Just a little advice to anybody that has a 2004 Sportsman 500. I am told it is the same for the 400 and for 2003 models, but I only know for sure that this is the case with the 04 500's. The spark plug wire from the coil to the spark plug is run between the gas tank and the frame. After some use the wire will become pinched, which causes a short of some kind and the coil is ruined. Take it from me this will happen at the most inopportune time.

Save yourself a lot of frustration and $130, take the time to re-route the spark plug wire, it is probably already pretty tight. Apparently a technical bulletin was issued on this problem about 3 months ago.

By the way, when it decides to stop working it just plain quits, however I had noticed that it was getting a little harder to start, like it had a bad spark, figured it was a bad spark plug but the whole thing went down before I had a chance to replace the plug. Now that I replaced the coil and wire it starts and runs like a champ. I only have about 75 hours on this machine so don't kid yourself just because you haven't ridden it much.

Take this for what it is worth. Happy trails.

 

Most definetly this might happen, just check to make sure nothing is pinching that spark plug wire. We had one in the shop for this problem.

 

Polaris Sportsman Spark Plug Wire Problem

Don't Panic and DONT WASTE $ 130.00 like I almost did.

I own both a new 2004 Sportsman 500 and 400
2 weeks into riding my 500 up and died. On the first day of a long Memorial weekend while up north. (Noooo Whyyyy Meeee). After calling a couple dealers in the area with no luck, I did the old test of pulling the spark plug to test for spark. (NO SPARK) Tried the plug from wife’s 400 (STILL NO SPARK) I was hoping it was only the coil or the spark plug wire.

My buddy (the elevator electrician) had an electrical tester on him and the coil appeared to be working. (NOW JUST PRAYING THAT IT WAS JUST THE WIRE) and not some other electrical problem. **Checking the wire with his tester it showed bad**. So I called the dealer back home where I bought them and got the runaround and was told to bring in for service. (BUT I ON MY FIRST LONG VACATION WITH MY NEW BABY AND SHE IS BROKE!!) With persistence I finally spoke with a teck that told me the wire will unscrew from the coil, only after the parts guy said that they don’t sell just a wire, and that it only comes as a Coil-Wire-Combo (what a bunch of Crap!).

Off to the nearest auto parts store to buy a single long spark wire with a straight cap. Other end will be cut and screwed back into coil. "What make and model vehicle he asked? Polaris Sportsman 500 "HUH" hehe. Ok the longest single wire you have $7.58
**But wait I told my buddy for sh..s and giggles lets test the new wire with your tester. It showed no current**. A little more panic, but then optimism thinking the wire had some kind of shielding or something or his tester was not set to the right setting. Ok here goes connected new wire, hit the starter and BAM!!! YES!!! IT FREAKIN WORKS!!! The weekend was not ruined after all. (You must read more!!)

On 9/11/04 (Yikes) My 500 still running strong.
Getting my wife and daughter all the way to the back 40 of our new property for the first time on some new trails I cut, her 400 DIED!! (HERE WE GO AGAIN) this cant be happening. Lightening doesn't strike twice, or does it?

It was getting late on Saturday so I new the auto parts store was closed. Not knowing the weather outcome for the next day, or if the auto store was open we decided to tow and winch it back through some pretty torturous terrain rather than leaving it out there all night (Even though it's my wife’s machine, I couldn't leave it out there all alone, unless maybe she stayed with it?? (Naa.

Sunday morning back to the auto parts store for another wire, not knowing if it had the same problem as my 500 did. Sure enough the same thing. Oh and the weather was great so I could have left it out there and just fixed it on the spot without all the aggravation of towing and winching it back to the cottage.

What ticks me off is that Polaris has to know about this problem as well as the dealers. But a) No letter from either (why the F... do we bother registering) Oh I forgot so they can send us junk mail. And b) why the F... do they try to sell you a Coil-Wire-Combo when it's only the wire? Makes you wonder if their even putting the new coil on they charge you for if you take it in for service?

Anyway I still love my Machines and would not trade them for any other!!

 

I found out after I removed my old coil and wire that the wire unscrewed. As you might imagine I decided to 'play' with the old piece after I replaced it and after some real 'careful' pulling and banging and throwing I discovered it came off quite easily.

I had tested the coil and it was not putting out the spark. I assume the shorted wire probably shorted the coil.

I have 2 of these machines, on the other one I re-routed the wire so that this would not happen. I suggest anyone who has not had this problem yet, do the same thing. And yes it is a pisser that Polaris does not inform you of this problem. Especially when they issued a technical bulletin on it to the dealers quite awhile ago.

 

where should we re route? is there any specific way ?

btw thanks alot for the info will do this work on the weekend.

 

my 04' sportsman just started doing this about a month ago:
1: ran like it was full choked constantly
2: foul new plugs within 2 minutes of changing

do these symptoms agree w/ what your quad was doing?
if so it looks like the gas tank will have to come off to get to the coil.

thanks for any reply!

 

Polaris dealers have replaced many of these under warranty. I think there may be a TSB on the subject, as well.

 

my old sportsman did that ... but not that bad;
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""
my 04' sportsman just started doing this about a month ago:
1: ran like it was full choked constantly
2: foul new plugs within 2 minutes of changing
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""""
it was the choke, the cable was to tight, so when you turned the handle bars the choke came on.

 

No when this is the problem is just plain quits. Everything is working fine and then...

Always seems to happen at the worst time.

Re-route the cable from between the frame and the gas tank. If it is so tight that you cannot move it, you may have to loosen the tank. If it is that tight it is because it is being pinched already and it probably will not be long before it is done.

It is possible some dealers are fixing this as a warranty issue, it happened on mine about 2 months after my warranty expired. But I spoke to 2 dealers in my area and one of them was not aware of the problem, the other knew about it and told me the bulletin had been issued, but did not say whether or not it would be a warranty repair.

 

I've just re-routed my wire and replaced the wire w/ no fix. haha.
If anybody has heard anything about carb trouble on the 04 sportsman give me a hint!
i dont' want to take it to the dealer and spend $200 on a carb adjustment