2004 polaris quad atp 500 h.o. automatic.
I bought this from my neighbor. and since i had it, never drove in high gear. Now its stuck in low gear and i cannot shift, my quad is stuck in low gear. it starts and runs, yet i cant shift. ive never owned one. he tried talking down to me saying crap about maintenance., and saying theres water in the housing because i use it plow. another story, i think he got me. ne ways
i need to fix it, and honestly cant afford the 100 just for them to tell me the problem. can someone help direct me on what to look for?

 

Problem is usually the gears behind the small plastic plate on the gear case. Water can get in and mess things up. See if channel locks can get it back in neutral and remove the cover. You may have to remove and clean and lube the gears up. Here's one on a 700 posted on Polaris Atv Forum and what the owner had to do.Hard to Shift 700 Sportsman 2004 - Polaris ATV Forum

 

theres video on youtube also under" Polaris sportsman loose and sloppy shifter fix" shows how to get into shifter area of transmission

 

Good video,but he doesn't mention aligning the gears since he didn't tear it all down.The manual shows step by step and also the small dots on the gears that have to be aligned,but usually you can't see them for the corrosion or they're worn off.Mark a point on the gears and case and against each other if you take it all apart. This can help on reassembly.If you don't you may still have problems again on shifting. Only took once for me to do that.

 

GOOD TIP should stop some cursing