Tom hit it on the nail.....now listen to the whole story.

I got the machine back last week, seemed to work, but before I left the dealer I asked them 'how do I know it is working?'....well they said they drove it for 20 minutes.

Anyways, I was back up in the mountains, had two hunters from New Hampshire to take their cow elk with the muzzleloader. I had a hunter on a Yamaha Wolverine and me on my 700 EFI, we drove out 22 miles. On the way back, when climbing up hill, it starts to die.

I drove back what appeared in limp mode for 8 miles.

Anyways, I take it to the dealer, drive out of the mountains, takes two hours, tell him I have the same problem. He asks when I'm going back up hunting, I tell him now, I have one more hunter to fill his tag and that I had to pack out the first elk because I didn't have a running ATV.

I get a few supplies, gas up the truck and the dealer calls me to tell me he found the problem....the insulation on the plug wire coming from the coil was worn and arcing to the frame. He said that it fouled the plug. He said he didn't have a plug wire in stock so he taped it and replaced the plugs.

He asks me if it was the same symptoms as before. I tell him yes, exactly the same. I tell him I don't think the ECU is bad, that the plug wire was the problem all along. He says that the unit had 3 error codes the first time and that this time it was only one, the error 51. I tell him it is doing the exact same thing, I hear a clicking noise. He said the clicking noise was from the injectors....I tell him BS, I told him the first time I bring it in that it is clicking and it is clicking now, only worse. I tell him it gets worse when running it hard....

He says 'well I can put your original computer/ECU back in', I tell him 'you mean to tell me you didn't put it back in to see if it is really bad'....

The dealer never put the old computer back in. I tell him to think about it....I drive it fo870 miles and 54 hours and it doesn't click, then it starts clicking, gets a 'check engine' light and goes into limp mode. The they say they fix it, I take it back out, its still clicking, it gets and error 51 and runs like crap just as before. I ask him if he thinks the plug wire went bad in 50 miles or if it has been rubbing the whole time and it finally wears through and starts causing the problem. I tell him I want the old computer since I paid for the new one.

He says he will put my old computer back in if I wanted....I will get the old computer back, he said he put it in a 2006 machine where he took the one out of to put in my machine.

It amazes me, I'm pissed....this is BS...what kind of dealer wouldn't put the computer/ECU back in to try it??????????????

I'm a Operations Manager for a major Aerospace computer, prior to that I was the engineering manager. I have an Electrical Engineering degree, my former job. I have Project Engineering, Test Engineering, Techinicians and Computer Systems Engineering working for me now. Some of our pieces of equipment, avionics boxes, can cost $250K.....do you think I would tell the guys not to swap the box back if I suspected it was good??? thats crazy....I can't believe it.

Well time to get on the phone with Polaris....

dave

 

Last winter, my buddy's `05 700 EFI started running like crap, but without the error code. The #1 plug wire came off the coil---strange how that happened, because it was so difficult to get back on there. Probably was off while they were prepping the machine, tried to put it back on, then said 'screw it' and left it. Didn't have a problem until melted snow got up in there, sending the current to the path of least resistance--through the water and into the frame. I could see, and HEAR, lightning arcing from the terminal to the frame, accompanied by the sound of the #1 cylinder dropping out.

I slapped a gob of dielectric grease in the boot, and forced it back on the terminal (pain in the ***, `cause the boot is so close to the frame--really had to FORCE it back on...which is why I don't understand how it came off). Machine has been fine since.......

Until he rear-ended one of our buddies who stopped in the middle of the road, at 50 MPH (Yes, road. We're idiots.) But that's a story for another time.....[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

I didn't remove mine while in the field, just spot checked and everything looked good, but I didn't check to see if it was rubbing on the frame...just check connection ends...

sounds like there is a problem with taking these off and putting them on, but for everyone that owns a 700 or 800 EFI, I would check the plug wires rubbing against the frame...

i also found that the hose running under the gas tank and over the engine rubs....need to check it...

 

Here's a thought: If the dealer replaced an ECM which he thought was defective, why would he put it in an 06 he's got out on the floor? Imagine a customer comes to check it out, the machine runs poorly and the dealer has to explain that it's got a failed ECM in it!(though they probably wouldn't admit that). I would sure be skeptical of spending that much money on a machine which runs poorly brand new at the dealership! In my personal opinion this is a very poor action on the dealers part. Makes me wonder what else goes on there.
I think I'd rather hear that a brand new machine I'm considering purchasing can't run because they're waiting on a part they sold out of it(it happens), than be told that the reason it's running poorly is that it's got a used, failed part in it.

