I've seen several post on the no spark problem but while looking for a spark at the plug I found that I don't have no spark I have 1 spark. It sparks once and that is it until I turn the ignition switch of and let it set a while. Then same thing 1 spark again then nothing. I've charged the battery and tried to find loose connections but nothing seems to help. Any idea on a 1 spark wonder?
Thanks

 

You say you get a spark sometimes, which probably makes my solution unlikely, but

There was a recall on 2004 400's where the sparkplug wire was routed inbetween the frame and the gastank. Eventually, the wire wore through its insulation and grounded to the frame, leading to no spark.

Mine died all of a sudden while I was riding one day, wouldn't restart. Tested the wire and no spark. Dealer fixed in one day for no charge.


Just an idea. If you haven't had this fixed yet, you might as well have your dealer check yours and repair/reroute as necessary.

Tyler

 

It sounds like the coil is not being given the proper signal to fire. (If the plug wire was grounded to the frame, you would not even have the single spark.)

You have a single spark because of this: The coil is energized with 12 volts. The ground side is opened and closed (at the proper time when the engine is turning over), causing a spark when the coil field is collapsed. If you do not have the opening and closing of the ground side, you will not get a spark. When you turn the ignition off, you are collapsing the field, thus creating only a single spark.

 

I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM ON MY 2004 SPORTSMAN 500, IT WAS JUST OUT OF THE WARRANTY WHEN IT HAPPEND. THE COIL WIRE WAS BETWEEN THE FRAME AND GAS TANK AND HAD RUBBED THROUGH GROUNDING THE COIL OUT TO THE FRAME. I JUST CALLED A LOCAL MOTORCYCLE SHOP AND GOT JUST THE COIL WIRE FOR AROUND $2. THEY HAD IT IN SPOOLS, JUST CUT TO LENGTH, EASY FIX! (IF THIS IS YOUR PROBLEM)

 

That's what I explained above; that should have been a free repair for you at the dealer.

redonthehead, even if that isn't your problem, it will be eventually.

But I like vinnie's explanation [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img].

 

 

I went over possible causes again and I found the problem. The throttle cable was sticking occasionally probably due to moisture and the cold weather. When it stuck the safety switch was doing its job and killing the spark. I lubricated everything and adjusted the cable so that the gap was open in the switch. It fires fine now and everything is good. While I was checking things I rerouted the spark plug wire. Hopefully I won’t get the pinch in the future. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

 

Glad you got your problem worked out. We should have mentioned the ETC, it can cause problems when it's not properly tuned up.

Tyler

 

Excellent! Glad to hear that it's running again!
Reminds me of the song "On the Road Again".
Also, thanks for letting us know. Many posts just "dissapear" without letting anyone know whether it was fixed, or not.
Congrats!!!