Picked up a 95 xplorer 400 4x4. Guy said it had some running issues and electrical issues which I narrowed down to someone pulling some wires off of the circuit board under the front panel. Hooked everything back up per the manual and all the lights work and it starts and shuts off as it should. Everything is tight and clean on the machine and it only has 492 miles on it. The guy said he could never get the AWD to work since he owned it but he never had a battery in it. I checked all the wires and grounds for the on demand system and they were never messed with and are in good shape. Would not having a battery cause the AWD to not work? I put a new battery in it but haven't got time to pull it out of the shop to see if the front wheels engage and my lift is currently holding up another atv that I am doing bearings on. Can't see why it wouldn't work if everything is in good shape bit I know it is electrical so maybe not having a battery will affect it.

Thanks
Mike

 

492 miles.. Yes the hub coils have to have a battery for constant 12 volts for the awd to work along with a constant 12 volts for the fan,lights,etc.If he didn't have a battery hooked up or even if he had a dead one hooked up,voltage from the regulator has to go somewhere. Usually lights will pop as they're the source of least resistance. Sounds like the previous owner was a real genius.

 

Thanks OPT,

Wasn't sure if the machine made enough voltage without the battery to operate the coils or if the battery had to be there to complete the electrical system to make things operate.

As far as the miles goes, I don't know if they are actual but the machine is very clean and really only has wear on the tires which are still original. I know the speedometer works because it was working when I drove it from my trailer to my shop behind the house. Usually I don't see people unhooking the speedometer or even wasting the time to fix one when it stops working so I would assume the mileage has to be somewhat correct. It's still a 25 year old machine that I am putting a shindy carb kit and crank seals in just for peace of mind.

The electrical issues were mainly just unplugged wires. Lights and indicator bulbs, stuff like that. It would start just fine and run, but wouldn't shut off. Guy said he thought the key switch was bad. I found the black wire from the CDI was unhooked and that went away. Only wire I have left to find a home for is a red with white tracer coming up from under the oil tank. I'm thinking it may control the fan. Thank good for those cheap manuals, lots of good info in them for the price.

The guy was a real genius, the reason I ended up with the machine was he called me because he heard I bought fixer uppers. He said he had this old xplorer that the engine was shot. I came over and looked at it and he fired it up. Sounded like every other two stroke i own. He said he didn't like the chatter and it smoked so he said it's junk. Got it from a relatives estate and he didn't want to mess with buying a new motor......

I couldn't load it fast enough, lol

Thanks
Mike

 

Red/white wire routed under the oil tank probably is from the fan. He didn't like the chatter from a 2 stroke,thought it was trashed.. You need to find more guys like him..

 

No kidding. That's just amazing.