Regulators for Polaris – Why They Burn

Regulator rectifiers for Polaris mostly burn because of bad connections between the battery and the regulator itself. After some time, corrosion builds up in the regulator for Polaris' connectors due to moisture staying on the connector. This corrosion creates higher than intended resistance, which in turn creates a lot of heat. That heat added to the heat produced by the regulator for Polaris will, if not drained properly, eventually completely melt the connector, shorting it and burning the regulator.

If corrosion builds on the ground connector, then the regulator for Polaris will not be able to drain excess voltage properly, which will overheat the regulator rectifier and you will once more end up with a burned regulator or even worse.

Misplaced Regulator for Polaris

But heat is not only created by bad connections. Some regulators for Polaris are misplaced, like near an external source of heat, or in a zone with bad airflow. As regulators for Polaris are already prone to running hot, adding some more heat or preventing it to cool properly will most likely cause the regulator rectifier to burn out.

For example, the Polaris RZR 800 has its regulator placed near the wheel, where it quickly gets filled up with dirt. In such a case, you must clean it very, very often to allow it to evacuate its heat properly. Otherwise, relocating it to a place where dirt cannot reach it would be a better option. And why not change it for a Mosfet while you’re at it?