On my 02 GEM eL the turn signals started acting up today. I was running a new pair of wires to the two lamps on the back of the cab (since the eL uses only the two oval ones on the bed). I don’t think I shorted anything but I did have to replace the 3 amp fuses for turn signals and brake lights with 5 amp ones as I blew the smaller ones with the additional load of the extra 1157 lamps I guess.
So, the symptom of my problem is this: Instead of the two red lights on the control pod mirroring the turn signals as well as functioning as warning lights for brake failure and seat belt reminder, the right indicator lamp and right front turn signal stay lit constantly. This keeps the right turn signals from flashing - they just go out and stay that way when the turn signal stalk is set to right turn. Brake light function is normal.
If I remember correctly, when it was working right the right indicator on the control pod would light briefly at key-on to remind you to wear your seat belt and would then go out. Then it would flash with the right turn signal and likewise for the left one with the left warning lamp. I don’t recall the right front turn signal going on with it but it certainly does now.
I have the newer style accessory board with the DC to DC converter built-in located right beneath the main contactor. It appears the flasher is on this board as well as some other logic for the GEM. Any ideas what might have fried? It seems like it might be a shorted diode from the higher ampere draw. I see two regular diodes and one zener on this board - one near the top-right that’s a really big one and one near the bottom-right that’s smaller. The zener diode is near the bottom-left and is probably part of the voltage regulator circuit.
Has anyone got a schematic or block diagram for this PCB? I’d like to fix mine rather than put in another stock one that will fail too with the higher load of running 3 lamps instead of 2.
[B]Update 3/31/13:[/B]
The problem with the turn signals was apparently the sudden failure of a timing circuit or driver transistor on the AUX board which also contains the DC to DC converter on the 2000 to 2005 or so GEMs. When the board failed it applied +12 volts to the seatbelt warning light on the instrument pod. This light is also tied to the right front turn signal which remained lit as long as the car was powered-on via the key switch.
I initially fixed it by cutting the red/black wire near the AUX board. This worked for a day but the next time I powered on the GEM the DC to DC converter failed to initialize properly and the car would not power-up. I attribute the failure to either a cracked solder joint or a cracked etch on the circuit board due to weather exposure of this “open” design of AUX board and years of vibration. The failure of the driver transistor for the seatbelt warning may be related but this AUX board has been a little flaky since I bought the GEM at auction earlier this year, blowing one of the 10 amp fuses on the AUX board occasionally.
I searched the Internet for a replacement and found that the OEM supplier, SPS Electronics, still has some of the latest revision AUX boards in stock for the older GEMs. They’re SPS P/N 22130, rev A (GEM P/N 0106-00641) which is a fully potted version of the original open-frame AUX board. It replaces the older 13816 and 14095 boards and became a standard issue on later GEMS until they revamped the electrical system, moving the circuitry onto a combination fuse-block and control logic assembly and again separating out the DC to DC converter in the newest models.
I don’t know how many of these SPS 22130 AUX boards are still available but I’ll be ordering one first thing Monday morning.
BTW, Polaris wants nothing to do with the older GEMS and apparently sold off all their stock of parts for anything older than 2011 models. They keep referring me to the GEM dealer who says he cannot get parts anymore unless they’re on the new 2012/2013 parts list. Of course you’d spend thousands of dollars to upgrade the older GEMs to the newest electronics so that’s out of the question for me.
I’ll keep you all posted on my progress.
Glad you were able to figure it out. I absolutely hate electrical gremlins.
Sad to see Polaris is not supporting Gems prior to their ownership.
4/9/13
Got the new AUX board/DC-DC converter Thursday and installed it in the GEM. It took a little fiddling to get the new, larger, completely potted unit to fit but it does (barely) fit after some minor modifications. I had to loosen and relocate the main fuse by pivoting it upward to use another, higher, standoff hole in the backing plate and cut a small rectangular piece out of the mounting flange on the new converter to get everything to fit properly.
This fully-potted AUX card/DC-DC converter looks to be nearly indestructible when compared to the older open-frame models. The fuses for 72 volt input, switched 72 volt input and seat-belt lamp output are all cylindrical glass fuses in fuse-holders with removable tops which can be sealed up using RTV Silicone to totally weatherproof the system. The external backup/warning buzzer is much more audible than the higher-pitched one the original AUX board used (a real benefit for people with hearing loss) and can easily be relocated to an even more audible location if desired.
This AUX card/DC-DC converter is rated the same as the original unit at 20 amps DC combined output. There is 1 negative terminal and 2 12 volt output terminals using 1/4 inch Fast-on connectors. The old unit didn’t need a negative wire to the frame as it was grounded to the vehicle frame through its mounting screws but this fully-potted unit is apparently electrically isolated from its mounting flanges so the extra wire (included with the kit) was required.
The extra 12 volt output terminal could be useful for a higher output power-port. The GEM’s systems use about 10-12 amps with the lights and brakes on, leaving 8-10 amps available for other uses. If you connect anything to this spare 12 volt terminal you should insert an in-line fuse holder with (at most) a 10 amp fuse to protect the converter from damage. This will give a little more oomph to your 12 volt accessory socket for charging cell phones, running GPS or other accessories.
All in all I’d say my experience with the SPS Electronics AUX card for 2000-2004 GEMs has been good. It did take a bit longer to ship due to a personal tragedy at SPS Electronics but eventually I got this redesigned board and am happy to say my GEM is back on the road after almost 2 weeks.
Glad to hear it’s all together now.
As I recall, the DC converter/AUX board was about $350. (Ouch!)