ok, here is my dilema. My 2003 A/C 500 auto with 600 miles has started to get finicky about starting. More precisely, starting with the electric start. It will start just fine with the pull rope and yes my battery is fully charged. The problem is that is sometimes turns the starter over and sometimes not. Most time not, unless I hit the starter button numerous times and it finally turns over. When it does turn over it turns over just fine, not weak or slow. Most of the time I hit the button and all that happens is a clicking sound that comes from the junction under the right rear fender where the ground and the positive hook up, the terminal block with the 30amp fuse. I have cleaned the connections up real well and replaced the fuse but that "junction" makes a clicking noise when I hit the starter button. I am guessing that it is shot? I am not sure what it is called, it does have a plug in with a bunch of wires coming into it too. Anybody have any idea what is happening here?

 

i'm not to good with your year atv but it sounds like either a relay or starter cylanoid (gosh i can't spell.)
anyhow that is wht it sounds liek to me. if your getting a "clicking" then we knoe the push butten switch is working, so it's either the starter it stove up, dout it, or the relay is bad or going bad, might be, or the cylanoid is going bad.

sence you have cleaned all the connections then i'dd say it's off to the parts web page or dealer nearest you to get some parts, both should be rather cheep.

on a side note you might want to check the ground cable to the engine/frame to make sure it's in good working order. bad gound = bad electrical problems.

good luck

HR.

 

To the best of my knowledge when you hear "clicking" then the starter is not getting enough current. The obvious and most common is battery related (weak battery) or a loose terminal on the battery.

If the starter is not getting enough current, then other than the battery, I would venture to say a loose cable or like HR said a faulty ground. Since it is intermittent then this seems to point to a loose connection someplace. Once you are sure all connections are ok then you still have the ignition switch which can have a loose wire. From what people tell me relay switches, selinoids etc don't USUALLY behave intermitenly. GENERALLY they either work or don't. (Probably exceptions to everything).

Just a side note - a battery can be fully charged and hold a charge but can't produce enough amps to get the job done. (This can be intermittent if a battery is going bad).

My guess is battery or loose connection related.

 

Since yours is a 2003, it probably has the origional battery. By tradition ATV batteries generally only last 2 or 3 years. I had a similar problem as you, my battery would show charged etc but would not turn the starter ocassionally. I put a new battery in. I got a $46.00 battery at Wal-Mart for $26.99 because I found an add on the internet and printed it and showed it to the Wal-Mart people and they matched the price.

If you do get a new battery make sure you connect it correctly as the post on the batteries are opposite from an Arctic Cat battery. The positive and negative are on opposite sides by comparison. Don't go by location go by "+", and "-" -- lol. If you make the mistake then go get a 30 amp fuse and replace the fuse near the RR wheel, where your battery cables lead to. hehehe it will be blown if you hook it up backwards and try to start it. I made that dumb mistake, by not paying attention as to which side the positive and negative terminals were.

 

HR and Buckaroo, thanks for the input. Here is an update. I spent about 3 hours on it tonight, had the voltage meter out there, checked all wires/connections and things are good. I then proceeded to take the starter out and checked it out, cleaned it up a bit etc and put back together and re-installed. Still didnt work. I mean it did not work at all today. I then pull started it and let it run awhile and actually hit the start button while running. I did get it to spin a couple of times, so I shut it down and tried to start, after a few tries I could get it to go. If I would start it and stop it repeatedly, the it would get harder to start, taking many pushes of the button in quick succesion. Once running, say 4-5 minutes, I could shut it down and restart with button, if done immeadiately.
This is leading me to believe it may be the battery. It is the second one and it is not an arctic cat battery so I did have to flip the wire connections on this one too Buckaroo. But this battery is in at least its 3rd season and this machine sits in a cold Minnesota garage in winter and does not always get started to often, so maybe battery. I too am thinking probably not a relay based on the fact that stuff usually just goes out, plus when I hook up the volt meter, i get the same result every time I hit the starter button. Tomorrow I plan to maybe try to charge the battery up again at least to see if it will turn the starter. I did charge it about a week ago fully as it was totally dead. Again thanks for input and I will post an update.

