1st off, I just joined and posted a similar test post to say hello. However, I thought it prudent to ask the question in the correct area.
Please read below.
________________________

I just bought a used Eton RXL 90 and have done everything by the book to get it back on the trail. Including a new battery.

Problem is that the Starter will not engage. After I turn the Key on the front LED blinks & the Horn will sound, the Oil level light will come on & then go out & the rear brake lights will come on.

However, the Eton will NOT try to Start (turnover). So I began troubleshooting with my Multi-meter from the barely readable Electrical Diagram. I found that the Ignition Switch is good & the Switches on the left handle bar are all good, but never get the voltage to them to do anything. There appears to be a Fuse in the wiring harness somewhere other then at the battery, but I can't find it. I did remove most of the Junction clips and put dielectric silicone on & in them to keep the water & dirt out, but still nothing.

Where I need help is if there is something that will keep the Engine Cutoff Switch & Start button from getting juice? I will not be able to work on it for another week & I'm dyeing to figure this one out.

Thanks for any help,
Tim

 

Welcome to the forums Tim.
Does this model have reverse?

 

Thanks for the Welcome LT80.

My Eton RXL 90 does not have a reverse. I am hoping that once I print out the electrical diagram that the words identifying the prts will become legible. I am a good at electrical circuit diagnoses, but car & ATV diagrams are different then what I am used to. Thus my problem with this ATV.

My next plan of action is to print out the drawing and use colored pencil on all the wires and devices that I have found to be OK. The other thing that would have helped me would have been to use my Multi-meter to test the wires at the connectors that I put dielectric grease in. Non of the Connectors had any evidence of melting, which would have indicated a poor connection.

I think I can figure this out, but it will take some time & I now realize that I will need to remove the Plastic from the ATV to have easier access to the wiring harness.

Thanks again for any help you can provide.

 

The LT80's have a switch making sure the brake is on before it will turn over. I'd look for one on the brake system of the eton.

 

I checked that switch 1st per the troubleshooting guide but no luck, it works.

I did more research on the wiring diagram and have come up with 2 possible problems.

1 - A Safety Switch, dashed line around it indicating it may or may not be on the RXL-90 Eton. I need to check the 12Vdc Com wire which comes directly from the ignition to the Stop Switch & make sure I have power there and thru that switch. From that switch it either goes thru the Safety Switch or straight to the Starter button switch, which should then energize the Starter Relay.

2 - I have a Bad Starter Relay. If the above test does not reveal the problem, then I will jump out the contacts of the starter relay to see if the starter turns over.

After I check these, either today or next Saturday, I will re-post to let you know where I am at with this 4-wheeler.

Thanks,
Tim

 

Tim,

LT80 has already asked some important questions and you have provided good answers. You don't have reverse (that makes the wiring much simpler), and your brake light is on when you apply the brakes. This is an important step.

Disclaimer: I have never even seen an Eton quad, let alone worked on them. But I can follow a wiring diagram, and I have looked at the wiring diagram for your quad published on www.AnythingATV.com. Here are my observations:

To get the starter to engage you have to apply 12 volts across the starter solenoid actuating coil (the two small wires). When you do this the solenoid goes "click" and the starter should turn. When you try to start the quad does the solenoid go "click"?

The Eton wiring diagram shows an incredible amount of safety interlocks all wired noise to tail, so that nothing will happen as far as the starter will go unless everything is perfect. Fine, but it makes it difficult to fix if something breaks.

The solenoid actuating coil has two wires. One side is switched to +12 volts (positive battery) through a couple switches. The other side of the solenoid is connected to ground through a bunch of stuff.

First step: Turn on the ignition, step on the brake. Do you have +12 volts on the starter solenoid actuating wires? When you push the start button do you still have positive voltage on both wires? Or is one ground and the other +12 volts.

This results of this test splits the problem into three separate troubleshooting paths:

1) Is the switched path to the solenoid actuating coil on the plus side the problem?
2) Is the switched path to ground on the other side of the solenoid actuating coil the problem?
3) Is the solenoid going click and the starter isn't turning (bad solenoid, batterty, or starter).

Divide and conquer.

But again, this requires that the published wiring diagram for your quad be accurate. So far, eton diagrams have proved fairly accurate when finding other wiring faults, so let's be optimistic.

 

Thanks Lynn for the very accurate info that goes along with my thoughts from where to go from here.

The Starter Solenoid does not make a clicking sound, so I am going to jump the wires you mentioned out to eliminate that issue. I will further climb the latter and eliminate problems as I go, now that I have a better understanding of what each device is. I will use colored pencils to trace the wires and eliminate each device 1 by 1.

Thanks so much for your info along with LT80,
Tim

 

From your advice, I was able to easily diagnose my 2002 ETON RXL 90 problem.
-
I followed the instructions and found that the Starter Relay was Bad. Luckily because I deal with DDC Controls, I had a New 12 Vdc SPDT Relay at home. I extended the wires to let it sit under the seat. I put Dielectric Silicone on all Electrical connections.
-
At first it would just Crank over and over without a spark, but then I remembered that the seller told me he would have to put his fingers over the air inlet to act as a manual choke (This model came with an Auto choke, but I do not believe it works). The little 4-wheeler Started right up.
-
After a minute or 2 to Idle, this little 90cc Eton Viper took off with me (250lbs) on it and about killed me with its power/torque. I can't believe the power. It is weight limited at 190lbs. In a race with my Kawasaki 300 4-stroke Bayou, The Eton 90 2 Stroke blows me away at the start and the I can catch it and pass it.
-
Summary:
Not for little kids unless throttle limiter is on it & the CDI Unit has its limiter set. This is an incredible little Beast for the $300 I paid!