out riding tonight and decided to go to another property, so loaded up and went there. I had to make 2 trips so i left my quad with friends. when i got back they said they had to jump start my 300ex. said the starter turned the engine over mawbe 3 times then the solenoid clicked. But as soon as they put jumper cables to the battery it started. (didnt see this part first hand)

when i got back it was running, skeptical a less than one year old battery would flat out die with no sign from the previous 3hours of riding. I shut the mechine off, and hit the starter. it turned over the engine 3times slowly and that was it...clicking. had to bump start it after that.

heres the thing, the whole time im messing with the quad the lights are all on and working PERFECT! they just barley dim when i try and hit the starter-typically do that. but super bright, and they run off the battery. checked fuses, tried to "tap" the solenoid, and even jumped the solenoid....but could not get it to start.

so you tell me, new battery? or old solenoid?

 

If the selenoid were bad, I don't think it would have started when jumped.

I'd start with the simplel stuff, and take the cables off and make sure the cables and posts are bright and clean, and tight.

Also, the charging system on most ATV's takes quite a long time running at decent RPM to bring a discharged battery back up to full charge... so the next thing I'd do is put it on a battery tender.

If it still cranks poorly, a voltage reading at the battery while cranking, and a voltage reading at the starter while cranking would be interesting.

Sometimes boarderline worn out brushes and/or dirty commutator can cause a starter to draw much more current...

 

I'm having the same problem with my Sportsman (08 Sportsman wont start). I'd start out checking the volts in the battery without it running. Mine will not start unless there is 13+ volts. Secondly, check that you are getting 14 volts to the battery while it is running(2500RPM). If all of that is true, I'd follow the previous advice of checking connections. Depending on how old the battery is, it might be toast. Especially, if a cell is dead. You may not have enough power to kick the starter. And as explained previously, the charging systems on these are not going to bring back a battery to full life, especially on a battery with a possible dead cell. Take it to your local battery shop and have it tested. Its a free charge and you will know for sure before investing any of your hard earned cash.
Good luck!

 

Selenoids don't die on a regular basis....but batteries do!

 

I tested the battery today-load and nonload- and it tested good. it was only putting out 11.2volts so it was not fully charged, but still working. its setting on the battery charger right now, and im going to test it on the machine later. Also checked ALL of my electrical wires and connections; no frays, corrosion, or loose wires.

 

update: popped the battery back in late this afternoon and it fired right up again and again. so not to sure what the problem actually is. the battery still tests good and everything

 

Probably just not run often enough or long enough to keep it topped up.

You might also check voltage with it running and reved up a bit, to see what kind of voltage you get from the charging system.

If you don't have one already, a battery tender Jr is really handy, with the little pig tail so you can just plug it in.

 

It's the battery. The bike would not jump start if it were the starter solenoid. If your starter turns at all it's the battery. I know from personal experience that it is not the solenoid. BTW, does anyone need an extra 08 800 solenoid? The problem is if the battery is not putting out enough power to the solenoid it will click. Here's the catch that cost me an extra $45.00 dollars. The terminal going from the starter solenoid to the starter will not show volts if the battery is dead. When I was told to jump it (screw driver to both solenoid terminals) the starter kicked. Apparently the way these solenoids work, is that if they do not have enough power from the battery the solenoid may show zero volts coming from the starter side of solenoid. I figured that out after using my car battery to start my 800.
That said, do you want to buy a solenoid?
Just kidding.....

 

Well i ride it about 12hours a week, and that day it was running 3hours before i shut it off and it wouldn't start. I would think that would be enough time for the battery to charge? A battery tender is something i need, but im laid off right now so xmas gift.

I road all day today, started it probably 10times with no problem. im going to chuck this one up to just happened for no reason, because there was no definitive cause.

thanks alot everyone for the help!

 

I would think that would have kept it charged, too. Maybe pulling off the battery cables and putting them back on cured it.

If it acts up again, I'd be for taking a volt meter to it and see what the charging system is putting out. Also, taking the negative cable off and taking an amp reading between the cable and battery post to get a reading of key off drain...