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Wont Start Checklist

439012 Views 151 Replies 60 Participants Last post by  nskiver974
How to trouble shoot a no start issue

Okay so your quad does not start here is a logical step by step diagnosis to help determine what your problem may be. This guide is not meant to fix your issue just to help you determine what it is so you don’t throw away useless time and money. It is intended to help the person who has not had a lot of experience in fixing these issues. The seasoned mechanic knows these and the short cuts you can take while doing this stuff.
Something to consider: Occam’s razor says that the simplest solution is most likely the right one. If you hear hoof prints you should think Horses and not Zebra’s. :)

NO CRANKING:

You put the key on and it does not start:

1) Make sure the run switch is on

2) Make sure the quad is in Neutral

3) Make sure the battery is in good shape and fully charged

4) When you turn the key do you get a clicking from the solenoid

a. If you don’t hear a clicking then you have to make sure that you have power to the solenoid from the key switch. You can meter it from the thin wire on the solenoid. If you don’t then you have an issue in the switch.
b. If yes, then meter the contacts of the solenoid while turning over the key. You should have 12 volts on both sides. If you do not then clean both the terminals, reattach the wires and recheck. If you still don’t then replace the solenoid. Just because it clicks does not mean that it is working.
c. If you do, then you need to check voltage at the starter motor. Meter the wire lug on the starter and check to see if you have continuity from it to the solenoid lug that is not powered. If you do have continuity, then put a jumper cable directly to the battery positive terminal and touch it to the starter motor lug.

5) If it does not turn over then you need to pull the starter motor out and rebuild it. It will be one of three things: The brushes are broken or work out (most likely), the starter is rusty and filled with sludge and crap or that the magnets have become unwelded from the side of the starter case. The first two can be easily fixed with an inexpensive rebuild kit and a cleaning. The third makes the starter motor useless except for parts.

6) If it does turn over then your next step is make sure you have spark. Remove the plug and put it back in the spark plug boot and ground the tip on the motor and turn over and make sure you have a solid spark. If you don’t then you have an ignition problem. If you do have a spark then pour some gas down the spark plug hole and put back in the plug and see if it fires. If it does then you have a fuel issue.

7) If it wont start with the starter until the motor is warm then you likely have water in the starter that is either freezing and then thawing when motor warms up or until some of it is evaporating letting the brushes make contact with the armature or loosening up the bearings so that it spins easier. Either way it need to come apart.

Hopefully this will help some people figure out what direction to work toward.
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Im dealing with the same problem on my 07 sportsman. A buddy rolled it and my speedometer is shattered.it has no glass window and no face with nubers on it and no needle on there.so I just removed it all together.I rode it for a year with no Speedo.when I realized the 4x4 didnt work,I plugged the usess Speedo BA k in.everything worked great.just didnt know how fast I was going or how much gas I had.last time I rode it, I came home and washed it,then drove it into garage and parked it. I came out into the garage the next day and noticed some led lights were lit up while it was sitting there with no key in the ingnition and the thumb switch was off. The Speedo was lit for a few days then finally all lights were turned off on the Speedo.I went out there a week ago and I dont have any power at all.no lights no winch no cranking, nothing. I have no hot power wire at key switch.I think when the circuit board in the Speedo cluster got wet and fried something.any suggestions?
How to trouble shoot a no start issue

Okay so your quad does not start here is a logical step by step diagnosis to help determine what your problem may be. This guide is not meant to fix your issue just to help you determine what it is so you don’t throw away useless time and money. It is intended to help the person who has not had a lot of experience in fixing these issues. The seasoned mechanic knows these and the short cuts you can take while doing this stuff.
Something to consider: Occam’s razor says that the simplest solution is most likely the right one. If you hear hoof prints you should think Horses and not Zebra’s. :)

NO CRANKING:

You put the key on and it does not start:

1) Make sure the run switch is on

2) Make sure the quad is in Neutral

3) Make sure the battery is in good shape and fully charged

4) When you turn the key do you get a clicking from the solenoid

a. If you don’t hear a clicking then you have to make sure that you have power to the solenoid from the key switch. You can meter it from the thin wire on the solenoid. If you don’t then you have an issue in the switch.
b. If yes, then meter the contacts of the solenoid while turning over the key. You should have 12 volts on both sides. If you do not then clean both the terminals, reattach the wires and recheck. If you still don’t then replace the solenoid. Just because it clicks does not mean that it is working.
c. If you do, then you need to check voltage at the starter motor. Meter the wire lug on the starter and check to see if you have continuity from it to the solenoid lug that is not powered. If you do have continuity, then put a jumper cable directly to the battery positive terminal and touch it to the starter motor lug.

5) If it does not turn over then you need to pull the starter motor out and rebuild it. It will be one of three things: The brushes are broken or work out (most likely), the starter is rusty and filled with sludge and crap or that the magnets have become unwelded from the side of the starter case. The first two can be easily fixed with an inexpensive rebuild kit and a cleaning. The third makes the starter motor useless except for parts.

