjoy a gift of any of those other rides.

1996-2003 Polaris Sportsman 400, 500, and Xplorer 500 Service Manual View File Polaris Sportsman 400, 500, and Xplorer 500 Service Manual This detailed, comprehensive manual covers the Polaris Sportsman 400, 500, and Xplorer 500 4x4 from 1996-2003. Submitter davefrombc Submitted 05/05/2026 Category Polaris ATV  

Will this one work for you?

That sprocket looks like the reason the chain came off. I would replace it before worrying about retainers and chain guards. I really can't tell from the picture but do you know someone who may be able to fab one up for you?

Likely his was leaking through the vacuum line to the carb.. The "This Fits" is the most common valve for gravity fed systems.. As it is labeled the middle is off . Top is on main and bottom is the reserve. The faulty valve only opens the main under vacuum.. The reserve opens whether there is vacuum or not.. Yes the no vacuum valve will work and give you both the main and reserve as dsigned.. TRhe vacuum operated valve depends on the fuel in the carb bowl to start and open the line.. If there is no vacuum the motor would die as soon as the carb bowl emptied.

Check the downloads section on the forum. There are several ones for Suzi's 400 series but the only specific Eiger one I see is for the 2003

Good Friday and have a great and safe long weekend everyone!