Harness Connections
As you can view the King Quad has many electrical connections.
And all of them will cause you issues
when they get wet.
But some more than others.
The areas marked by the red box
are the most common
troublemakers.
And those areas you should check first.
Not just water but corrosion.
So just because it's dry
Doesn't mean it's a good connection.
General rule with any older ATV
The more chances are you will
have some corrosion.
Don't ever think that all
you need to do for running deep water
is Snorkels.
Majority of ATV's were never
designed to run deep water.
You need to click below and
understand why you need more
than a set of snorkels.
Grounds Are Important
When most think about wiring they think power
supply and the fuse that burns out.
Most think it's not working and must be a fuse.
But most forget it takes ground also to make
it all work.
The King Quad has a main ground for all
the electronics as well Relays and Lights.
(See yellow circle)
Your starter is the biggest draw of both power and ground and it has it's own ground that comes
right off the battery to the engine casing.
Basically you should be able to disconnect that
main ground wire to your electronics and
the ATV won't start.
Now here is where problems can arise.
Water can be a jumper of both current + as
well ground-
And things can get really screwed up.
For example you turn on your lights and your 4x4 light comes on or your FI light comes on.
Or you turn on your lights and the engine stops as well when your fan comes on and it does the same.
Everyone asks
Where should I look?
The answer is everywhere that current flows and
water gets into.
There is no easy answer.
That's why one shouldn't go deep in water
unless you have taken the time to seal
every connection.
NOTE: There is no guarantee even if you do
seal your connections that you
won't have any issues.
For here is the untold story about wiring
harness's.
They have splices inside that are not 100%
sealed and water comes in and causes issues.
A fuse is the easy part.
Fuses burn out because of a direct short to ground
or something that is drawing to many amps
(LOAD)
Most electronics don't draw heavy amps (Load)
So they don't blow a fuse most of the times.
But they will make the ATV do weird things.
Points us right back to water.
Not to forget corrosion also.
The
Battery
The most neglected part
of any ATV electrical
system.
1. Must have clean connections.
2. Wires leading to connections must be in
"perfect" condition.
Corrosion grows under the
wire insulation causing
many issues.
3. How healthy is
your battery?
Just because its getting a
good charge and it holds
12 volts and more.
Doesn't mean it's a good
Battery.
ONLY A LOAD TEST
WILL TELL YOU IF
YOU HAVE A GOOD
BATTERY
Factory OEM Snorkels Ready For Action
Rear Tail light Issues
This may be the most important lesson you will learn thanks to the rear tail light as well any bulb that sits inside a socket.
The outer part of the socket is your ground.
And the light doesn't turn on until you hit the brakes.
And when you hit the brakes it sends + positive power to turn on that light.
Now back to that negative base that holds the bulb.
So lets start by knowing the rear tail light most times is a sealed unit and it keeps the majority of the water out.
But what most don't know that many rear tail light housings have a "Vent"
Why a Vent?
The vent is for humidity to escape so it won't cause corrosion and a host of other issues.
Here is the important lesson.
When people go deep that water enters the vent and then it starts to fill the housing with water.
And everything is fine until you hit the brakes.
Now here is where all the weird issues start.
When you have water in your light housing and you hit the brakes you are sending positive + current into your
negative base that is also feeding grounds to so many other items (Electronics)
You hit the brakes and it stalls your engine, your FI light comes on. Your 4x4 indicator comes on.
Your fan comes on and the engine stalls
You turn on your lights and the engine stalls.
And it's not just water it's corrosion.
Look at the picture above.
The outer is your ground and the 2 silver connections in the center, one is your running lights and one is your brake light.
If corrosion connects to one of those posts and the outer socket it will cause many issues.
If not those posts it's the wire that runs to the back of those posts behind that black disk (Insulator)
So there you have it.
Check the rear tail light
And if you do deep water it's best to seal that vent.
And hit those connections with dielectric grease.
