I'm a total newbie when it comes to atv's. this is my first one and after months of deliberation on buying new vs buying from private owner, i decided to buy from an out of state dealer who sells used bikes. I did this bc he had a large inventory, and had a very positive ebay prescence. My thought process was that he would be an honest guy bc he runs a business and doesn't want negative feedback.

I test drove my atv on 2 separate occasions for about 10 minutes. After I paid for it, we went to start t up and it wouldn't start. He changed the plug to no avail. I had to leave it so he could fix it. When i picked it up, he told me it was bad gas.

since ive had it home, im used it about 4 times. The third time i used it, i accidentally put mixed gas in it. It sputtered and stalled. I sucked the gas out and put normal gas in and it started right up. the last time i used it, i plowed my driveway for about 20 minutes. As i left the bike idle, i realized it stalled out and would not start back up.

Air box is good, spark plug is new and throttle is fine. I smell gas so im assuming the pressure is ok. Sounds like it wants to turn over but it just won't.

so i spoke to the dealer i bought it from, bc he told me he would stand by the machine and to let him know if i had any ssues. he said this is the prob He had before i picked it up. he procedes to tell me water got into the gas line and the fuel pump sensor shuts off once it detects water. so the fuel pump has to be pulled out and reset. i asked him how does water get inside so easily and his answer was "bad gas." that nowadays he sees a lot of gas with water in it.

A few people i have talked to said this sounds fishy....something's not right.

Any ideas on what could be wrong?

A few things to note:
1- the gas i put in, has been sitting for a few months
2- the machine has a strobe light installed and bc of the position ( directly under hande bars) while i was turning, the box cracked (possible wiring issue?)
3- even when the machine ran, it made a bit of a high pitch sound while idling and it sounded like it was fighting just a little bit hard to idle.

I don't really have the know how to fix this but I have a friend who knows his stuff and is willing to help if its not electrical related..

Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

Try gas line anti freeze it not only prevents freezing it also absorbs water thats already in gas.

Did you change the plug after you drained the mix gas out? The mix gas could of already done its job on the plug.

Check throttle play this is a vid all Polaris owner should see. Video: Polaris ATV Thumb Throttle Maintenance Tips | eHow.com

Whats a strobe light? I get nervous when someone adds a electrical option that was not stock to a machine, your banking that the guy knew what he was doing.

 

1- I was going to suck the gas out again, put fresh gas in along with HEET
2- yes the plug was changed
3- I've seen tat video. Hw do I know how much play should be on the throttle?
4- some people all a strobe light a waggle switch? It's the white/ blue light that flashes so you can be seen at night. Is it worth disconnecting to see if that helps?

 

The gap is not important, all that matters is the contacts that kills the motor are not touching each other in side the thottle box.

If you hold the throttle down say 1/4 and it starts and runs but dies after you release the throttle ,then you know thats your problem.
If it is, you just fool with the adjuster on the cable until it idles on its own.

 

Ok thx. I'll double check but my buddy opened the switch to make sure the contactors weren't touching.

 

If you have all the stale fuel/ mixed fuel out and it still won't idle and stalls out,look at the"sticky" post above this section on efi wiring problems. This was the most common complaint,especially when trying to idle. Some would just stall out,rough idle,backfire,and smell of gas. The map sensor harness and connector wiring mounted on the intake manifold and the Tps sensor harness and wiring ( on the throttle body itself ) were the most problem areas. Look at all the small wiring leading from these sensors down into the main harness.Look for any obvious bare wires along with any "soft" feeling wires.(internal breakage)The sensors themselves were not normally the problem.Heavy duty harness kits are available as the Polaris kits are the same small wiring you already have. Don't adjust the throttle cable too tight on the efi machines,2mm is all the space needed between the contact points on the etc switch in the throttle housing. Too much taken up results in a higher idle and will increase as you turn the handle bars.If the dealer is warranting this used machine let him look at it if you trust him. OPT

 

Is there a way to pull the fuel pump from the tank and test it?

 

You can usually hear the pump prime up by just turning the key on. To really test it you need a fuel pressure gauge and adapter for the fuel rail. It must hold 39 psi without any drop in pressure.If a pump is the problem you can get a replacement cheaper than the dealers prices if the dealer wont warranty it. http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...questid=111529
This is just a sample. OPT

 

Can there be something wrong with the fuel pump if i hear it working when I turn the key?

 

Just unscrew the black cap from the right side of the fuel rail and push the shrader valve in. Should be a pulse of fuel shoot out.This can tell you if it's really priming up. If the dealer said he would stand behind the machine take it back until he finds the problem! OPT