Thank!
Do you know where I can buy bulb (for all the lights) for my 1999 polaris sportsman 500? (buy online)

 

Greetings,

I just joined this forum to conduct some research on the pre-2002 Polaris Sportsman speedometer issues that (unfortunately) seem to plague them.

Background:
A friend of the family got my father hooked on ATVing and so my father bought his first Polaris (2000 Sportsman 500). I in turn got bit by the same bug so I purchased a 2001 Sportman 500HO. My wife and daughter now have one as well (2003 Sportsman 500HO, 2004 Magnum 330)

So our entire family has bought into the Polaris family of ATV's. Over all, we're very pleased with the quality of Polaris equipment, but it appears there may be a weakness in the speedometer on at least the pre-2002 machines.

From what we've encountered, it appears condensation collects in the speedometer (which is the heart and brains of the entire ATV) and will then short out the entire speedo. The speedo controls 4wd, the speedo functions, and all of the other critical systems. Fortunately, unplugging the speedo will allow you to at least run the ATV in 2wd to get home with.

My father has replaced one speedo already and it appears he's gearing up for his second (he has two ATV's now). We store our machines out of the weather so they do not get rained on and we don't bury the machines while riding.

In speaking with the local dealership, it appears they too sell a lot of speedometers to customers with pre-2002 models. I'm not hear to sling mud or anything because I still believe the Polaris machines are extremely well built, but perhaps this one weakness is their only downfall. I'm here to get answers and hopefully solutions to this apparent problem.

At this time, my only thoughts for a solution would be to strategically drill a hole in the bottom of the speedo to allow any condensation to drain out the bottom and not collect inside which leads to shorting out all of the internal components.

My dad and I have also discussed possibly potting these speedometers so any condensation that occurs can't harm the electronic components. With replacement speedometers at $350+, there isn't much room for error.

Does anyone out there have any experience with this kind of speedometer problem?

(Sorry I didn't mean to hi-jack this thread)

Kind regards,
Brian.

 

If the AWD system works you can leave the speedometer bypass, just be careful when you turn on the AWD switch


What do you mean be careful?

 

Hey guys i just had a similar problem on my 800, my awd did not light up nor did the indicator stating what gear I was in on the dash.My fix was the 6 pin rotary switch on the side of the transmission.it is shown as part # 17 in your manual chapter 8 page 8.4-8.8.
maybe this is your problem?
hope something works for you.

 

Guess I took a short cut through some details.

My father's first experience with the speedo failure was on a 340 Magnum (Sorry, I can't remember the year model)

The symptoms were; (and they progressively got worse)

AWD light stopped working.
AWD stopped working.
Speedometer stopped working.
Reverse override stopped working.
Finally, poor engine response to complete stalling.

Once the Speedo was unplugged, the ATV would once again run, but no AWD was available.

After extensive testing and diagnosing the problem, the speedo was replaced and that resolved all of the symptoms. My father then cut open the old speedo and found a significant amount of water in it. From the outside, the speedo seemed water tight and of course, we always kept the ATV covered or otherwise out of the weather. So our conclusion was condensation and accumulation of water over time shorted out the circuitry of the speedometer over time.

My father's 2000 Sporstman 500 is now starting to exhibit the same behaviors and we believe it may be a matter of time before complete failure occurs. In the old Magnum speedo, it looked like there was one or two places where you could carefully drill a small hole to allow water to drain out.

Before we get to that point, I wanted to surf the net to see if any other Polaris owners have had similar problems and if so, do they know of any fixes or cures to this problem. What we've gathered from the Polaris dealership is the speedo was redesigned in either 2002 or 2003 and should no longer suffer this kind of problem. That's good news for my wife's and daughter's machines, but we still have three pre-2002 machines to contend with. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Happy Trails,
Brian.

 

I just joined this forum, and this is my first post.

I just "inherited" a 95 Sportsman 400 with very similar problems:

Low-beams work, but High-beam does not work.
AWD light does not come on.
AWD does not engage in forward or reverse (or ever).

It has a Moose plow blade which will come in handy just north of Milwaukee where I'm at (in Richfield), but won't be of much use if I can't get the AWD to work. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. If you need to know more, please ask.

 

Is this thread still active? I recently bought a 99 polaris sportsman 500, it's in great shape. There is condensation in the speedo and the 4wd cuts in and out.

 

hi,
I just repaired my 2000 sportsman 500 today.

it had the NO LIGHTS, NO SPEED (needle), NO HOURS (digital), and NO MILEAGE (digital)issue.

The speedometer head comes apart by gently bending the metal brezel up, then the needle pulls straight up (note where you have it positioned)

there are 3 screws under the numbers, you need to peel the plastic label up carefully.

from there the back has 2 large black electrolitic capacitors and a 3 legged SRC transistor next to them. That transistor part needs replaced.
It is a Motorola TIP 48 voltage regulator.

Mine looked fine visuially and after much convincing I pulled it and replaced it and saved my self$ 250.00

need more help--email me at Apark3@woh.rr.com
I have a bunch of these transistors, had to buy 50.

 

Here is a link to the speedo by pass trick, My 1999 polaris explorer will not go into 4 wheel - FixYa

I never tried it but if the time came I would before I bought a new speedo. That was one dumb idea Polaris had when the made the speedo a component of the AWD system.

 

I know this thread is old, but here are some pictures to go along with the speedo repair description. My speedo had no function at all; no lights, no speed no odometer. Dead as a door nail.
Take it all apart. I used a flat screwdriver to start prying the back of the bezel up, then used small flat pliers to carefully and evenly continue around the edge without wrecking it. The speed needle just pulls straight up.

Here's what's inside:






Those 3 legged guys are the things you want to unsolder and replace.


I found it easiest to nip the legs off with a small side cutter so I could unsolder and remove one leg at a time. I have a standard soldering iron and found it very difficult to heat up all 3 at once to remove the transistor as a whole.

Then you clean out the holes and install the new transistor & solder in place. It's a very easy repair, but a little fussy. To save myself $250-$300, I'd do it all day long.

I also took this opportunity to polish out the plastic lens because it was all milky looking. It came out crystal clear.



If your speedo is dead like mine and you've ruled out the simple stuff, why not give this a try. It's not going to get any more broken & hey, you might just fix it!
Good luck with your repair!