I have a 1997 polaris trailblazer 250. It's is a pull start. I just got it and i would pull start it and it would start first try without battery. I put a battery in it so I could have headlights. I pull started my four wheeler and pushed the switch for the headlight to come on and my four wheeler shut off and now won't start. Without a battery I could turn the key on and the reverse and neutral light would come in and and I could pull start. Now the four wheeler won't start when I pull start it and no lights.

 

Not good to run without a battery even though it's magneto triggered for the ignition system. The battery is mainly for the starter and the lights,but without a battery hooked up the regulator charge normally going to the battery has to go somewhere and takes a path of least resistance. Usually this is the lights and can pop bulbs and and in some cases can damage electronic components. If it killed it when you hit the light switch,the first thing I'd check is the plastic enclosed 20 circuit breaker up from the battery. At times the terminals can corrode and break power to the front. If the circuit breaker checks out ok,check the wiring from the left control switch down into the front panel,plus check the connectors at the switch itself. If you can't find any wire short,could be a shorted out left control switch itself.Item #3 is the circuit breaker.Dirt Cheap Yamaha, Honda, Arctic Cat & Polaris OEM Parts & Accessories – Cycle Parts Warehouse

 

Checked all the wires they are good tested everything. Do you think at may be a bad CDI.

 

If you've checked everything else out,pull the black wire from the cdi and see it you have power and it cranks. This is the kill circuit that ties into the ignition switch black wire and also the left control switch emergency cut off switch. Problem could be either in the ignition switch or it's wiring,same for the emergency cut off switch. On rare occasions the black kill circuit wire from the cdi can short out internally and a cdi would need to be replaced.

 

I have replaced the ignition switch and the left handlebar control and cdi box and it still will not run without the ground wire unhooked from cdi box

 

Then you either still have a short in the wiring harness or possibly could be in the main terminal board connections.Not unusual for them to have problems over the years also. Best thing for this is a wiring schematic to help you trace this down along with the trouble shooting guides in the manual.DOWNLOAD 1996-1998 Polaris ATV Repair Manual ALL MODELS - Download ... Plus one last black wire to pull is from the reverse limiter module and see if cranks. This wire needs to be pulled any way as they all eventually short out. Can cause problems with reverse/forward operation,plus can cut spark if shorted. Item #32 is the reverse limiter module. Dirt Cheap Yamaha, Polaris, Suzuki & Kawasaki OEM Parts & Accessories – Cycle Parts Warehouse

 

Thanks, could it be a fuse blown? It was running fine one minute then the next minute is wouldn't start with cdi box ground plugged in. When I turn the key on there are no lights that turn on anymore. I don't know much about fourwheelers.

 

The circuit breaker in the sealed pouch(located up from the battery) can corrode and stop power from going to the lights,etc,but doesn't affect ignition as this is the old magneto triggered electrical system.The battery is mainly for the starter,lights,electrical accessories. You can crank one even with out a battery by just turning the key on and use the recoil start.Not advisable though as bulbs can blow if you do happen to turn the lights on,plus not too good on electronics also.Check that you have power on each side of the red wire leading into the pouch. If not,just slice the pouch open. If the breaker is corroded/shorted out,you can get one at any auto supply.

 

It fires right up when I pull start it almost every time but only if the cdi box ground wire is pulled. So if I pull the ground wire to the reverse Limiter module what will that exactly do? When I pull start it the only way to turn it off is flood it out. Is there any other way

 

When you pull the cdi kill wire the only way to kill it is to choke it out! Just pulling the black wire from the reverse limiter module defeats the module in case this it was the cause of the original problem. Just pull it anyway! You can have full power in reverse without having to push the over ride button and eliminate any future problems with this module. "IF" you still have to pull the black wire from the cdi for it to run,have pulled the black limiter wire,then the problem could still be a short in the kill system wiring. This is where the wiring schematic can help on tracing down the problem. May just be a simple short in the wiring harness.Rare occasions the cdi (even a new one) can have an internal short in the black kill wire circuit and the only way for it to run is to pull the black wire to isolate it. Had a few people that had a bad cdi that ended up driving this way,because they didn't want to replace a cdi.. Plus install a battery,has to have one for the headlights or it will constantly blow bulbs and possibly damage other components.The charge from the stator goes to the regulator,then to the battery.If the battery is dead or one is not hooked up,electrical spikes just pop bulbs. Get this fixed first,then concentrate on the wiring.