I have a 2000 polaris explorer 250 4x4. My 4 wheel drive does not work. I have taken apart the switch and i'm not getting any power to it. What can or what should I do next. I took it to a polaris dealer and was told it would cost 1000.00 to fix it. The machine probally isn't worth that much and I just don't have that kind of money. Can you walk me through a little at a time to fix this problem? I should also let you know my battery very slowly goes dead. When I started having problems with the battery the 4 wheel drive worked fine, but I was having issues when I would put it in reverse the machine would kill. That problem seems to have gone away. I,m think I'm out of my league, please can you help me?

 

You have your AWD magnetic coils on each of your front strut housing, check the wires to see if they are not damaged and check for battery voltage. The dealer is probably thinking this is the problem, and it takes awhile to fix, so most of that would be labor cost. you can also check your override switch. the override switch serves 2 things, it allows you to engage the AWD in reverse, and provides additional power when going in reverse. This could have caused your reverse problems.

 

The awd has to have 12 volts for the system to work. Also this is the first year the gear position switches are on the gear case,make sure the connections are ok.These have to work properly to send power to the awd switch. Could also be a battery getting weak(dead cell) or charging problem.Make sure the battery is charging around 14 volts a little above idle or could be a reg/rectifier problem. I'd also pull the headlight pod and pull the black wire from the reverse limiter(module on the left side, the reg/rectifier is on right side(which could be the cause of battery problem?? ) Eliminating the reverse limiter would stop any future dying in reverse,plus allow full speed in reverse without having to push the over ride button. Think the battery is your main problem, either from itself, or not charging,especially since you said it drains down. OPT

 

Thanks OPT the forward gear switch is now sending power to the awd switch. The reverse is not, could this be a bad switch. I have taken the strut apart and with the switch on in forward gear I have noticed a more powerful magnetic pull from the hub coil. I was told if the coil works the wheel will not turn at all if the rear wheels are on the ground. I have only taken off my right strut and my left is still together. My wheel is still easy to turn on the left side what does this tell me?

 

In reverse you only have awd "IF" you push the over ride button which defeats the reverse limiter module,but again it must have a full 12 volts for the system to work properly. ALL wheels must be off the ground to test the awd properly. Then you can tell which side needs work. If the armature plate is magnetized(which most do after time) always replace both sides as the other will eventually do the same. If you don't have awd in reverse with a fully charged battery,then it could be because of a shorted out reverse limiter module. That's why I said to pull the black wire to defeat this module.You should have awd in reverse and full power(whether in awd mode or not) without having to press the over ride button. Also inspect each sides coil sleeve face and inner strut pole(two points where the armature plate rides) for any grinding down or damage. I've had to replace entire struts because of damage from neglect,infrequent hub oil changes,etc. OPT