 

Yea, keep us posted - as to your progress and stuff.

Is there a friend around that you could borrow a battery. Or maybe just run a set of jumper cables from your car/truck. That may help pinpoint if it is in fact the battery. You could try disconnecting the battery and running some jumpers from your car/truck. If she fires then you are headed in the right direction.

Let us know what is going on ok?

 

Well in reading your last post i'd have to agree with buckaroo50 that its the battery. but befor you go buy a new one, is your a maintance free one or can you servise it? it just might be low on acid. and or water to refill it. might same a few $ but then again maybe not. if you do get a new one get the good 20 AMH they are better for winching and cold starting. if you look in the AC cataloge they have them in there. but you should be agle to find a good off brand at like say Walmart, or Batteries Plus. buy the BIGEST battery you can fit.

i don't know if you can but maybe see if you can tap on the starter while it's "clicking" with say a small hammer ot the handle of a screwdriver. that will help see if it's battery or the bindex in the starter are starting to get worn out. If you open the srarter and look at the COM and brushes they "should" be nice and shiny. if they are dull and black then spray some brake sleaner on them and give them a few good turns, that will help clean them up some. A bad or going bad starter will draw to much amps for the battery to sustain. with your VM can you watch the volts befor and after you press the starter butten? what is it doing? how low does it drop? shouldn't get below 10V.
i'dd get a new battery first though, if you go long periods of time with out starting then i'dd recomend you getting a "battery tender" they are CHEEP and will keep the battery and full all the time, they also detect when you shut off so they don't over charge the battery. sounds like a good investment for ya.

good luck

HR.

 

If you do decide to get a battery. Let me know I will see if I can find my Wal-Mart receipt and make a photocopy of it for you. Then you can go to Wal-Mart and tell them you want the same deal. Heck a $46.00 battery for 26.99 tax included is pretty good especially since you probably will replace the darn thing in 2 or 3 years anyway.

FYIO - all ATV's use magneto systems and I believe that the RPM break point is 2000 RPM.... meaning that under 2000 RPM you are not charging your battery, the magneto is putting out just enough to run the engine and the battery will help if the magneto is not putting out enough - (drain on the battery). I generally charge my battery every so often (slow overnight charge). If I do a long ride, say 60-100 miles of slow woods stuff under 10mph when I get home I throw the charger on overnight and am good to go the next day. In the winter I start it up and let it run until it gets warm, two or three times a week. At the very least I charge my battery at least once a month. Heck it is just sitting in the garage doing nothing overnight - why not?

One of the hardest things on batteries is doing some slow woods stuff, say under 10mph with your lights on. The other hard thing is a winch. If you winch and your machine is in neutral then rev the engine up, at least over 2000 rpm.

I will on occasion run LOW_RANGE (when I my not really need it) for awhile to get the rpm's up to put some charge in the battery.

If you do not have a charger already. NOTE - A long low amp charge on a battery is better than a quick high amp charge. So there are plenty of places that sell little chargers that will charge at 1 amp or less, for really cheap money. Just try to get one with AUTO SHUT OFF.

 

Ok guys here is the lowdown. I borrowed my buddies battery, the was is a proven high cranker and installed it in my atv. Same issue, only very random turnovers, so now I am thinking back to the starter relay cause I hear it click and I am thinking how corroded it was etc, etc, etc. I take my buds battery back out realizing it did no better and re-install mine. I try the starter again and it works first time. I do it again and it works again, and again and again and again. I am thinking WoW WTF (whiskey tango foxtrot). So I start thinking about the ground cable you guys mentioned and start messing with it. I can get it to not start by bending it at different angles. So I am thinking, $H:t, this was the problem all the time. I had enough cable that I cut off about 2" and put on a new terminal and touch it to the battery and try to start - fires right up. I secure the new cable end and proceed to start the motor at least 25 times consecutively with no misses. Seems to be it was the ground cable the entire time, so now I am out no cash and hopefully will remember this for future reference. Thanks guys for the input, happy my cat is now back to normal and hopefully this info helps other too!!!

 

Good for you... Glad you got it fixed... And saved some $$$ at the same time.