P500 P500 Starting & Shifting Conundrum

[Kcarr22]

2016 P500 is giving me fits. Each time I’ve went to start it over the last few months the battery has been dead. Tried replacing with a new battery and had a draw test done with nothing showing out of the ordinary. Have also hooked up a solar powered trickle charger to the cigarette lighter port hoping that would keep it charged as I don’t have electricity where it’s stored. Lastly, about 30% of the time once I do get it started with hep from an external battery pack, the electric shift doesn’t work.

Any ideas? Thanks!!


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[trigger]

The shifting problem is no doubt a result of the the low voltage. You said you tested it but my guess is there's a parasitic draw from somewhere. Curious if you're doing short runs when you do get it running? It takes a little bit to get the battery back up to full charge after a start. I'd put it on a charger and confirm that it's fully charged, chances are your problem will be gone. Then you just need to keep it there.

 

[Kcarr22]

Thanks Trigger. You’re right with the short runs, I use it mainly for chores around my hunting land. Nothing more than a few hundred yard runs most times. I have kept it running at idle though as of late so I don’t have to jump it continually. Any idea of the solar tender/trickle charger plugged into the cigarette lighter accessory plug will charge the battery?


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[trigger]

Thanks Trigger. You’re right with the short runs, I use it mainly for chores around my hunting land. Nothing more than a few hundred yard runs most times. I have kept it running at idle though as of late so I don’t have to jump it continually. Any idea of the solar tender/trickle charger plugged into the cigarette lighter accessory plug will charge the battery?


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I'm sure you're getting some charge off of it, don't know if it'll keep up to your usage though? It would probably have to sit for quite a while to achieve full charge.

 

[Remington]

Any idea of the solar tender/trickle charger plugged into the cigarette lighter accessory plug will charge the battery?

Stick with one u plug into 110v. Then directly to your battery. Thats how my P1 is plugged in at my Cabin i use for Hunting mostly now. That one u speak of has to go through another circuit to get to the battery. Solar is so green new dealish 😂 but I do use them for my trail cams, there good for that.

You mentioned You had a draw test done! By who and how was it done? You need to remove each accessory one at a time with a full battery and let it set and see if your battery dies or not to find the culprit.

Also, welcome and congrats of your first post since joining 21’ We like pics and its Rule#4 🤣so post em up asap when u can.

 

[trigger]

Stick with one u plug into 110v. Then directly to your battery. Thats how my P1 is plugged in at my Cabin i use for Hunting mostly now. That one u speak of has to go through another circuit to get to the battery. Solar is so green new dealish 😂 but I do use them for my trail cams, there good for that.

You mentioned You had a draw test done! By who and how was it done? You need to remove each accessory one at a time with a full battery and let it set and see if your battery dies or not to find the culprit.

Also, welcome and congrats of your first post since joining 21’ We like pics and its Rule#4 🤣so post em up asap when u can.

He said he didn't have 110v available. That would be the ideal way though.

 

[Remington]

He said he didn't have 110v available. That would be the ideal way though.

Ahhhh my bad my eyes must have skipped that 😂
well.. a solar panel otside might work to an inverter to 110v then a standard trickle charger Should take care of that

 

[906UP]

Have you measured voltage while it's running? Is the charging system on the buggy working?

 

[Neohio]

Solar panel plugged into cig lighter is useless.

That only gets power when key is on. You would need to wire it so it is always hot for your solar panel to charge the battery.

@Hondasxs can probably build you a quick simple wiring harness to achieve this.

 

[hallic]

Do you have a winch with a wireless remote? Depending on how it's wired up, the receiver unit on the buggy can be on all the time. Did you add any lights or radio or anything?

Like @trigger said, has to be a parasitic drain coming from something, especially if you already replaced the battery.

 

[DRZRon1]

another battery test, good/no good

voltage reading just after shutting off, voltage after two hours off, voltage while idling

if all good, remove all accessories, see what it does overnight or disconnect negative from battery overnight

or put an ammeter between the negative and ground with machine off and report back



im gonna go with winch the remote for $10 if it has one.....

 

[Brmcg324]

Do you know what voltage and current the solar trickle charger provides? What are the specifications and maybe you need to measure its output voltage in your present location. It need to be about 14vdc (needs to be about the same volts as the engine "generator", not much higher or lower, and produce about 1 amp to keep the battery charged. That would be 14 volts x 1 amp = 14 watts.
Less than 14 volts dc will simply not charge the battery, maybe could discharge it if below 13vdc.
I ran 6 gauge battery cables to the posts of the winch relay under the front hood. My battery tender has a quick disconnect cable connected to my winch relay posts, that is my "bus bar" extension of the battery in the front.
You could possibly rig up a connection point in the front if you have a winch or fuse box that is always on from the battery.
Could also rig a quick connect for a portable lithium battery starter if the battery is too weak to start. Are you also sure the 12vdc accessory plug is live +12vdc with the key off and engine off (I presume you already did this, but I need to ask to cover all of the possibilities).
If you had a good voltmeter and check everything with it, it could be very educational.
My 2020 P500 can sit for 4 weeks with no trickle charger in an outdoor garage, and never have a problem starting it, so I think you could have some deeper problem. For note, when the engine is running, you should have 14.1 volts or so in the whole electrical system, so shifting should not be a problem. However if you have a loose connection at the battery, or the negative cable to ground, the shifting could be at only the battery voltage or intermittent voltage with the engine running.
Hope the best for you, that is difficult when you cannot get 110vac power to you storage location.

 

[Kcarr22]

Wow, thanks for all the input! I bought the unit used and the original owner did install a remote for the winch. I think I’ll start there and see if that’s the issue. He also installed some lights on the the back which I’ll check as well. Really appreciate the insight!!




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[NTCPrezJB]

A quick battery disconnect to stop the parasitic loss along with your solar trickle charger wired straight to the battery will probably take care of things for you.

 

[KYhillbilly]

my wireless winch controller would drain my battery. I now have a dash mounted cut off switch.

 

[Smitty335]

my wireless winch controller would drain my battery. I now have a dash mounted cut off switch.
View attachment 344380

I would say that looks good, but it doesn't.

 

[KYhillbilly]

I would say that looks good, but it doesn't.

not my best work, but gets the job done. Much better than dead batteries.

 

[Kcarr22]

Thanks again guys. I’m a total noob at this, so is there a particular quick disconnect switch guys have used and liked? Easy install ideal


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[NTCPrezJB]

Thanks again guys. I’m a total noob at this, so is there a particular quick disconnect switch guys have used and liked? Easy install ideal


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Any of your major auto parts stores will probably have one on the shelf. Just tell them you are looking for a battery disconnect switch. I’m sure Amazon would have plenty of options too if you prefer. You’ll also probably need enough heavy gauge wire to get it where you would like it mounted and back. IMHO shorter runs are better for this but you can mount a “key” style one in the dash if you like as was pictured above.

 

[DRZRon1]

were you able to determine where the draw is?

it is is the winch wireless remote, should be able to put a rocker on off switch to cut the power to the winch control circuit as an option