I have 1999 Sportsman 500 with some issues. First off, the bike has a new rectifier, battery (which is at 14.4 volts when under heavy throttle) starter selinoid, and starter. The bike will start no problem when it is cold using the electric start. After a few hours of riding the bike will stall at idle. Then the electric start becomes an issue. I cycle the key and press the start button but it just cranks. I then pull on the recoil starter and it fires right up on the first pull. All is well for a while till I stop. Then it stalls again. Same scenario...this time the pull start doesn't even work. After sitting for a half hour or so it will start only with the recoil. If you then apply too much throttle too soon it will die again. Then you have to let it sit for hours.

There is one thing that I have noticed that happens even when the bike is cold. If you wiggle the choke cable where the adjuster is, it causes the bike to stall. I zip tied the cable to the frame to keep its movement to a minimum and the bike runs fine.

I believe the choke cable is its own issue. When the bike runs, its a beast.

Can it be the stator/CDI going bad when it gets hot?

Also there are no vapor lock issues with the tank. It doesnt smell flooded either.

The bike is not over heating or anything like that.

UPDATE: Today bike turns over but will NOT START!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! at all....


And even disconnected the black wire from the CDI box...still nothing. The ETC switch is working properly too.
HELP!

 

Read this and see if this helps.This seems to be cropping up more often on the 500 now.http://forums.atvconnection.com/pola...ml#post3155476 Plus you may have multiple problems? Make sure throttle slack is about 1/8",plus could internal carb problem that needs to be looked at such as needing a new carb kit ,a worn sticking float arm and pin(doesn't come with carb kits) plus as you say check that the choke lever play is about an 1/8' or so on the lever and not allowing fuel in from the choke circuit. Plus check the valve clearance (.006 intake and exhaust) and especially the exhaust cam lobe for wear as this was a major problem from 1996 to 2000 model Sportsman 500s.

 

Ok, so I looked at the bike today. Again, it would not fire up at all. It cranked over well though. I checked for fuel by shutting off the tank supply and draining the carb bowl. No problems there as there was plenty of clean fresh fuel coming out. Next, I pulled the spark plug. It was very clean with no evidence of fouling. I hooked it to the coil wire to check for spark. I used the electric start first. The spark was a light rust color with a blue tip and would jump about an eight of an inch to the frame. It appeared weak to me. I then tried the start button again....nothing. No spark. I tried the recoil start....very weak spark. I tried the recoil again....no spark. I tried the electric start...intermittent weak spark then nothing.

I disconnected the CDI box and ohmed the stator wires. This is what I found:

white/white red 100.4 ohms (ref. 97 ohms)
green/red 1.8 ohms (ref. 1.6 ohms)
green/red black .270 ohms (ref. 446 ohms)

From what I gather the first two are in the ball park at +-20%

The third should have been near 446 ohms?

I am assuming that this is my problem. Should I replace the stator and exciter coil along with the plug wire and coil too just to be safe?

Also, should I assume that the CDI box is functioning properly?

 

The main stator charge coil(green,red/black) sounds like the culprit. The pulse coil is with in range. I'd replace the main coil,pulse coil you can reuse if you wish. I've replaced plenty that were like this. One of the most reliable places other than high $ dealer prices is Rickys stators,comes with the pulse(pickup) coil. http://www.rickystator.com/catalog/p...bly-p-416.html

 

Update...We replaced the stator and the two coils this morning. The bike fired right up! The only issues we had were with the length of the new wiring harness(could have been 3 inches longer). It's a tight fit even with some re-routing. Big hands don't help either. The after market coil wire and cap were junk too! Way too short and the cap was the 90 degree type...That was my fault though. Also, the flywheel puller from Dennis Kirk ($103.00 for Polaris flywheels) needs to have 3/8 inch spacers for the three large bolts. An over size nut worked but for the price..... So after a little labor and head scratching the problem is fixed. Now we are going out to beat the crap out of it again today.

 

Glad you got it fixed,but most auto stores have loaner harmononic balancer pullers for removing the flywheel that they can "loan" you with a small deposit. At least you have one now in case you need it for other things.