Hi,

This is my first post. I have a lot of experience in mowers, chainsaws and trimmers, but little in ATV's.

I have become a maintenance manager (peon) for a large ranch in west Texas and the ranch has two 4x4 wheelers. Both have been in the shop recently and each has a problem. Both are Polaris Sportsman X2 1203371 (other numbers available if needed).

Polaris 1: I washed about 2 weeks ago and this may be related. It began like water in the fuel. When the motor ran so badly, the driver removed the inlet line to the fuel filter, tilted the filter to drain, reassembled and the motor ran well for about 40 minutes. I tested it and it cut out, so I removed the hose on the outlet side of the filter, turned on the key which pumped fuel out with no water visible. I then removed the inlet hose, tilted the fuel filter to drain, and reassembled. I later siphone some of the fuel from the tank. At no time did I see water in the fuel.

After testing some more, It seemed more like an "ignition cut out". It got so bad that it would stall the engine and take some time to restart and gain rpm.

I suspected my wash job, so I changed the spark plug (some moisture under plug cap). The plug tip was relatively dry. I removed the rewind cover and sprayed propane/alcohol around flywheel then blew it off with compressed hose. I tested it a little bit and it was still cutting out. When cold now, it runs ok for about 5 minutes until it acts up.

Polaris 2: When I apply the hand brake with engine running, the starter will sometimes try to engage.

Any help will be appreciated.
echoman

 

is this an efi 500 im guessing? if so does the fuel pump work when it cuts or shuts off? i wouldnt think it would have water in the tank otherwise it would be back firing as well tryinf ro burn the water.

 

Yes it is EFI.

The motor backfired through the intake one time in about one hour of use by me. I was trying to gain rpm because it was "cutting out" bad and was moving at about 10 mph.

The spark plug showed no wear that would indicate a lean condition.

And to you techs, IT IS A ONE WAY TRIP OF 150 MILES to a reputable shop. This the isolated mountains in southwest Texas. So please walk me through this.

Thanks

 

They ran the atv yesterday evening. I cut out some, but not as bad.

Thanks

 

Take all the connections you can find apart and put some dielectric gease in them and put them back together, is it throwing any codes? Is the check engine light on? On the brake lever thing, there must be a wire rubbed or shorted and when you pul the brake you move it and it shorts to ground or another wire.

 

Thanks Kerbbirds,

I guess I was on the right track, because the cutout has stopped. It had not thrown any codes and the "check engine" light had not come on.

I will disassemble the connections and treat with dialectric.

I assumed the other problem (starter engaging) was a worn wire, but you know how sometimes something unusual happens on specific model of equipment.

Thanks again
echoman

 

+1 on what Kerbbirds said, sounds like you got water in a connector somewhere, either ECM or a sensor. Strange no codes were thrown. You don't get a flashing wrench icon when you first start the machine?
The brake thing could be related as well,but could be a short as well. I would also check the battery voltage with the machine running, continue to check it while you apply the brake,see if the voltage drops. Low voltage can cause all kind of weird things to happen.

 

did you wash the ATV with a pressure washer?

 

Don't these Popos still have ETC? (electronic throttle control)

Maybe it needs an adjustment in the handlebar throttle and is causing it to cut-out. I know in 2002 they had them.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: mtpockets

Don't these Popos still have ETC? (electronic throttle control)



Maybe it needs an adjustment in the handlebar throttle and is causing it to cut-out. I know in 2002 they had them.</end quote></div>

Yes,it's the safety device in case the throttle sticks opne and if the cable is too loose it can cause it not to idle. But his problem sounds more like a drivability problem to me. The cable adjustment has no effect once you give it a little throttle and take out the slack, except with the case of a sticking throttle cable. I suppose that's possble, though I haven't heard of it happening. If the cable is sticky it allows slack in the cable and the ECT significantly reduces power.