tracking down an electrical problem

[Duster8]

1990 SN with a 61x 701 fresh rebuild (crank, carbs, top end) stock E-box/cdi etc.

So the ski ran like crap last year after the rebuild, and i kinda gave up on it for a while. Put a new battery in it this year and it ran perfect. I tried to start it a few days later and the battery was dead. so before i started testing the stator, i measured resistance at the battery cables and found 1.203 k-ohms. That should be zero right?
I took apart the e-box and started unplugging wires one at a time, until the resistance measured zero. The wire thats causing it is the ground wire for the box between the starter solenoid and the coil. Is that a voltage regulator? I'll post a pic later today.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Ive been working on this damn thing on and off for going on 2 years... Why would running it on a low battery make it run terrible?? that's the only thing i changed from last year. Does this sound like a stator problem? Ive found how to test that, but dont want to start cutting wires if it has nothing to do with the stator.

 

[SJBrit]

Bad connections, particularly to ground, will draw a bunch of current due to the resistance and that will help kill a battery quicker. Sounds like you need to clean up some terminals and makes sure all the grounds are tightly screwed down. Check your battery and starter cables. Remember: a green connection is a bad connection!

 

[Duster8]

all the connections look pretty solid. the main ground wire has a slight bit of rust on the end, but nothing major at all.

heres the box. i circled the thing that seems to be shorted out. anyone know a part number for it?

 

[Shifty]

Thats the voltage reqularor/rectifier. I have read they go bad and cause a drain on your battery.

 

[Duster8]

ok thats what i thought. Looks like its $60! atlanticjetsports.com o.e. #6M6-81960-A0

 

[SJBrit]

Congratulations! You found the cheapest component on the ski :wavey:

 

[Duster8]

lol. pretty accurate actually. but seems high for such a simple little part.

 

[Shifty]

Check Ebay. This one looks decent.

 

[Duster8]

yea that one does look good. already bought one new for $70 shipped though. oh well, It'll be worth it if it fixes the problem.

 

[01PROX600]

Did this fix your problem?

 

[Duster8]

I havent taken the ski out yet, but it looks like it did fix the problem. Just got it all back together tonight, tested the battery cable leads and theres no resistance, so I should be fine. wont know for sure until i run it for a day, then let it sit for a day or two and see if the battery is still charged.

Still a chance i might have a problem with the stator.