got it....just haven't heard it called 'carbon tracking'.....there is a mark right on the shock mount frame where it was arcing to....by the looks of where it is, the arc is coming right out the bottom of the boot on the plug wire at the coil....

 

Look real close with a bright light at the coil tower and the inside of the plug boot where you think the spark was jumping, if you see a line etched in either it's not good. Spark should not jump out of the boot (obviously).

 

thanks, i'll check it out...i have two new plug wires coming in, factory polaris though....i'll look at the old one when i pull it off...i was looking for aftermarket plug wires as the factory ones are definitely built fairly cheap....but the only ones I have found you have to crimp one end on....let me know if you know where i can buy some quality wires that are completely assembled....

thanks,
dave

 

I just bought an 05 700EFI last month and want to check these things out. Am heading to Hatfield/McCoy in 2 weeks and want to make sure everything is good. Was looking at the bike last night. Now a REAL stupid question (I hate to even ask). I saw one spark plug at the top-right side of the engine. Where is the other? I even pulled out my Polaris Service Manual and could find nothing on the spark plugs. Thanks for helping out a Polaris Twin novice.

 

The left plug is not near as accessable as the right, it is a few inches to the left of the right plug you can see. I removed mine from the left side after removing the side panels, a short section of hose installed on the top of the plug will aid in installation.....

 

you should be okay, its seems to happen after putting some miles or hours on the machine...if you notice in your left front fender well, you will see the coil....look at it and see if it is close to the frame for the shock, towards the front....if it is, then i would move it back...first check and see if you can rotate your coils left and right....if you can, the bolt is already too loose and needs to be tightened...

like i've said above, you cannot tighten the coil ground bolt, which is the bolt that mounts it to the coil mount plate...which is mounted to the frame...you need to remove the two bolts on the mount, then you can get to the back side of the bolt that mounts the coil to the plate, reposition the coil so that the top cable that plugs in to the coil has just enough room to clear the mount, which turns the coil counter-clockwise...that will give you plenty of room between the plug wire boots and the frame....I think the ground is really the problem and why the wire will arc to the frame....so make sure the coil is mounted securely....

you can get a longer bolt and put on a lock washer....

also, don't forget the rubber stopper for the exhaust, you will see it coming off the header on the right side...it believe it is just to take vibration away from the exhaust....the rubber stopper comes off, i've talked to several people that have had this problem....keep an eye on it...i'm not sure it it is coming loose or just time that the stopper breaks down...or it gets brittle from heat and then breaks down....

 

Thanks! I'll check things out this weekend.