So i bought this used 2005 arctic cat 500 4x4 yesterday in non running condition. 980ish miles and 180ish hours. Pretty low for the year i thought and I couldnt pass up the price of $1500 for an atv i think has minor problems and is in good appearence shape. They said they put it away about a year ago and hasnt been touched since (looked that way it had dust and cobwebs on the thing from sitting). When they put it away they said they couldnt get it to start like they were riding around the yard and it just died and wouldnt crank over. Battery was dead to say the least so i hooked up some jumper cables to it and it cranked over like it should, but didnt fire because the guy took the spark plug out and i guess never got around to replacing it, but i could feel the shock coming out of the plug boot so i know it should spark. Anyways took it home and was messing with the pull starter just pulling it a couple times to see that it worked as well and it did but then its like it just froze up and i cannot pull the starter anymore, like something is locked inside. When i tried to jump it it would clunk and i could hear the starter selenoid making a weird noise. I know the battery is completely bad but wondering maybe if i messed something up when pulling the pull start or if i have some kind of ground issue. There was no plug in the cylinder when i was pulling the pull start maybe there is some kind of clutch release i need to hit but just wondering what you guys think. I looked and felt around in the engine and there was no traces of water just some old oil. Any ideas where to start? Btw this is my first post here!

Also...Could my recoil starter be messed up somehow and be locked up and it not allowing the starter to turn the engine over as well. I mean the thing was turning over fine until i pulled the pull cord a couple times so i just dont know its kind of holding me up and dont want to take it to the stealership cuz im in a new town and dont really know any good ones around here!

This isnt my first ATV i have a 1990 Bayou 4x4 so i know my way around them and im not afraid to dig a little bit but i mean im no expert by any means

 

id pull the recoil off and see if something did break on it. I cant get an image in my head of what is behind it to possibly have lock it up. Defiantly dont use the start button till you can turn it with the recoil. you may break or bend something internal without knowing whats going on. Id also go buy a new battery and charge it overnight on 2 amps make sure its charged before you even try it. This will eliminate the battery issues. Make sure connections are clean also.

 

okay ill try and pull the recoil off tomorrow. What about testing the selenoid?, i mean if i use a light tester and test the power line from the selenoid to the starter does that mean that the starter should be working fine because it was turning it over just fine yesterday i dont see any way the starter shouldnt work because of the recoil. Also i bought a new plug yesterday from carquest? they matched it said it would work but is there some trick into getting this thing in it wont screw in for the life of me its in a goofy spot or do you think they (sometimes not the smartest ppl) gave me the wrong one?

 

Once you get it turning over put a new plug in with the correct gap,drain the gas from the tank and carb. put some new gas in with the max amount of seafoam needed for the 5.25 gallon tank (id actually put a little too much in,just to get it cleaned out and ran through the system). You may also want to let it sit in the carb and tank with the sea foam over night so it will eat away the crap that may be in it. Make sure the oil is changed. Hit the start button and hope it fires up. If it does,let it warm up (5 minutes),then go drive it around. If it dont start up,figure out why, LOL. Oh,make sure the air filter is clean and oiled before starting it. it may have a mouse nest from sitting. Is it an automatic or manual? Remeber, it needs air,spark(good spark),gas,and good compression to run. Without 1 of the 4,it wont. or it wont run correctly i should say. good luck

 

Sounds like the starter should be fine then if it was turning it over before,the first thing is to get it turning over. once it turns over with the recoil you can test the starter with a new battery. The plug is kinda a touchy feely thing. i know you cant see it,just have to feel it. unless you take the plastic off. Put a light touch of anti seize on the threads first. not alot just a little is all you need. try not to cross thread. It may be a little tight feeling with your finger due to a little dirt,but once you put the socket on it,you should be able to tell if its goin on correctly or not. Is it a champion plug? NGK plugs work the best on these atvs. Im sure and hoping someone else can chime in on this as i dont want to direct you in the wrong way. Im just trying to think of the steps i would do to get mine going.

 

Thanks man will do? I see your from missouri i actually live in KC and thats where i bought it im guessing you ride at that St. Joe State park over there towards "that other french large city" lol im from KC i like to give st. louie ppl a hard time. Yeah i will definitely do some maintainence as soon as i can get it to turn over, i mean im not gunna run something that has been sitting a barn for a year. This is a Automatic i kinda am excited on driving an auto over my semi automatic bayou, but well see how much it takes to get this going. U think 1500 was a fair price for one of these, exterior nice good tires nothing really busted up and has a title, i thought it was a helluva deal specially if i get it going CHEAP (cross my fingers)

 

The light tester might show its good when not turning it over. In other words it may have 12 volts with it off,but it may drop to 8 volts when you hit the button,thats why i say get a new battery.

 

i would have bought it also for that price. Worse comes to worse,you could part it out and get your money back or have the motor rebuilt if it was blown,which at the time doesn't seem like it is. im thinking something stupid,yet simple hopefully. Yea i rode at st. joes a few times,got kinda old though and they closed some of it down so we ride trails in the national forest and at our farms. You need to ride chadwick if you havent already. its south west mo.

 

I have not had good luck with other plugs other than NGK in my AC machines. I believe your plug should be an NGK-CR6E.

Also, out of curiosity, check your oil level. If the machine has been sitting for as long as you say the old fuel could cause the float in the carb to stick. This allows fuel to flow into the cylinder and around the rings into the oil. Then with too much oil it gets hydrolocked because the oil will not compress under the cylinder. I have never personally seen this happen but I have heard of it before. Also, an oil change would be good either way.

Swampy

 

Swampy- i did check the level of the oil whenever i was buying it and stuck my finger down in the fill hole to make sure that it wasnt full of water or anything and it seemed normal to me. I guess if i take the recoil off and it wont turn over ill prolly just take it to one of my favorite dealers who i know takes good care of their customers. Id really just like to have it be something easy but nothing is ever really "easy" with these machines.