I am thinking about purchasing a 97 Sportsman 500. It has 1800 miles and comes fully serviced from a “reputable” dealer….so I hear. It is in very good shape and has the winch / bumper upgrades.

Here is what troubles me. Under heavy deceleration, the engine backfires. The mechanic told me that this was due to the EBS clutch he put on it. He said that was normal and could not be helped. He offered to remove the EBS clutch and put the stock one on. Well, I called two other Polaris service centers and one told me it was due to the throttle cable being out of adjustment. The other said it was definitely because it was running lean. I thought it might be a worn exhaust cam lobe. I’m lost.

After my test ride, I noticed the temp light was on and I never heard the fan. I asked about this and they said it was fairly common for the earlier models to have the temp light come on before the fan kicked in. I know for a fact that the fan assembly is brand new. It was one of the several things that were replaced. I asked each of the other two service centers the same question and one said it was NOT common and there is probably a sensor that was bad. The other said…”yea, that was fairly common and it’s nothing to worry about”. I can’t believe Polaris would build such a thing into their design. I’m really lost.

I checked out the 4WD by putting it into a hard turn thinking it would push…..it didn’t. I then put it in the sand and while in low, I gave it full throttle….the back tires spun…not the front. He said the best way to tell if it was working was to put it up against a tree and see if it digs four holes. I haven’t tried this yet but I guess it makes sense….probably hard on the belt …..right?

I will go and give it one more test ride to make sure I am happy with it but I have been looking here in Houston Texas for a couple of months now and I haven’t see a better deal. Yea, I know….it’s hunting season and it’s a sellers market but I plan on using it just for that.

The price we finally agreed on was $3200 and I know that they have put over $800 in parts alone. I will only use this ATV twice a year but it needs to be dependable on those occasions. Any suggestions or ideas on what’s wrong with the ATV are much appreciated.

 

I have a 99 SP 335 and if the back wheels spin at all (I've read 1/5 of a wheel turn) the front kick in. So I think you should have seen some front wheel action if the back wheels spin at all. As for the price it is not uncommen to see 99 SP 500 for $5500 can which is about 3600 us in Canada. Although the AWD works so slick it is hard to tell it works unless in mud. The easiest way to tell is to jack up all 4 wheels and engage everything and see if the front wheels turn

 

Obviously the seller is giving you a line, don't beleive him.
The missfiring could be a worn cam (unlikely), bad timing (unlikely) or running too lean (most probable). It has absolutely nothing to do with the EBS.
The Hi temp light will come on after the fan switch so your problem is with the fan switch (sender).
One way to test the AWD is to lift the back end and with the AWD engaged and in Lo or Hi have someone else give it a little gas. The back wheels will turn and almost immediately the front wheels will pull the quad forward. Putting the quad on a stand so all wheels are hanging is good too cos you can see if both front wheels engage.
With this type of AWD the quad will not push because as soon as the front wheels rotate at the same speed as the rear the front wheels will disengage.
Hope this helps.

 

I tried the front against tree thing next thing i saw was sky where it had pushed right up tree like a wheelie. Jacking up and checking would be better. Also would check u/cv joints and boots. I agree that backfiring has nothing to do with ebs