Help, my 400 won't start (again), UNRELIABLE
 

I am new to the Arctic Cat family, and I am a little disappointed. I am beginning to question the quality of AC.

I have a 2005 AC 400 LE with about 36 miles on it. It just got out of the shop about 2 weeks ago getting the carb adjusted and a new electronic choke. This was supposed to fix my problem with why it would not start.

Now, 2 weeks later it will not start again. I started it up, loaded it on the truck, and drove about 3 hours to ride with some friends. When I unloaded it, it would NOT start.

So, a 3 hour trip back home, and 50 dollars in gas for my truck later, it still will not start.

Anybody have any suggestions? I am to the point that I am thinking about taking it into the shop Tuesday, getting it fixed, and trading it in on something that is actually RELIABLE!!!!!!!!

How can an atv with 36 miles have problems. I have owned 2 polaris atv's and one yamaha with not problems!!!!!!

This is my first AC and it has been nothing but trouble. Of course I can't give you a long term test opinion b/c it will never start!!!!

Does anyone have any suggestions or opinions on what I should do? Should I chalk this up to bad luck, pay to get it fixed again, and give it another chance??? Or should I trade it in on something more reliable????

At the end of the day, I just want to RIDE, which is why I bought the AC in the first place.

Thanks

Help, my 400 won't start (again), UNRELIABLE
 

When you transported the quad in the truck...was the gas tank valve off? Its posible the float jiggle will flood the motor, and its too rich to start. Try using the off position.
If it wont start next time...try removing the air box lid, and see if itll start then. If it starts, put the lid back on...this will make the motor very lean, but will help to start a flooded motor.
Its posible the motor can be bump started..And if it just wont start, hook up a toow strap, and have someone pull the quad about 7 mph. key on, in high.
Hows the oil doing? does it smell like gas, or overfull?

Help, my 400 won't start (again), UNRELIABLE
 

I did transport it for part of the trip with the gas on. I tried all of the remedies that you suggested already except for having someone pull me. I did not know that you could do that with an automatic.

I does smell like gas a little, I am not sure what overfull means???

I took the airbox off from the carb and there was a little door that slid up and down. The door was actuating at first and now it is just stuck up. I do not know why? I think this door is the choke and it is stuck in the off position now.

As for me transporting it with the gas on, I think it is a little rediculous that it would not start b/c I transported it with the gas on. I let it set for several hours and it still would not start. I tried starting w/ gas off, on, everything you could think of. I would trasport my raptor and both my scramblers with the gas on and they ALWAYS started.

Even if it were flooded, it should start now, two days later.

I did not buy an ATV to spend most of my time working on it or haulin it to the shop. Nor do I want an atv that I have to baby for it to start and be reliable. Is this typical of AC?

Does anyone know anything about this electric choke??????? I think it is completely rediculous that they would put an electric choke on an atv anyway. Just something else that can break.

Help, my 400 won't start (again), UNRELIABLE
 

welcome to my world. good luck with it, if they can't get it right, trade it on another cat, they are not all junk. you got a clunker,..i got a clunker,..but someone has to have the bad luck. lots of others love theres so i wouldnt throw the towel in yet. good luck.

Help, my 400 won't start (again), UNRELIABLE
 

What is you AC story scottyalaska??

If I do trade it in it will be for another brand. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

I like the atv when it actually starts.

It just seems to me that AC put too much thought into making the atv easy to ride. An electric choke, completely stupid. If someone is to lazy to use a push pull type of choke them they do not need to ride. Why make an atv less reliable b/c of some fancy bs like an electric choke.

Like I said, I may keep it, but if I trade it will be for anything but an AC.

I will probably get a honda, yam, or zuki.

Help, my 400 won't start (again), UNRELIABLE
 

my buddy bought a 700 polaris back in 2003 and it would never run right it was a pooch and sometimes it wouldn't start. then it would just lose all power and it wouldn't pull itself. i would have to push him all the time. he worked at polaris so they brought it back to engineering and they tore everything apart on it and even put in a brand new motor and still it would barely run. what it ended up being is when the carb molding was made it's dimensions wasn't made correctly something to do with the molding so the carb was junk. this could be a possibility with your cat that the carb is actually bad on it. i know it is frustrating specially when you have a brand new quad so i would take it back to the dealer and raise a real big stink about it and who knows beings there is only 36 miles on it maybe they will give you a new one and just swap out.

Help, my 400 won't start (again), UNRELIABLE
 

oh also look for a pinched fuel line.

Help, my 400 won't start (again), UNRELIABLE
 

Honestly, that is a bit naive to assume that every machine off an assembly line will be perfect. Crap happens and you can deal with it or jump from brand to brand. I'm curious what will happen once you have had a problem with every brand? There's a really good chance someone here will be able to help you figure it out, otherwise just take it in and let your dealer fix it.

Help, my 400 won't start (again), UNRELIABLE
 

I do not think it is at all naive to expect things to work when you pay good money for them.

Maybe, chumley, if you would have read my entire post you would know that I have owned 2 polaris atv's and 1 yamaha and had ZERO problems with any of them. They all had 100's of miles on them when I sold them. So your notion of what I will do when I have problems with every brand makes no sense. I have not had problems with other brands, only this brand.

As far as someone being able to help me on this forum, yeah right. Just like you, people are too lazy to read the entire post and they suggest that I do things that I have already tried.

Yes I will take it back to the dealer and pay to have it fixed once again. Then I will decide whether or not to keep it. Yes this could be an isolated problem, but that is hard for me to believe. How could I possibly get not one but two bad electronic choke units? What are the chances of the only 2 bad electronic chokes ending up on my atv????

Pretty far fetched in my opinion.

Help, my 400 won't start (again), UNRELIABLE
 

did you buy it as a carryover? if so you shouldn't have to pay anything to have it fixed it should be under warranty. also i would hope you wouldn't have any trouble with an atv after hundreds of miles lol i have put 200 miles on in one day and put about 1500 on each year with oversized tires in water up to my headlights alot. to me it sounds like you don't want it to work so you can come on here and b!tch and moan about something. chumley is a good guy that comes on here and has helped alot of ppl and contributes to helping ppl all the time, so you are gonna have to excuse him when you come on here with 21 posts and all you do is complain. i tried giving my opinions as to what it might be and you are lucky to have anyone try to help you when you come on here complaining like a 12 year old kid who's tire just went flat on his bike. so do everyone a favor and grow up and stop whining like a lil kid.