Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to include enough details to hopefully spark some ideas...

I have a 95 Sportsman 4x4 (400) that I just "inherited" from a relative. It has about 1100 miles on it (yeah, not many for a 95). It runs like a charm... except for one thing... the AWD does not work. The light "would" work if it wasn't blown (checked with a current tester). I have ordered another bulb for that (I was surprized that they actually have the bulb by itself without having to buy the entire AWD switch).

I searched high and low on the Internet (including this site) and really couldn't find any smoking gun. What I did gather from various comments and posts is that it "could be" the transmission switch. So... by golly... I set out to take a look at the Transmission Switch. When I got the panels off so I could see/get at the shifter box (the switch is in the shifter box), I noticed two things... the shifter was loose on its mount to the frame (jiggled around loosly, I thought that was just the way the stick was supposed to feel until I saw this) and the top of the shifter box, where the base of the shifter stick bolts to the top of the shifter box, was actually open about 1/8th of an inch (the screws had backed out that far). So, my theory is that because of the shifter not being all the way down tight, and because of the way the switch works like a "joystick", the problem might be solvable by just tightening the lid back down, which would align the "joystick" switch with the shifter properly, and hopefully operate the switch correctly. Still, since I had gotten this far, I figured I'd check the switch and put oil in the shifter case.

I used to be pretty handy as a mechanic about 20 years back, but I have been sitting at a desk since then, so my mechanical/electrical skills are a bit rusty, so bear with me. Long story short, I eventually got the Transmission Switch out of the shifter box (see image below, it is that little blue box hanging in front of the exhaust that looks like a joystick) and started testing the current to each wire with the switch in various positions. The way this switch works, it naturally "springs" to the center position, which I assume is neutral since the neutral light comes on when it is in this position. When in that position, I get 12v from the Red+White to the Green+White wire, as expected (refer to the wiring diagram below).

Now for the part that confuses me. I ALSO get 12v from Red+White to Gray+White and Red+White to Purple when in the "Neutral" position. If I pull the switch up or down, I do not get current to either of them. I would have expected them to be dark in the Neutral position, and light up in either the up or down positions, respectively, for "Forward" and "Reverse".

Can someone please tell me how this is supposed to work, or verify that this switch is either good or no good? I don't want to spend $100 on a switch that I don't need.

 

Red/white wire should be powered when in proper mode,n/r/l/hi,if doesn't have power except in neutral and neutral indicator lights up and no reverse light and connections at terminal board good,then possible switch bad. You have the newer version metal switch,not the old plastic switch that failed often. Normally red/white powered at all times with key switch on and toggling should complete ground circuit. Cant remember which model year that had to have awd indicator bulb to complete circuit also,could be your problem??? Just get the bulb and if it doesnt help,then switch more than likely bad. Plus after assembly if shifter has excessive slack,could contribute to problem.I've had a bunch of shifter units with too much slack that didnt engage switch properly and make good contact.If lever was pressed harder forward then awd would light up! Usually worked better in low range or reverse with over ride pushed in since thes gears were usually used less often! Dont know if this helps,plus the major reason gear indicator switch was moved to trans(where it should be) on later models which eliminated this problem. Good luck

 

Thanks for the info. I figured out the problem... actually the problemS...

First, as I mentioned, the gear selector top was not tightly bolted down, so the shifter "ball" was not seated tightly down in the "socket" (it is a typical ball and socket design). Since the "joystick" style switch is operated by having the tip of the joystick in a small hole in the ball, and since the ball is not exactly in place, the tip of the switch slipped out of the ball. Once that happened, the ball then pushed the switch slightly back away from the ball. The switch is held in place by a rubber grommet which is squeezed against the switch wires by the tightened lid to keep it from slipping back, and since the lid was not tight, the switch slid back and was no longer engaging with the shifter ball... hence... no signal from the switch when shifting gears.

Second, apparently the previous owner (my cousin) tried to fix the problem by messing with the electrical switchboard. He accidentally plugged the purple (reverse) wire into the AWD (gray & white) cluster instead of the reverse cluster, creating a completed circuit to the power on both sides of the transmission switch whether it is in forward or reverse, causing the reverse light to come on (and my test light) for both forward and reverse switch positions.

After seating the switch properly and tightening the gear selector cover properly, and moving the purple wire in the electrical switchboard to the correct post, everything appears to be working as it should.

Unfortunately, I couldn't actually test the AWD because I just now got it put back together to a point that I can actually ride it, and it is midnight here and my neighbors probably wouldn't appreciate me buzzing around the yard this late.

I'll post another update once I have tested tomorrow afternoon after work. My fingers are crossed... I am pretty sure I have it solved.

Thanks again for the reply.

 

Jack all 4 wheels up and press awd button in gear,see if front wheels turn,if not then small awd bulb will complete circuit. I think 95 models still used the bulb as final connection,but maybe not! Good luck

 

I don't have the facilities at the moment to take that approach. First, I am doing the work in the basement (it is currently below zero here), and I can't crank it "indoors", so I have to push it outside to run it (got some nice double "french" doors down there). Second, I don't have the jacks and/or jackstands needed for that (yet). The good news is that I have a nice 6 inch layer of snow outside, and some large snowbanks from the plowing that has been done by someone else, so I can put my plow blade up against a snowbank with AWD off, spin the back wheels, then let off the gas, hit the AWD button, and try again. If it is working, then I should see the front wheels spin (or push the snow or climb the bank, or some combination of those). In two-wheel mode, it is very easy to make the back tires spin in this scenario (which is how I knew it was not working in the first place), so I should see some clear difference if it is working.

I have already ordered the AWD switch bulb, so if it is not working without the bulb, I'll try again when I get the bulb in the next few days. I don't think it requires the bulb, because I did some testing with a test light and it seemed that the current was coming across the switch even without the bulb in there... but as I mentioned, I might not be using the test light properly (pretty sure I am, but the test will prove it one way or the other).

Thanks again for the follow up... I really appreciate it. I'll post again later tonight with the results from the "bulbless" test.

 

It works!!!

So, we now know that, at least for the 95 Sportsman, you don't have to have a good bulb in the AWD switch on the handlebars for the AWD to work. I did notice while testing it that it was annoying (outside in the dark) to have to feel the button to remember if it was on or off, but at least it worked, and I was actually amazed with how awesome the AWD works.

By the way, if anyone else has problems with AWD on a 95 Polaris Sportsman, ignore all the stuff you see posted all over the Internet about how it might be a problem with the Speedometer. The speedometer on the 95 model has nothing to do with the electrical system (or the AWD system) whatsoever. The only wires in the speedo are to a light bulb. The wiring diagram I posted in my initial post is accurate.

Anyway, thanks for the help. I am starting to really dig this four-wheeler.