I just wanted to say thank you to all for your help and advice and especially Jeffro in the problem I was having with my 500 Xplorer/Sportsman.

The problem was indeed the Camshaft/exhaust rocker. The camshaft exhaust lobe was worn completely round (there was no lobe left) and the exhaust rocker has a major groove in it. I changed it this past weekend and it now runs like a raped ape. It must have already been bad when I bought it this past summer because its never gone this fast or with so much power sincew I have owned it.

I am not the most mechanically inclined person, but with the shop manual it was a pretty easy project (about 3.5 hours).

Thanks Again to all!!!

Mike

 

Here is the link.

97 Sportsman 450 won't start. - Polaris ATV Forum

 

First off there is no 97 Sportsman 450. Either a Sportsman 400 OR Sportsman 500! Explain as closely as you can what the problem is! PLUS welcome to the forum. We will try to help as best we can! OPT

 

That's what I was told it is. I took the guys word for it. Apparently its not what I thought it was. It says 450 right on the side of the bike. Its yellow in color. Its a single cylinder, liquid cooled engine. We are leaving town for the weekend soon here. When I get back I will find the vin number and figure out what exactly it is.

 

There is a 2006 and 2007 Sportsman 450,BUT find out what you have and explain what's happening and we will see if we can help. Good luck OPT

 

I probably heard wrong then. It must be a 07 model.

 

WHEN you find out for sure what model and year you have,then explain to us what is happening and we will do our best to help you! A lot of knowledgeable guys on the forum. OPT

 

It is an 07 model. I copied this from the other message board that I posted on.

I picked up this machine a few days ago. It ran very boggy and didn't have much power. I pulled the carb off and here someone tried to rebuild the carb but didn't do it right. There was a bushing in the wrong side of the needle valve. So I put new idle jet, main and float in it. Put it all back together and it started and ran great. I had it running perhaps 30 minutes. I drove it up and down the driveway a few times. Then it died. I popped the gas cap and it looked pretty empty. I put some gas in it and it. Now it will not start what so ever. It has spark and new plug. I spray starting fluid into the carb and still nothing. So I have fuel and spark. The wrench on the display will flash sometimes when I crank it.
Do these machines have some kind of disable when it runs out of fuel?
If the wrench flashes does that mean there is a code in it? I pulled the plug and did a compression check. The one I have is for automotive. I would assume that its fine to use for this motor. It threaded in fine and tightened up. However it only had 60psi of compression. It should be at least 140psi right? I squirted some pb blaster in the hole to seal the rings and redid it to see if the rings might be cause. No change.
I stuck the battery charger on it for a few hours and let it cool down. Went back out there and it started holding it at wide open throttle, and it will not idle. It sounds like it has a sever misfire from 3000rpm to 4500rpm or so and then smooths out at higher rpm. It will not idle below 3000rpm. Perhaps at the end of the tank there was some debris that might of made it to the idle jet??? I guess I have to pull the carb again and check it.
Or perhaps its running on 60psi and that's the cause of the non existent idle. There is only 500+ miles on this machine. It sat for a period of time. So I would tend to think the rings are fine. That the timing chain would be ok. And it wouldn't be a mechanical problem. I question rather or not my compression tester is compatible for this small engine.