Bad Alternator at 500 miles?

[Mxer0022]

We took off on our first ride of the holiday weekend and the display lit up like a Christmas tree and the voltage dropped to between 10.2 and 11.1 volts. I know in a car that's a sign of a bad alternator so we high tailed it back to camp. When we got there I started troubleshooting to the extent possible. Noticed that with it idling the temps climbed over 200 so the fans weren't kicking on. Then while in park if you turned the steering wheel back and forth the voltages would fluctuate wildly between 10.1 and 11.1 volts and within a few cycles the rack and pinion would lock up but would be active again after shutting the machine off and starting it again. The steering wouldn't go out while driving.

My question is does the machine automatically shut off steering, fans, etc to conserve battery life to get you home if the alternator can't handle the load with them all running? Or is there a bigger issue at play here?

 

[Icehog]

My fan doesn't seem to run until about 205 and off at 195, unless I run the A/C then they run constant and my temps stay at 178.

 

[f150harley]

We took off on our first ride of the holiday weekend and the display lit up like a Christmas tree and the voltage dropped to between 10.2 and 11.1 volts. I know in a car that's a sign of a bad alternator so we high tailed it back to camp. When we got there I started troubleshooting to the extent possible. Noticed that with it idling the temps climbed over 200 so the fans weren't kicking on. Then while in park if you turned the steering wheel back and forth the voltages would fluctuate wildly between 10.1 and 11.1 volts and within a few cycles the rack and pinion would lock up but would be active again after shutting the machine off and starting it again. The steering wouldn't go out while driving.

My question is does the machine automatically shut off steering, fans, etc to conserve battery life to get you home if the alternator can't handle the load with them all running? Or is there a bigger issue at play here?

Wondering what you found out and how you resolved the issue. I understand that yes , when the output voltage on the battery drops below a specified level it will behave as you described. Power steering is lost because it's eps (electronic ps)

 

[f150harley]

Wondering what you found out and how you resolved the issue. I understand that yes , when the output voltage on the battery drops below a specified level it will behave as you described. Power steering is lost because it's eps (electronic ps)

My adv 5 alternator pulley came off during normal operation and shredded the serpentine belt. Has anyone else encountered this problem and resultant drop of output voltage from battery because the alternator isn't charging the battery?

 

[TandAAnderson]

Hey f150harley,
I can now say that yes, this weekend while out for a ride on the tracks I must have shed the ac/alternator belt. I did not notice immediately as we just went for a 15-20 min ride around the neighborhood. Once I had parked back in the shop I got a low battery notification on the Polaris app. After a little investigation ( fuse/battery terminals/wiring all good )and putting the charger on I dug into the belt hosing on the passenger side to find a mess to say the least. The belt had come off/broke and had been consumed by the “fan” etc. While removing the belt shrapnel from the case and alternator I did notice the belt pieces felt very brittle. Dropped at the dealer today for warranty and further investigation. They are going to check alignment and the bearings/pulleys to see if we can narrow down a cause. To be honest it seems like the belt was the main issue as it feels like it was dipped in brake clean or something as the rubber is hard and brittle. I’ll let you know what the dealer comes back with

 

[f150harley]

I didn't do the repair work on mine... the dealer indicated the pulley bearing.... Given my extended warranty that was the only part covered so ??. I have a reasonably good relationship with dealer staff. Anyways, I paid the labor plus belt etc. As opposed to your failure I barely made it back to trailer, power steering out, lights on dash continued to come on in additive fashion until the dash looked like a Christmas tree.

 

[TandAAnderson]

I didn't do the repair work on mine... the dealer indicated the pulley bearing.... Given my extended warranty that was the only part covered so ??. I have a reasonably good relationship with dealer staff. Anyways, I paid the labor plus belt etc. As opposed to your failure I barely made it back to trailer, power steering out, lights on dash continued to come on in additive fashion until the dash looked like a Christmas tree.

Brutal to say the least, and I get it’s not the same as your issue but hope it may shed light if the dealer finds something helpful. I’ll keep you updated on the details as the dealer says they need to pull it right apart and check all components. I’m curious if it’s a bearing or pulley issue as a belt failing seems odd at just over 1000 kms. I agree with your assessment of bad alternator with your symptoms. Have you tried starting it with a battery charger on? Same results with your dash?

 

[TandAAnderson]

Sorry everyone!! Haha I’m new to this posting business! Just scrolled back and noticed I’m confusing things. MXer I feel like your belt has broken or alternator is bad as you suspected.

 

[f150harley]

Brutal to say the least, and I get it’s not the same as your issue but hope it may shed light if the dealer finds something helpful. I’ll keep you updated on the details as the dealer says they need to pull it right apart and check all components. I’m curious if it’s a bearing or pulley issue as a belt failing seems odd at just over 1000 kms. I agree with your assessment of bad alternator with your symptoms. Have you tried starting it with a battery charger on? Same results with your dash?

fwiw ....Seems like I did start it at one point with my jumper battery and it started as I remember???. I pulled it directly on my trailer without turning it off....when I did turn it off it wouldn't start that day.