Recieved our Komoto 250 ATV the other day and was out testing it yesterday. Tried starting it back up aftyer I stalled it and when you push the electric start the postive and negative wires get hot. Actually they melted. Looks like I may need to replace the cables now. I have checked through the whole wiring harness and there is no shorts anywhere. The battery cables are on correctly and tight. Could the starter be bad or the soleniod? Im really at a loss here and kicking myself like I knew I would for not paying a little more and buying a used name brand quad. What else should I check?

 

Sounds like the wires are reserved somewhere. Check the connections at the soleniod.

I have found the wires reversed in the wiring harness for the neutral and reverse lights on my quads.

I can understand your frustration. I replaced a starter within two weeks of owning my quads. Other than that I have been able to work through most of the issues myself than pay a dealer $60 an hour to troubleshoot it for me.

 

Sounds to me like your starter is locked up. A motor draws a lot more in locked rotor condition. I highly doubt that you have any wires reversed, as with dc it would turn the motor backwards. And it's highly unlikely that they fell off and switched positions while you were rideing!!LOL

It's either a short or your starter is stuck. Try smacking it with a hammer, not too hard though.

 

Thanks for the help, I just finished pulling the starter and tested it and it was working ok. I put it back in and it sounds like its locked up and the solenoid just clicks while trying to start it. I also tried a new solenoid before pulling the starter but still the wires would get very hot while trying to start it. Now I will have to replace the ground and hot wire leads since the insulation has been melted completly off the wire. Can you buy these starters anywhere else other than the dealer? Would a auto parts store have something that would work?

I already had to replace a tire since the bead on one was damge during shipping now I am having to replce the starter. Only had this for 3 days and rode it for 15min. Its very aggravating and I am into this so far for $1800 which is alot of money to me. Just about ready to put the thing out with the trash on Tuesday.

Oh why didnt I just buy a TrailBlazer like I originally planned...

 

If you have a loose connection, that would cause higher current too. Definetely replace the wires. If your starter isn't engaging properly it will cause the same problem. If it's engaging before it can wind up. Try pulling the starter and leave the wires connected (disconnect battery while doing it though), reconnect battery and see if it whirls with the starter button while it's out. You may need to run a jumper cable from the motor to the case of the starter. If it works, than it's probably an engagement problem.

 

Ok after spending the whole day on this problem and taking the starter out twice here is exactly what it is doing. I just tried turning it over and the starter is making a very loud almost grinding type of sound when you push the ingnition button. It sounds like it wants to turn the motor over but but it doesnt spin enough while meshing with the gears. The gear on the starter motor doesnt look like it does mesh correctly with the gear it connects with though. It didnt look like any of the gears or the gear on the starter were worn from not meshing correctly. The wires still got very hot while trying to start it just now.

The starter does spin while its out of the motor with power connected to it. All the connections have been checked and nothing is loose anywhere on the bike.
When you push the start button sometimes its a hit and miss if the starter tries to turn the engine over or not.

 

Crewcab,

Does it start at all? It may not be the starter. If the starter turns while out of the quad it may be a motor problem. Who did you buy the Komoto from? Did you call for warranty? I understand your frustration but hang in there. Hopefully the dealer that sold it to you will back it up.

 

Also check that the pos and neg is right on the solinoid and starter. If any of these is reversed it will act the same way.

 

It does have a 90 day warranty, I am going to contact the seller I bought it from tomorrow.
It is not starting at all now, it just doesnt seem to have enough juice from the starter to get it to turn over and the battery is fully charged. It sounds like it trys to turn over then the starter spins.

I tried reversing the pos and neg on the solenoid also but it does the same thing. There are no markings on the solenoid to tell which should be pos or neg.

 

I got a hold of the dealer this morning and talked to the service guy. He said to take off the side cover of the motor and see if the flywheel has damage. He said sometimes these have a issue with the flywheel and it might need to be replaced. I did notice that when there is no load on the starter that the wires dont get hot. but when the gears are together trying to crank the motor the wires will get hot and melt.