[tnwrangler]

The temp around the Memphis area lately has been between 30 to 40 degrees. With the cold front coming through we will be in the 20's.

I know to some of you way up north you probably wear shorts and flip flops in the 20's, but that's cold down here.

Anyway, went out to start the griz today. It has not been started since last Saturday. The battery was making the starter clicking sound for just a second, then it turned over and fired right up.

Is this normal or do I have a defective battery?

Now remember, I bought this new the day after Thanksgiving, which would have been Nov 25th.

 

[micmacman]

get a battery tender,,,,i use one during winter months for my Grizz,lawnmower,and my Harley

you can get one at any battery store,,,,some will do all off of the same unit but they have to be in the same vicinity of it,,,,my Harley sleeps in the living room all winter,i just remove the Batt,and put it in the shed with the Grizz,and the mower

it is odd to be having a battery issue this soon though,,,,if it continues,by all means take the battery back,and ask for a replacement

 

[starky]

I can't remember if the battery is sealed or if you can add water. If you can add water make sure all the cells are full and only use distilled water. Then make sure it has a good charge.

Do you have accessories like a winch, that come on with the key? If so, you may want to use a different power source. I have my winch hooked to the low beam headlight wire just for that reason. The winch only gets power when I turn my lights on.

We also have heaters in our water lines that we plug in to keep the engine warm. The Grizzly is pretty tough to start in the cold but in North Dakota at -20 it goes into hibernation.

 

[interceptor]

in North Dakota at -20 it goes into hibernation.

Man now thats COLD.

It is between 35 and 40 here too..........CELCIUS that is.

Cheers Noel

 

[starky]

That's 95 - 104 degrees F. I don't think you need a water heater right now.

I see you have 300 posts, good for you.

 

[jasonsgrizzly]

I would go back to the dealer and tell them that you need a new battery. The same thing happened to me with a Honda I bought a few years ago. The dealer just replaced the battery at no cost to me.
As for the cold weather start: I started mine when the air temp. was 0 degrees last Monday here in Iowa with no problems. My Grizzly is about 18 months old

 

[interceptor]

I see you have 300 posts, good for you.

WOW how did that happen................I need to get out more!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going riding now.......

Starky I just noticed you are only 8 posts behind me...........well done.

Cheers Noel

 

[micmacman]

we got 8 inchs of snow last night,and it took me about 15 minutes to get the Grizz fired up this morning to plow,,,,battery held up,,im telling you,those battery tenders are awsome for cold weater seasons

 

[starky]

Another thing that will help is a platinum spark plug. They cost a little more but they don't foul out as easily and they give off a little hotter spark (so I've read). All I know is I used to foul out spark plugs on my dirt bike a lot until I changed to a platinum plug. Then I never fouled another plug. Now I don't run anything but platnum.

 

[micmacman]

do you know what brand,stock # of Platinum plug you run in your Grizz?

i'll try anything,i'm going to end up toasting my starter if i have to go through this all winter for a second year

on a possitive note,,,rebuilding the starter for the Grizz,looks like it will be a peice of cake compaired to the Polaris's ive owned

 

[starky]

I don't know the numbers Hoo. The Platinum plugs have some funky numbers so just ask for the equivilant to the stocker. The dealer should be able to look it up in the book and cross referance.

 

[micmacman]

thanx

 

[tnwrangler]

Just about everytime I start the griz, I hear the starter clicking before she fires up.

Looks like a new battery is coming very soon.

 

[doolin64]

I'm thinking your starter is going. Temps are around 20-40 degrees around here, I have zero clicking or problems starting the Grizz. I've thought about getting a battery tender, they are great to have.

 

[tnwrangler]

Doolin, you maybe right about the starter.

My experience in the past on the battery and starter is that the starter will go bad with a bad battery.

It could be that both are going out.

I'll let the dealer figure this one out.

 

[micmacman]

if your starter goes out dont go buying a brand new one right off without taking the old one apart first

believe it or not ATV starters can go for as high as $300 smackers

9 times out of 10 its just worn brushs,and you can repair the starter for around 10 bucks

the trick is not to let it get too bad,,,,,,when the brushs get worn too far,the metal plate that the carbon is attatched to will start digging into the armature,,,,if the armature is bad the starter WILL have to be replaced,because a groved armature will wear new carbon brushs pretty fast

on old car starters it wasnt cost effective to have the armature "turned",but givin the costs of these ATV starters,it may be worth a call to a machine shop to see if they can turn it (if the armature is bad)

if you catch it before the brush plate wears into the armature,its just a matter of cleaning all of the old carbon dust off of all of the parts,and popping in 2 new brushs

i use paslode cleaner made for cleaning the Paslode airless nailers (i have a construction company,and always have it on hand),its cheap and works great,and is safe for all electrical componants,,,,you can fin it at any Lowes,Home Depot

its also good to use a dab of "Dielectric grease" on the 2 bushings,and the bendix arm joints,,,,,the bendix arm is usually what hangs up when you hear the starter spinning but is not engauging

 

[starky]

His machine is only about a month old. The shop has to replace either the battery or starter on warenty.

 

[micmacman]

ahhh i forgot about that Starky

it could also be the selinoid relay is bad

 

[tnwrangler]

Thanks for the info.

I am taking it into the dealer next week.

I am going to have them check the battery, starter and now the selinoid relay.

Knowing my luck, they will change out the battery and the starter will go out.

Oh, by the way, I put the winch on and that thing is SWEET!!!!!

My next mod will be the mud flaps (overfenders). From the replies of my post on these, this seems fairly simple to install.

 

[micmacman]

there a breeze,,,,about 10 minutes or less a fender by yourself