Hey guys,
here's one for ya.

i bought a 96 scrambler 400 4x4 this past winter, my first wheeler ever so i dont really have anything to compare it to.

i noticed right off that it didnt really have a lot of power at slower speeds, but after you hit the power band at say 10-15 mph it took right off no prob. i wanted more power at slower speeds for trail riding so i installed a heelclicker kit and saw a very slight improvement. that was about 4 months ago. i also had the engine rebuilt in march when the piston skirt shattered. i have done a lot of work on this thing.
this past couple times i rode it i have noticed it has lost even more power at slower speeds. from a dead stop i cant even spin the tires, or if i'm on a hill and i stop and try to start again, it'll go nowhere. i have to back down. but again, once i hit the powerband its fine, plenty of power.

one thing i noticed it that my plug wire is a little worse for wear so i'm going to try that first.

the other thing is that when i'm just standing still and revving the engine, it doesnt wind up like it used to, almost like there is a govenor on it. do you think it could be the electronic throttle control? it wont wind out in neutral but it does when i'm racing along.

any thoughts?
thanks!

 

have you checked to see if anything is in th carb? is the spark plug fouled? have you checked to see if your reed valves are not cracked?

 

Check the secondary clutch too . A polaris will show symtoms like that if the buttons sheared and the helix isn't prewound .

Also slip the muffler off - early 400's would clog the spark arrester - later models didn't do this - do a quick test run mufflerless .

Rick Ritter

 

i would listen to rick he knows his stuff

 

You guys are the best!
thanks, this gives me some great places to start.

rick, i'll be calling today for another chain tensioner!

dave

 

Definitely take Rick's advice and look at the secondary pre-wind. I just had the EXACT same symptoms as you described, and secondary spring it was....

 

well, i took off the muffler and there was no difference...
was taking to clutch cover off the check the secondary and one of the screws wouldn't come out. the metal "nut" that is locked in the plastic was turning so there was no way to get it off, well, no orthodox way! ended up melting the plastic with a torch and ripping it off.
ahhh, nothing like the sweet smell of burning plastic in the evening...

off to the secondary tomorow.
d

 

well at least the hard work is done, taking the secondary off should be a piece of cake lol.watch when you pull it apart so you'll know if theres enough prewind and you'll know how to reassemble it.

 

well, i figured out parts of the problem...

i took off the secondary clutch and the buttons were worn(turned them around), but while i had the cover off i thought to myself..."lets try a different belt"... and i'll be damned if that didnt make a big difference! i hate the simple things!

BUT!!! i'm still having that problem where it seems like there's a govenor on the throttle. when i'm sitting still i'll rev the engine and sometimes it'll go ok to a certain limit, and stop revving at a certain rpm. other times it acts kind of boggy or like it hesitates before revving up.

i know i know, the spark plug is next on my list!
just wanted to keep you informed.
d