UTV Voltmeter Installation

After adding quite a few 12 volt accessories (4 HID lights & heated seats) to my Polaris RZR, I wanted to keep track of how well the charging system and battery condition were performing. The Polaris RZR has a warning in the main gauge pod for low voltage.

For the Polaris RZR, if the voltage level is below the ranges defined below for more than 6 seconds consecutively then the battery warning will illuminate on the gauge.  The 4 ranges are setup as follows:

0 – 10 RPM                   10.5V
600 – 1800 RPM:          11.0V
1801 – 2999 RPM:       11.4V
3000+ RPM:                  11.4V

The Polaris RZR’s charging system is better than other UTVs at almost 500W:

Stator Output: Idle ~310W, Max ~475W.

Here are the parts I ordered:

Summit Racing –SUM-G2983:

• Digital readout
• 2 1/16 in. Diameter
• 8-18 Volt

I am typically not a big fan of digital gauges as they tend to look a bit more cheap, but for a voltmeter, I like to see the exact number clearly.

Installation:

The voltmeter and mounting bracket.

This is the toughest part of the installation.  Cutting a hole in your plastic can be a bit nerve racking. A right-angle drill makes this much easier to do. If you are going to use a normal drill, the steering wheel gets in your way.  You will need a hole saw as well.  2 1/16″ is what I should have used, but I did not have it.  I used a 2 1/8″ and while it worked, the hole was a bit sloppy. I would recommend using a 2 1/16″ hole saw.

After the hole has been cut.  I have new plastic fromFullbore Innovations, so my mounting location will probably differ from the stock plastic.

Now it is time to connect the wiring up for the voltmeter.  Black goes to chassis ground.  Red goes to 12V (ignition hot) and purple is 12V when your lights are on (dimmer).

On the RZR, there is an orange wire with a butt connector that is used for a winch. This wire is hot only when the key is on (ignition hot).  I connected the red wire from the gauge to this orange wire.

For the purple dimmer wire, I spliced into the green wire that goes to the factory headlight switch. This wire is hot only when the lights are on.

After the wires were all hooked up, I used the supplied bracket and nuts to mount the gauge in place.  Fired the RZR up and it works!

Review:

Here is what I have learned so far:  

• Key on without the engine running I was at 12.2V. 12.7V is fully charge, so my battery is a bit low.  Not a big deal because it still starts.
• At idle with no accessories, voltmeter read 14.2V.
• With both seat heaters on, the voltmeter dropped .1V – .2V.  Pretty insignificant.
• Stock headlights chew up about .8V.
• With two HIDs on, the voltmeter dropped .8V at startup, then came back down to a drop of .1V – .2V.
• Cooling fan eats up .5V.

I have had the factory battery warning light come on while driving in the dunes at night before, so I am anxious to see what I learn from the voltmeter. I think the biggest draws will come from the cooling fan and the stock halogen headlights.

More Photos: