My guess is that the battery needs to be charged or replaced.

All ATV's use magneto's and the nature of a magneto is that it will not charge the battery and is little use for the engine while under 2000 RPM's. That being the case then the engine would not have enough electricity to run the engine smoothly until the RPM went over 2000 and the magneto kicked out enough to run the engine.

In other words under 2000 RPM the engine runs off the battery.
Over 2000 RPM's the magneto develops enough to charge the battery and run the engine.

This is why it is not good to idle an engine for long periods of time and to run a winch without reving up the engine.

I put my battery on a charger after every use. Even doing this, the life expectancy of a battery is only about 2 or 3 years.

 

Strange that you say that.......................

The battery has been geting worse over the past several months. I finally got tired of charging it and just went to pull cord (hey it cranks on first pull!) But this problem has gotten progressively worse over the past several months. Back before the holidays (when it was getting constant use hunting) it would crank-up but do this spitting and popping thing for a little while, then clear-up. It got gradually worse, to the point that now the spitting, popping, back-firing is all that it does. I'll swap batteries from the Polaris just to see.

 

I really don't like to take side's on these electrical issues , but i have to agree in part with buckaroo50 on this one ; i know that with any charging system on startup of the engine of my automobiles it takes at least 2 miles of driving to put back the juice in the battery it took just to start the engine !

Just letting the engine run at ilde speed would take a very long time with every thing like the light's and anything that pull's extra juice from the battery , i've let my 06' AC 400 Auto sit up for as long as 3 to 4 week's in between ride's ; and i'm very lucky that my original battery has held up this long without going completely dead !

I'm not saying that's the problem with sassee's AC400 , and i'm not saying that swampyjunior's info is wrong ; i know that swampyjunior know's alot more than i do on the electrical system's than i'll probablly never know and it could be something as simple as a loose wire causing sassee's problem !

So swampyjunior please don't take offense here because i really apreiate all the good info you give to these forums ; you're a great asset to the forums and i value your input !.......

 

I AM SUCH AN IDIOT!!!

I was the battery! I put a new one in it and it runs great (like it has for years!) The battery that was in it was too small anyway, according to the guy at batteries plus. That would explain why i had trouble winching out of some holes. The winch would die out too soon. It's stronng as death now, but then for a $80 Battery, it should be!

thanks guys!!!

 

Sassee,

Great to hear you fixed it. There is a steep learning curve with electrical issues and they are usually very frustrating. I was thinking because you said the battery was TOAST in your first post that you had already put a new one in and still had the issue. Sorry for assuming that Sassee. I usually try to not have to winch out of any holes but it happens!

Willibee, no offense taken, I have been wrong before, and don't mind admitting it. Just don't let my wife know or I will never hear the end of it!

SJ

 

I try to avoid the really deep holes too but we live in the swamps and my 11 year old son likes to swim in mud!

Thanks again guys!

 

Glad to hear that you got it fixed.

My AC runs on a $29 Wal-Mart battery and has been for a couple years, but I guess the key is to keep the maintenance up on it. I didn't take care of the factory battery and it only lasted about 3 years. So I figure if I take care of this one and get 3 to 4 years out of it - for me that is cheap - about $8-$10 per year.

I don't idle my engine, I rev it up whenever using my winch and I put it on a charger after every ride. Maybe these things will help with the longevity of the battery. Also, while trail riding if I am going slow I may put it in low-range just so the engine will rev higher and charge the battery.

Remember under 2000 RPM and the battery is not being charged and the engine is running off the battery - over 2000 RPM and the magneto charges the battery and supplies the engine.

Anyway, glad you are back on the trails.

 

IT LOOKS LIKE I MAY HAVE SPOKEN TOO SOON!

My AC cranked and ran fine after the battery but it started the skipping, popping, backfiring, etc. Friday night/early Saturday morning while it was working at the Relay for Life event. It ran fine early in the day when it was hauling in cookers and pulling trailer loads of stuff into the ball field (the school doesn't allow car/trucks on the field) It did start skipping early but I turned the ignition key to the "headlight on" position and it ran fine so I left it there??? The bad skipping started when we were picking up the luminaries after the service. It was in idle speed for a long time when it started again. Ignition switch position did not matter this time. I parked it for a couple hours and came back to it later and it cranked and ran fine??? Later on in the morning (like 4:00 AM) when it had been run for just about half an hour pulling cookers off the filed, it started again. No pattern that I have determined, just starts running like crap when i need it.

I'm going to pull the carb and clean it later today just to satisfy my curiousity. Any other suggestions welcome!

Ernie

 

sassee if the carb is gunked up this time drain the gas tank and add some Sea Foam to your fuel when you put new fuel in tank , and if the valve's clearance's haven't been checked and adjusted i would do this also ; my dealer told me the valve clearance is 0.006" for the Intake and Exhaust valve's !

I don't have a service manual so i can't help with this procedure , i haven't checked the valves on my 06' AC 400 yet but they're due to be checked ; then i would follow swampyjunior's instruction's on the electrical system check if the carb and valve check doesn't fix the problem !

I've never had a problem with bad fuel on my 06' AC 400 because i keep my fuel treated with the Sea Foam , the Sea Foam is the best fuel treatment i've ever used in over 20 yrs. ; and i tried every fuel treatment on the market while i ran my shop and i've never found anything that compare's with this product !

You can find Sea Foam at most all Auto parts Stores for $6.99 + Tax , Walmart even carries it the last can i bought was from Walmart $5.66 + Tax ; Sea Foam will clean the entire fuel system ; and it will also clean the combustion chamber of builtup carbon deposit's !

It would be a good idea to add a clear inline fuel filter between fuel tank and carb while you're at it , and if this doesn't remedy the problem ; then you should start trouble shooting the electrical system like swampyjunior suggested in his replies he would know alot more than i do on this proceedure !

But if the valves haven't been checked in the passed year it would be a good thing to check , sorry the battery wasn't the problem ; and here's hoping draining the fuel and cleaning the carb get's the job done !.......

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: buckaroo50


Remember under 2000 RPM and the battery is not being charged and the engine is running off the battery - over 2000 RPM and the magneto charges the battery and supplies the engine.


</end quote></div>

Interesting Theory, but I find that it is not true.

I have grown up in an ATV repair shop, and never once has Dad told me that the charging circuit only works above idle speed. SO, after reading this post, I took it upon myself to go and see what this is about, using a $2.99 volt meter.......

'02 SP700 "static" voltage - 12.3 V ; Idle voltage - 14.2 V ; 1/2 throttle voltage - 13.6 v
'02 SP500 "static" voltage - 12.5V ; Idle voltage - 14.1 V ; 1/2 throttle voltage - 13.9 v

OK, so Polaris does not function as theorized, SO.............
I took a trip to the Shop.............

'05 AC 400 Auto "static" voltage - 12.1 V ; Idle voltage - 14.6 V ; 1/2 throttle voltage - 14.1 v
'02 AC250 "static" voltage - 12.4 V ; Idle voltage - 14.3 V ; 1/2 throttle voltage - 13.8 v

The same type results from Yamaha's and Honda's too..............

Now, I have learned from experience that many quads will not run well with a dead battery - I've even run across several AC's and Kawasaki's that would run as long as the battery booster was connected, then die as soon as you remove the battery booster.

Sassee, I would be inclined to check your battery voltage again, as you may not be putting a charge back into your new battery, especially since it worked great, then over a period of use went back to the same thing again.
If you run a dead battery long enough you will toast the voltage regulator as it struggles to "dump" as much voltage possible into a dead battery.