Hi,

My 2002 Prairie 650 has developed a couple of problems. I figure they're related, but I'm not really sure where to start:

- No more backlighting in instrument cluster
- Fuel gauge reads 0 bars (the tank is full)
- Fuel light is blinking
- When starting to move, there are several rattling/ticking noises from the motor
- When in 4wd and applying throttle, the 2wd and 4wd lights alternate (it does seem to stay in 4wd, however)

All of these problems began when I went to ride it today. The last time I rode (about 3 weeks ago, everything seemed fine).

Any ideas where to start looking?

Thanks,
-Matt

 

possibly the controller. black box under the seat. not the igniter. this will cause the 4wd & engine break to not work. i guessing here, but if the resistence is off this could be the problem with the display as well. not sure. battery low voltage? just throwing out ideas here. check fuses, some could be bad even if they look ok, dielectic grease all fuses & connections. after trailering my brothers 02 prairie 650 in the rain a couple of hours he went to start it and the display didnt come on & the engine like locked up(starter?) but he just turned the key off then on , jiggled the shifter in neutral it then fired up and everything worked, he said that was the first time that ever happened. try some things and post again.

 

I suppect your bike is also not registering speed. My key caused my 4x4 light go *****. Also the 4x4 has sensors that dectect problems that will cause the 2x4 to flash. The key is how long the interals of the flashing. I would say they are related and my first pick is the battery however you wouldn't be able to get into 4x4 with a bad battery. The lights will flash between 2-4 but the bike doesn't really engage. It's not communicating to well the reason that your fuel light is blinking and your energy bars are 0 is because it's not getting communication, so there could be a short in the wiring. The rattling sounds like your engine brake. It's kinda hard to trouble shoot with out seeing it but there are some ideas.

 

Matt:
Had the same 4 wheel issue with my 2004 700 Prairie and was finally fixed by Kawasaki after some struggle. Don't know how much at ease you are around mechanical things but if you are try (with the key OFF) pulling the seat and looking for the ECM which is about the size of a pack of Cigarettes and held down by a rubber strap ( you can easily see it). Remove it and power the key on and then back off and reinsert the ECM and then see if operation is normal. This will not repair it but will confirm the issue and is also a temp fix out on the trail. Kawasaki tried many things but after $1200 in parts and 40 hrs of labor including a complete main wiring loom/harness the issue went away and has not returned. I believe that it was the main loom at fault but could not get confirmation from Kawasaki (A trade secret I guess). I was a heavy Mechanic for 40 + years and have some knowledge in this area. The two issues could be related such as a shorted or grounded conuctor (wire) that is affecting both areas.
Be careful when going down hill or when approaching others as when it gets into this mode the idle RPM's go up and no effective engine braking occurs. I almost ran over people several times before a fix. Good luck and lt me know how it turns out.

 

Matt, I forgot to mention that the noise that you are hearing is the Engine brake Actuator down by your right ankle and it should make noise when powering up the key or moving at engagement speeds.

 

There seems to be more than one cause for these problems.
1). Fule gauge/meter - bad electrical connection and/or corrosion.
Follow the wire from meter to the fuel tank and check for any damage on the wire harness and spray contact cleaner and WD-40 on every connector.

2). 2/4WD flashing - control unit and/or ebc actuator.
Try resetting the control unit (by unplugging) and applying 12 VDC to the actuator. If resetting can't be done, you need new parts.

 

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the advice.

After cleaning and applying dielectric grease to all the connections and fuses under the seat, the problems were still there.

Then we started to trace the wires back from the instrument panel. There were 2 harnesses: a small one and a large one. The clip for the large harness was basically disconnected. Once we cleaned/greased and reconnected it, the electrical problems went away.

Thanks,
-Matt