If you have voltage to the diff and a good ground all the way to the diff and no awd,then sounds like it could be the old plastic roll cage problem that many had. If you crack the diff open replace the cage with an aftermarket aluminum one.

 

Thats what i just did. Havnt run it since i replaced the cage with aluminum one and i did the armature plate too.

 

Then try a reground directly on the diff case ground. If that doesn't help,you still have voltage to the diff power wire,then sounds like you may need to crack it back open. Resistance on the hot and ground diff wires should be between 22.8-25.2 ohms. If not in range could be a coil problem or something deeper inside the diff.

 

Not sure what you mean by direct ground at the diff. I am very lost when it comes to anything electrical.

 

Splice directly into the ground wire at the diff to a good ground.If awd doesn't work and you have 12 volts on the power wire,then some thing internal is causing the problem. Easiest way to tell is to have all 4 wheels off the ground. If the awd is working ok,all 4 tires should engage.

 

So i have tester volts on diff plug and switch and 100% sure that end is ok. When i test the ohms on the brown white wire coming out of the diff it jumps around from 3 or 4 to maybe 15. But never seems to get to 24 that the manual says. Is this the coil inside the diff or could it be the magnetic switch inside the diff?

 

Resistance check is only between the diff power wire and ground wire at the diff,key off. You can usually check that at the connector.If resistance is greater than 22.8-25.2 ohms,then the diff coil could be weak.

 

So i have 12 ohms on the wires for the adc and no ohms on the wires fornthe 4x4 so i am guessing that my coil is shot? Is there any way to recharge that coil without replacing the $500 front cover assembly? : (

 

No,if the coil is shorted the cover plate assembly has to be replaced.Don't know if you're located in Canada, but here you can get it through Partzilla for 275 bucks. Polaris ATV Parts 2008 A08TN50AT-AX-AZ SPORTSMAN X2 500 EFI DRIVE TRAIN, FRONT GEARCASE and MOUNTING Diagram