6) If it does turn over then your next step is make sure you have spark. Remove the plug and put it back in the spark plug boot and ground the tip on the motor and turn over and make sure you have a solid spark. If you don’t then you have an ignition problem. If you do have a spark then pour some gas down the spark plug hole and put back in the plug and see if it fires. If it does then you have a fuel issue.

Hopefully this will help some people figure out what direction to work toward.
Nice checklist, so simple and clean!!
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starting issues

I have a 1998 xplorer 400 that has not been used in two years, im trying to get it going, my sisters kids broke the key switch out of it is there anyway to bypass it with a toggle switch, was using a screw driver but it will not work anymore. also when i did have it running it has a horrible grind by my right foot, what could this be
The grind is either your Bendix or starter gear stuck in the out possition or parts of your recoil that have broke off.
Need so help. I have a 08 sportsman 800ho
Turns over but no spark.
started up a 04 sportsman 400 4x4 that has been sitting for 2-3 years. i drained & changed all the fluids including gas. put on new fuel filter. it has spark, it wont start unless i spray some starting fluid into the air intake boot. even with it some what running, its sluggish & back firing, i removed the fuel line & cranked it over, to me it doesnt seem like very much fuel is being pumped from the fuel pump. im thinking about just replacing the pump & tearing down & cleaning/rebuilding the carb. any ideas?
Polaris 500 HO won't start

Hello all,
I am new to this forum and I hope you all can help me. I have an '07 500 HO that will not start. It will turn over. I have drained the gas tank, cleaned the fuel valve (which did have a real gummy substance in the "on" side of the valve) and now have taken off the fuel pump to see if that could be the problem. The only other things I can think of is the carb or the fuel filter. Oh yeah, and one more significant note, it will run with a little Seafoam poured into the carb through the air filter intake. Any ideas will really be appreciate or simply that I am on the right track. Thanks!
"07 Sportsman 500 HO

One other note, after looking online at parts it looks like it may be an '06. I do not have it here to check. Thanks.
Sent quad to shop. I don't know what part of "I need it to run reliably" they didn't understand. The oil, oil filter, spark and air filter were changed. Got it home, barely started to get it off the truck. It was running so I took it for a run of several miles. Next morning it started, iffy and that was the last time. On the invoice it says Note, it runs but no power, didn't look into cams? clutches? dono. What would they mean by no power? When I ran it down the road it was responsive and had lots of zip, more than I need or w ant. It's not a highway hauler. Any ideas? My feeling is it's electrical. I rely heavily on my quad as I inherited a lung disease and my quad enables me to get out and about.
i have a 2004 preditor500 and it quit the other day when i was riding. the motor will not turn over and the wheels are frozen when i try to push start it. I turned the stater and the piston moves up and down and the wheels also move when i put it in gear and ratchet it but other that that nothing
i have a 2004 predator 500 its geting grat spark and gas but only sputters when starting any sugges.
455 diesel want start can any one help thanks
You really need to give us some more information as to what is happening when you tried to start it and what you have done to fix the issue.
It sounds like it is trying to start, then within a couple of seconds I get the raspberry sound. I've had the charger on the battery on trickle, then 12 volts. Nada. I don't dwell on the starter. I'm wondering about the solenoid but don't have the tools to check it. No point in taking it back to the high priced shop, besides I have to find someone to take it in and bring it home. My quad isn't a toy, it's my little work horse as I try to maintain an acreage. INRBigness, there are some challenging trails next to my property and I have about a hundred acres of wilderness yet 5 min from town. We're only 250km e of Wpg.
Well start by taking a jumper cable and go from the starter lug right to possitive terminal on the battery or any good battery and see if it starts. If it does then use common sense and a meter and work back towards the battery. If it doesnt then its the starter must have a bad set of brushes in it.

To check the solonoid take the same jumper and then go to the solonoid. see what happens.
Thanks I'll give it a try, after I find out where the starter is. I fix horse riding saddles, not vehicles.
it is spraying fuel out of the injector but it four streams not much mist what could it be p.s. the cllander has good compreaion blows my finger out hard
2006 Sportsman 500 HO starter won't turn

A few weeks ago my daughter very slowly rolled over my 2006 Sportsman 500 HO (she did not get hurt, it was a very slow roll). I did not witness but shortly thereafter the throttle went wide open and smoked like a banshee. My brother hit the kill switch and stopped the engine. We ended up towing it out of the woods with my 850 Sportsman.

Fast forward, we can start the engine with the pull starter but the electric starter will not turn over. The solenoid is good and I am getting power to the lug on the starter, but there is no sound or power dip when the ignition switch is turned to start. I suspect I need to remove starter. In looking at it it would appear I need to remove the PVT and inner cover. Is this correct?

I was hoping to not have to do that. Any tips?
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