I have a 1997 Polaris 500 explorer and when I press the awd button the light comes on but it doesn't engage I believe it might be a grounding problem i don't have a wiring diagram for the machine just wondering where to start

 

I would start by pulling the wires off of the 4wd motor and using a meter to check for voltage to the motor when pushing the switch.

 

Check that you have voltage to the gray wires leading into the two small white connectors under the front panel. Has to be in gear,ignition switch on,awd button engaged.Doesn't have to be running.These wires run to the hub coils. If you do show voltage,then take the two small brown(ground wires), tie into one larger wire and ground it at the coil mount with the rest of the harness ground wires. This should give you a better ground and may solve it. "IF" you're not showing power at the gray wire,then it could be the switch in the shift box is worn and not making a good connection. Item#15 in the parts break down. You can bypass the switch by tracing the gray/white shift switch wire to the terminal board and unplug it. Then plug this wire into the red/white terminal section.The red/white terminals are powered when the ignition switch is turned on.This should power up the awd. As a side note if you didn't know already,the rear wheels have to slip before the front wheels kick in.You can test this in loose gravel,up against a tree or post.You can also check awd operation by jacking the front and back end off the ground a little and see if the front tires engage.

 

Wow thanks for all the info I'll start from the top and work my way down again thanks for all the help appreciate it big time