AWD and Speedometer don't work
#51
09-18-2015, 10:12 AM
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God forbid he lets the polishing secret out!
God forbid he lets the polishing secret out!
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My speedo has been foggy for 6 years now and only the hour meter and display lights work because the wheel "Hall Effect" senor quit once again which does not interferer with the AWD atleast.
I did not bother replacing the wheel senor again since I can't see the speedo through the foggy glass anyways and it really has no vital info like a Gas gauge or temp display.
Never under stood why they put a speedo on a maching that goes down a slow bush trails with no speed limits or speed traps. I do miss the trip meter part some times through.
I did not bother replacing the wheel senor again since I can't see the speedo through the foggy glass anyways and it really has no vital info like a Gas gauge or temp display.
Never under stood why they put a speedo on a maching that goes down a slow bush trails with no speed limits or speed traps. I do miss the trip meter part some times through.
#52
09-18-2015, 01:05 PM
#53
09-18-2015, 02:14 PM
Polaris ATV Expert
Retired and loving it!
Retired and loving it!
Plus there's still a "group" of people out there that need speedos that count down hrs for service and blink at em to remind them or they'd run the blame things until they died.Then they'd come in screaming that their machines were junk! I've run into a lot of people like that over the years.Not trying to pick on any one group,but from what I've experienced over the years,the more $$$$ and toys that some people had the less they cared about about silly little things like oil changes, oil filters,routine maintenance,etc..Not like us working class stiffs that know better. 
#54
02-02-2016, 09:02 PM
Old thread but still very relevant. I posted looking for a good used speedo for my 99 500, but OPT pointed me to this thread, so I'll post my follow up's here.
Well, I couldn't help myself. I took the speedo apart tonight and not too much of a surprise I found the TIP48 transistor just hanging out in the housing and not connected to the board. Hoping for a simple fix, I cleaned the circuit board holes out, oriented the transistor correctly and soldered it back in, but alas, not workie workie. I just ordered new 48TIP transistors and am going to replace both of them on the board since I have it apart. We'll see how it goes. I just can't see paying $350-$400 for a new speedo that will only at some point have the same failure. Seems it's a very common problem. I'll update when I know more.
Well, I couldn't help myself. I took the speedo apart tonight and not too much of a surprise I found the TIP48 transistor just hanging out in the housing and not connected to the board. Hoping for a simple fix, I cleaned the circuit board holes out, oriented the transistor correctly and soldered it back in, but alas, not workie workie. I just ordered new 48TIP transistors and am going to replace both of them on the board since I have it apart. We'll see how it goes. I just can't see paying $350-$400 for a new speedo that will only at some point have the same failure. Seems it's a very common problem. I'll update when I know more.
#55
02-06-2016, 04:59 PM
Update for me. I received my package of TIP48's today, so straight to the garage I went. I replaced both of them since I had the speedo opened up. But as I have the worst luck in the world, it did not fix it. And to boot my laptop fell off the workbench onto the concrete floor and for sure I thought it was a gonner 
. Fortunately it seemed okay other than having to restart.
I checked eBay again today and found a NIB for $300 and a used one for $225, so went ahead and bit that bullet going for the new one. What's $75 more bucks in the grand scheme of this ordeal.
The repair was worth a shot. If anyone would have it not work after so much success from others, it'd be me
. Fortunately it seemed okay other than having to restart. I checked eBay again today and found a NIB for $300 and a used one for $225, so went ahead and bit that bullet going for the new one. What's $75 more bucks in the grand scheme of this ordeal.
The repair was worth a shot. If anyone would have it not work after so much success from others, it'd be me
#56
02-07-2016, 08:24 AM
Polaris ATV Expert
Retired and loving it!
Retired and loving it!
#57
09-04-2017, 04:54 PM
Hey guys I'm new to this forum. I bought a 99' Sportsman 500 last year and missed the obvious. The wheeler had been rolled. I've fixed almost everything that I've found that was broken. The speedo was so badly damaged that I had to just remove it. My question is... does having no speedo plugged in have anything to do with the charging system? If I land the brown/white wire to the frame to get AWD, do I even need a speedo for the machine to run properly? Thanks for the help!!
#58
09-04-2017, 06:01 PM
Polaris ATV Expert
Retired and loving it!
Retired and loving it!
Speedo doesn't play any part in the way it runs. Does affect the awd and yes if you have awd problems engaging, jump the brown/white wire to the brown in the speedo connector harness(hooked up or not) or to good frame ground. If you still have problems have a larger common ground for the awd wires leading from the two connectors to the hub coil. Like in this video.
As far as charging make sure the regulator wires are plugged in and the battery connections are tight. If it's not charging 14 volts instead of the high dollar oem regulator you can get one on ebay or amazon.
To rule out a stator problem on charging you can check resistance between the yellow wires coming from the stator to the regulator. Should show small resistance amount between each yellow with no yellow shorting to ground.Not entirely fool proof but a common way of testing one.
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TooLate (02-16-2022)
#60
03-09-2020, 09:05 AM
I know this thread is old, but here are some pictures to go along with the speedo repair description. My speedo had no function at all; no lights, no speed no odometer. Dead as a door nail.
Take it all apart. I used a flat screwdriver to start prying the back of the bezel up, then used small flat pliers to carefully and evenly continue around the edge without wrecking it. The speed needle just pulls straight up.
Here's what's inside:
Attachment 14194
Attachment 14195
Attachment 14196
Those 3 legged guys are the things you want to unsolder and replace.
Attachment 14197
I found it easiest to nip the legs off with a small side cutter so I could unsolder and remove one leg at a time. I have a standard soldering iron and found it very difficult to heat up all 3 at once to remove the transistor as a whole.
Then you clean out the holes and install the new transistor & solder in place. It's a very easy repair, but a little fussy. To save myself $250-$300, I'd do it all day long.
I also took this opportunity to polish out the plastic lens because it was all milky looking. It came out crystal clear.
Attachment 14198
If your speedo is dead like mine and you've ruled out the simple stuff, why not give this a try. It's not going to get any more broken & hey, you might just fix it!
Good luck with your repair!
Take it all apart. I used a flat screwdriver to start prying the back of the bezel up, then used small flat pliers to carefully and evenly continue around the edge without wrecking it. The speed needle just pulls straight up.
Here's what's inside:
Attachment 14194
Attachment 14195
Attachment 14196
Those 3 legged guys are the things you want to unsolder and replace.
Attachment 14197
I found it easiest to nip the legs off with a small side cutter so I could unsolder and remove one leg at a time. I have a standard soldering iron and found it very difficult to heat up all 3 at once to remove the transistor as a whole.
Then you clean out the holes and install the new transistor & solder in place. It's a very easy repair, but a little fussy. To save myself $250-$300, I'd do it all day long.
I also took this opportunity to polish out the plastic lens because it was all milky looking. It came out crystal clear.
Attachment 14198
If your speedo is dead like mine and you've ruled out the simple stuff, why not give this a try. It's not going to get any more broken & hey, you might just fix it!
Good luck with your repair!