fixing the hour meter

[SleepyNinja]

My bro got this 2008 kawasaki mule 3010 with barely a scratch on it, clocking in at around 290 hours, and it's lived a sheltered life, never seeing a lick of snow, mud, or rain. But now, the hour meter's gone belly up.

He got a hefty 29+ volts at idle at the stator plug, but a measly 6.9 volts is trickling down to the hour meter connectors.

I've helped run through the mill checking continuity at the hour meter, stator plug, and regulator, and the green/white wires aren't grounded to the high heavens. The charging system itself is spitting out a healthy 14.2 volts.

I even threw a new part at it, this hour meter I snagged off Amazon that says it works on 12V DC and 24V AC, but on the Mule, it's just showing a whole lotta eights. clear as day it's not getting enough juice.

Could it be the regulator or something else?

Any bright ideas would be a real godsend!

 

[wheeloffortune]

That jump from 29V at the stator to just 6.9V at the meter, even with a healthy 14.2V charging system, points to a definite voltage drop.

It could be the Voltage Regulator/Rectifier (V/R), even if the main charging is good, a specific circuit could be weak. Also don't rule out high resistance or corrosion in the wiring harness between the V/R and the hour meter, even if continuity seems okay.

you can try to test voltage under load an you can also get a diagram and physically trace that wire for any slight damage or corrosion.

 

[DocPepper8]

That jump from 29V at the stator to just 6.9V at the meter, even with a healthy 14.2V charging system, points to a definite voltage drop.

It could be the Voltage Regulator/Rectifier (V/R), even if the main charging is good, a specific circuit could be weak. Also don't rule out high resistance or corrosion in the wiring harness between the V/R and the hour meter, even if continuity seems okay.

you can try to test voltage under load an you can also get a diagram and physically trace that wire for any slight damage or corrosion.

Quick question, how do you test voltage under load properly? Also, could a weak ground connection cause a similar drop?

 

[greatdennis]

Quick question, how do you test voltage under load properly? Also, could a weak ground connection cause a similar drop?

You can use a multimeter across the terminals while running the system with all typical loads engaged, like lights, ignition and accessories so you see how voltage holds up under real conditions. And yeah, a weak or corroded ground can definitely cause a voltage drop similar to what you're seeing, so its worth checking and cleaning all ground connections