Fixing and Modifying the Electrical System in Your Polaris Ranger!

Whenever you talk to an owner of the Polaris Ranger, they tend to gush about everything they love about their side-by-side.

Off-road prowess, customizability and utility are just some of the huge upsides to owning a Ranger. But something you may rarely hear talked about, is the Polaris Ranger electrical system. More specifically, today we are going to discuss some common issues with the factory Polaris Ranger electrical system, as well as a few extremely useful modifications you can make to it.

So let's just get the common issues out of the way, shall we?

Problems With Your Polaris Ranger TPS Sensor

If you are the owner of a Polaris Ranger 700 XP, you may encounter an issue with your TPS sensor. TPS stands for Throttle Position Sensor, and when this little component goes bad, your ride can be all sorts of messed up.

Ranging from sluggish acceleration to the inability to start at all, a bad TPS sensor will need to be replaced to get things back in order. If you suspect this to be the cause of your issues, make sure to have your dealership or certified mechanic confirm the diagnosis before replacing, just in case!

Polaris Ranger Wiring Woes

The bulk of issues you’ll find when researching this topic online will center around the wiring and wire harnesses within the UTV.

One common issue we have come across several times is damaged wires that are near sources of heat on the Ranger. The Polaris Ranger wiring harness can come in contact with extreme heat due to close proximity to things like the engine, the exhaust, and even the throttle body. This close proximity can then cause wire casings to melt and let wires touch and short circuit.

At best, this leads to a check engine light that alerts you to the issue. At worst, things like an engine misfire can happen, or cause your cooling fan to fail leading to permanent engine damage. Adding heat resistant material to the wiring harnesses in areas exposed to extreme heat will help you avoid this issue altogether!

Someone Call an Exterminator

Believe it or not, one of the top Polaris Ranger electrical issues we see are those stemming from rodents and other household pests.

Rats, mice, rabbits, squirrels and other small animals love making their nests in tight places. So when your Ranger is parked outside or garaged for the winter, these furry little friends make their way into vital areas and chew up anything that is in their way.

Many owners lament about going to start their UTV in the spring and summer months, only to find that the engine won't turn over. And upon further inspection, they find that myriad vital wires have been chewed through or obliterated. This obviously leads to some very costly repairs, so maybe keep a cat, or some rodent traps in the area you’ll be storing your UTV. Or better yet, invest in a Polaris Ranger storage cover from Everything Polaris Ranger that extends fully to the ground!

Polaris Ranger Electrical System Mods

Now that we have the most common electrical issues out of the way, let’s now talk about how you can improve your Polaris Ranger electrical system.

Dual-Battery Kits

One of the easiest and most useful mods you can add to your UTV is a Polaris Ranger Dual-Battery Kit.

With all of the fun accessories we love to add to our builds, such as winches, light bars, audio systems and even refrigerators, the stock battery may not be enough. In fact, we can pretty much promise you’ll need a Polaris Ranger replacement battery at some point down the line.

But if you add a secondary battery via a dual-battery kit, you’ll be in much better shape. These kits allow you to run all of your accessories off of the secondary battery, and reserve the primary battery for reliably starting your UTV at the end of a long day at the lake or on the trail.

Let’s take that a step further, though, shall we?

With a Polaris Ranger constant duty solenoid modification, you can ensure that accessories such as GPS units, cell phone chargers, lights and stereos are only drawing power from that second battery when the key is turned to the on position.

Without this mod, all of those accessories can drain power from the secondary battery whenever they're left on, leading to premature battery depletion and even dead batteries if left long enough. And when it comes time to park your side-by-side in the garage for the night or work week, make sure you’ve got a battery charger/maintainer ready to keep both batteries charged and in top shape for countless rides to come!

Thanks for checking out these Polaris Ranger electrical system mods and problems today, we hope you learned something new!