Grounding

The ground connections are critical. Without clean, tight, reliable connections between every electrical component and the engine case you can have any manner of unreliable, hard to diagnose, strange electrical problems.

The entire electrical system is based upon the engine crank case as the electric 'ground'. Everything in the electrical system is directly or indirect connected to the engine case.

Battery

The heavy Black cable connects the engine case to the Negative post on the battery. It is critical that the correct battery post be connected to the black cable. And it is just as important the the engine end of that black cable have a clean, solid, tight connection to the engine.

Recommended maintenance is to remove the battery cable from the engine. Clean both the cable end and the engine case. Clean the bolt threads, visually inspect the cable ends, then reassemble.

Magneto Stator ground

Depending on the PWC model you will have one or two thin Black wires providing ground for everything inside the electrical box.

All electrical boxes have a cable bundle that runs between the electrical box and the magneto stator at the front of the engine. The stator is actually mounted behind the flywheel, and both are inside the flywheel cover on the front of the engine. Inside that stator cable bundle is a black wire. The black wire is connected to the metal frame of the stator, and the bolts that hold the stator in place also provide the electrical ground connection for the stator to the engine case. The other end of the black stator wire connects to the grounding strips and black terminal group inside the electrical box.

This ground connection using the black stator wire is critical. There must be a zero ohm connection all the way from the electrical box grounds to the engine case.

Terminal board

There is a group of terminals on the board marked BLK. All these terminals are electrically connected together and are grounded to the engine through the black stator wire. All other electrical devices are connected to this black terminal group or to the metal grounding bar. Make sure the grounding screws are in the electrical box are clean and tight.

Thin black battery wire

On all Fuji engines, and all 1996-1999 red domestic engines with original ignition systems*, there is a separate thin black wire running between the battery negative post and the electrical box. This wire is at risk of burn (short circuit) damage if the electrical box touches the positive battery post, which is why it is important to disconnect the battery negative before working on the electrical box. If you electrical box uses a plastic battery cover, this is why you need it

When testing for electrical ground problems it is important to remove this thin black wire from the battery negative post while you do your testing. Reconnect it after your ohm testing is complete.

*Polaris issued an Ignition System Update Kit for all 1996-1999 red domestic engines except the 1200 engine. Installation of the Update Kit (which greatly improves reliability) also requires that the original thin black wire to the battery negative be permanently removed. This deletion removes the risk of electrical fire should the heavy black battery cable develop a problem.