I just bought a 96 sportsman 400 4x4 and was wondering about how fast this should go? I took it out and it went about 50 on the speedometer. It sat about a year before I bought it and if this is good I won't go through the carb. It also has some problems but I got it pretty cheap. The electric fan is bad and the right front wheel won't lock in sometimes. He said that he had the magnets replaced and it worked for awhile then quit again. What do you think?

 

If it sat that long pull the carb and clean it real good,change all the fluids even the hub fluid.Then check the 4x4.A new fan is $$$$$$ but you can find used ones but you never know what condition or how long they will last

 

try jumping the fan direct to make sure the fan is bad and not a switch

 

If it turns out to be the fan motor, those old metal fan motors can come apart to be inspected/cleaned (you won't find that in the service manual tho). Sometimes they are unfixable, but a lot of times they can be repaired easily enough.

I have often seen the brushes being stuck from water/corrosion - sometimes the little springs behind the brushes have disintegrated, but they can be replaced with a cut down spring from a "clicker" ball point pen.

 

speed i would guess be between 55 and 60 mph.

 

Thanks for all the replies guys I will try theseout and report back in a few days. Thanks again!

 

I am sorry guys but I have been shanghaid and haven't been able to do anything yet but am still looking foreward to doing this. I will keep trying and will post back soon.

 

Ok. I finally got some time to look at this and man they didn't believe in weldnuts did they? Every bolt had an unfixed nut on it. except the two on the tank. I jumped the switch and turned the key on and the fan ran but really loudly. I grabbed the fan (after I shut it off) and the spindle was really loose. Well after I figured out how to get the dang thing out and apart I found that it was originally a rubber mounted front bearing. The bearing isn't great but not real bad but all the rubber was around the armature. I am going to try to fix this and I will get back and let you know if my idea works. I haven't changed the fluids yet. What exact fluids are you talking about? I thought 2 strokes didn't have any oil in them but I haven't worked on onein a long time and never on a sled or four wheeler. Just the differential oil and the front hub oil?
Thanks a lot guys!

 

theres crankcase oil, it's on the back of the motor, thats where you fill it.

 

Does it have a radiator? The old style coolant isn't much good after a few years and should be flushed. The top speed should be a little higher with a fresh belt but 50 sounds right for a really old one. I can't remember what the width is when they need to be replaced. Since it's old and sat a year check the belt for cracks, and wear.