I bought the kids a new Arctic Cat 90 4 stroke. While at the dealer, we rode it around and it ran great. The next day we went out to ride and it wouldn't start. I returned it to the dealer and after two weeks of waiting, they tell me it is fixed. Arctic Cat had them send the carburator in for some "known" problem. Went to pick it up yesterday and it started very poorly. Cranked a long time before it fired. I expressed my concern as it had been in their heated shop, but they told me I had to take it home and try it. We take it home for a ride and every time you release the throttle and stop the machine...it dies. It starts right back up but the idle speed seems eratic. I'm guessing the carb and or electronic choke is still screwed up. I returned it to the dealer today, but I don't have high expectations.

What do you all think? Is it a lemon? Do I demand a refund or is it fixable? If so what do you think is the problem.

Thanks in advance.

 

You may want to post your same question on the mini-quad forum.

Its URL is: http://forums.atvconnection.com/cate...m/catid/10.cfm


To answer your question.... I've seen very little AC 90 carb or general running complaints on the mini-quad forum. With new mechanical things, there is a small percentage of "minor tweaking" that sometimes needs to be done. I;'ve seen the odd "its new - needs tweaking help" type posts in the mini-quad forum even for other brands. I'd ask your dealer to fix your AC-90 carb and don't return it until its running right.

While on the Kid's forum, you may want to ask the AC "real world" Specialists about the many factory restrictors on the AC-90 unit. I've read many times that the AC-90 is a great mini - when their restrictors are removed. Probably don't want to remove some restrictors until your warranty is over and/or your "young rider" start asking for more power / speed.

Hope this helps...

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We purchased our 90 ATV on Dec. 23, 2004 as a Christmas present for the kids. It was a huge disappointment on Christmas morning when it would not start. Put a heater next to it and put it on a battery charger and it was still difficult or impossible to start if it was less than -5 Celsius. Then when it did run, it would not stay running when the rider got off and the next rider got on (it would not idle).
Took it back to the dealer and they said you had to run 2 or 3 tanks of gas through for the break-in period. Obviously they didn't hear the chief complaint-the bike would not start therefore you can't run a tank of fuel through it! Brought it home again. The last straw was -7 Celsius with an electric furnace blowing on it in the garage and the battery charger on and a quilted blanket over the bike. I gave up after 6 hours.
Called head office and demanded that they do something as the the dealer was brushing us off. So now they have taken the carb off and sent it back to Arctic Cat. It has been over 2 weeks. They have the carb back but they are waiting on a spark plug. The kids have only used it 3 times and it has been a huge disappointment!
Our neighbour knows someone who also has one that is experiencing the same problem and his solution was to keep in a heated garage year round so it will run. Shouldn't have to do that seeing as it's an outdoor vehicle!
At this point, we feel the same as you, the bike is lime green, but it's really a lemon and we want our money back! Not an experimental model.
Reply to us please and we would be interested in finding out what stage you are at and how many others are out there.

 

Fire,
After my dealer sending the carb in to the factory and still no luck, I finally raised enough stink in front of a showroom full of customers that he gave my money back. I had returned it to the dealer 3 times in total. In one month of ownership it was only in my garage about 3 days.

I took the money, bought a GPX Raider 90 and love it. It always starts, runs strong and has been very reliable regardless of the temperature. I had lots of money left over too!!!

Good luck. If I was you I'd start talking about a return now.

 

WOW - sounds like you are very disappointed and do have a lemon. I've noticed a high number of newer ACs that don't like cold weather. Especially the extreme cold weather. If you look on this forum, there is many posts of adult size ACs having "cold weather start" problems. And, many of those folks are getting the same type of run-around as well. All sorts of "try this" and "try that" suggestions that don't seem to work either. Or work to the satisfaction level of the same machine starting in normal summer weather.

If wondering, I have a 2002 AC 500i. It has a Suzuki motor and I'm very pleased in the way it starts. For both summer and cold weather. At times, it impresses me in the extreme cold weather. 5 Primes, full manual choke, press on the starter button and "away it goes". Sometimes when it gets below -20 Cs, our AC units spits / sputters for 1 minute but after that, it runs a good as a summer warm engine.

Sounds like your dealer and AC head-office is giving you the Run Around. Engines and carbs are impacted by extreme hot & cold weather. For optiminal gas / air mixture, the carb's jets need to be set every 10 degree weather changes. I know because our Pred-90 has a dead spot at upper RPMs in -20 C weather. Putting your AC-90 under a heat blanket or furnace output vent isn't the answer. It's a Band-Aid to cover the problem. To me, its an attempt to heat up its carb so the jets don't have to be adjusted. On the white board, it is a good idea. Heat up the carb so its jets are at a more optiminal gas / air mixture. But, what happens on a winter trail ride and it stalls? Within minutes, the carb's temperature cools down and it won't start again. Won't start because the jets are "way off" (because of the extreme cold weather).

To me, the only "long term" answer for your situation is to re-tune / adjust your carb's jets at extreme temperature ranges. RE: Cold jetting, average temperature jetting and extreme summer hot temperature. If wondering, I "should be" turning our Pred-90 for these 3 temperature ranges as well. The other answer is to install a new carb that isn't "so sensitive" to the extreme cold weather. For our Pred-90, it can handle summer and extreme hot weather. But in cold weather, it only has up to 3/4 throttle movement. Anything above 3/4 throttle and we have a flat spot (aka: stall point) in our mini. But, our Pred-90 will start (within 4 kicks of its kick starter) in any extreme of weather we ask it to drive in. Sounds to me like the design of your AC-90's carb (or its air flow system like reeds, pipe, etc.) is much "more sensitive" then our Pred-90. Perhaps AC engineers should "bite the bullet" and don't replace with the same carb, but one that can tolerate more temperature range changes.

Waiting for a spark plug made me laugh. One can get plugs within a 20 minute driving radius from my home. And I live in a remote location. I'm sure your AC dealer can get one within a 10 minute drive, or a 30 minute delivery truck request. (12 working hours at the most). Don't beleive them on this one at all.

Hope this helps...

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