Question:
Dear Motorhead:
I have an older (95) Polaris XLT that i am having headlight trouble with. The headlight is dimmer than it used to be.
I replaced the bulb and have recently replaced the voltage reg. and it still seems to be dim (Had to ride behind it just to see the trail at night).
Do you guys have any other suggestions as to what it might be?
Thanks,
John
Response:
Thanks for your email!
You need to have your charging coil output checked. There is a proper procedure for this and you’ll need a service manual to identify the right wire to isolate.
A rudimentary test would be to hook a meter to any output (headlight, taillight etc.) and check available voltage. It sounds to me like you have a sick charging coil. However, if this was an issue I would suspect you would be fouling plugs and having ignition issues – the XLT uses the same charging coil for both the CDI and the accessories.
How’s your Hot Grips working? If they are not getting as hat as they should – that would be more proof.
The last issue which could be the problem is a partial short in the headlight harness itself. If this is the case you should be able to pick-up the voltage in the chassis. However, if you have a short all the lights (instruments etc) should be dim.
Good luck!
Motorhead Mark