 

that amazed me also, and also left the suspicion of how this unit could be bad....i'm on hold with Polaris now, its like calling Dell computer, wait forever, estimated wait of 15 minutes.....

i haven't went to pick up the machine until i talk with them....i want the old ECU back, but they can do anything they want with it while I'm waiting for it, I told the dealer I paid for a new one, the machine still doesn't work and I want the old computer....especially since they haven't tried putting it in the machine...

i remember him telling me that the diagnostic computer said the machine had a short and when they called polaris to help figure out the problem, they said to try the ECU, but did they even connect back to the computer to test, had they moved the plug wires around and it didn't show the problem until I went out and rode it again?

 

well i talked with Jeff at Polaris today...went through the whole scenario, issues with the dealer and the old ECU.....he said he would call the dealer and to give him a day to get back to me....

so I'll wait until noon and then go pick up the machine....he said he would see what he could work and whether they would help me out or not....we'll see how it goes....

in the mean time, i'm finishing up my article....one thing i told Jeff about was that I wanted to make the point to non-ATV owners that ATV's shouldn't be hated by other hunters that don't own an ATV....its the same as the gun issue, guns don't kill people, people kill people....those people that use their ATV's in the wrong way, by going where they are not supposed to or are not allowed, are the same as the people doing it in their trucks....he pointed out that ATVs can be used by older people to get from place to place and also by those with disabilities....which I had already planned to cover, especially as one of my hunters this past weekend had kidney problems and couldn't hike more than a couple of miles per day....

 

guess what....I got my machine back today, they put my old ECU back in like I requested....over and over...and it runs perfectly....

Jeff from Polaris never called me back, so I will be calling him...

then the owner was trying to give me crap on why he thought it was doing what it was doing....said that they 'clicking' noise i heard the first time was the injectors....but you can even read back when i started this thread talking about the clicking noise....we were kneeling alongside my machine today and it was running, i said 'do you hear the injectors clicking?'......which you can't, then i said 'let me rev it up'.....and then asked 'do you hear the injectors clicking?'...which they still didn't make any noise, they were opening and closing, but you can't hear unless you put something against them to listen to them...he didn't say anything....

i will be talking to polaris about the dealer trying to rip me off....the worst part is that he said he put it back in the 2006 just so that they could start it on display and that it showed the same error code...which was impossible since it was a good ECU....so he was flat out BSing....

so anyways, drove it around tonight, no error, but will test it really this weekend....

dave

 

Dave, now I am confused. You said you paid over $300 for the ECM. Therefore I assume it wasn't in warranty. If it is not in warranty, I thought you are entitled to the old parts back at least for inspection? They recalled my battery and took the old one in. Fair enough. However, when you replace say a cylinder head because you said it was bad and I had to pay for the head, shouln't I have the right to keep my old parts?

 

If you go through the whole post you will see that the dealer first said my ECU was bad.....then I took it up hunting again, same problem, had to
back in and the unit works great

they refunded me the price they charged me for the ECU, which was $359.99 + tax...but they kept and hour of labor....

the dealer tried to rip me off, saying the original ECU was bad, yet I take it back up and the same error code and problems, then they find the worn plug wire rubbing and shorting against the frame....

 

Part of the problem right now with repairing these machines is the efi systems are fairly new to the dealers and their techs. The failures and the symptoms that come with those failures are just now being recognized/learned by the repair people so you need to be patient and work with them as best you can. Not everything is a cut and dried repair, the intermittent failures are the worst to find. It's also very important for us/you as owners to give as much accurate information about the failure and symptoms to the service people as you can. Talking directly to the tech is the best route if possible so they understand fully your concerns.

It's fair they installed your original ecm and gave the refund however I think they were entitled to the labor charge after all they spent time on it and need to make a living also. At the time it was their best guess and maybe was prescribed by Polaris tech support, if they can't duplicate the failure at the dealership it makes for a tough decision on what to do but something is better than nothing. The confusing part is why a shorting plug wire would throw the ecm failure code it did, that in itself sends you off in the wrong direction right off the bat.

I don't condone the service guy giving you a story, they need to be honest and more precise. You might consider trying to strike up a professional friendship with the tech/s to relay and receive more accurate information in the future as the manager/servicewriter may not know the full story.