power problems
After changing a battery out on my 3000 mule I had to place it on a battery charger. When I started the mule it ran fine until I took the cables from the charger off. At this point the engine lost power tried to die. If I place the charger back on, the engine will start running right and acts like it has plenty of power. Thought once it was running you could diconnect the charger.
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Did you check the bat it sounds like its bad.
If the bat does not charge up its bad.
If the bat does charge up and later runs down again it could be bad but it also might not be charging when running.
Comment by tmaster — 06/27/2010 @ 1:33 pm
I have come to find that the voltage regulators on the Mules are very touchy when it comes to putting a battery charger on the battery while it is attached to the vehicle. I read a cautionary notification that said you should avoid such practices. It is strongly recommended that you disconnect the positive battery lead from the vehicle when using a battery charger. Not doing so can and will damage the voltage regulator on the Mule. (I learned a hard $115 lesson from not doing so.) It is also suggested that if you must jump the battery on the Mule that you do not do it from a running vehicle, turn the jumping vehicle off or use a secondary battery.
You can check the condition of your charging system with a voltage meter. A fully charged battery will be slightly over 12 volts. With the engine running there should be a reading of @13.1-14.2 volts, if the reading is higher then the regulator is not functioning properly and will damage the battery, the regulator should be checked and replaced if necessary. If the reading is 12 volts or lower then the regulator is not functioning properly and should be checked and replaced if necessary or the alternator has failed and should be checked and replaced if necessary.
I have also found that running your Mule with a non-working charging system is possible, but as the battery voltage drops to a certain point it will give you a false indication by setting the “Oil Temperature” warning light.
Comment by Ted — 08/05/2014 @ 1:33 am