Hey guys. This is an issue my father just reported to me. Wondering if you guys have any thoughts or ideas? I pretty handy on the mechanical side, but electrical stuff still stumps me. Sounds like a short in the starter though. Here you go:

"I really hope I don’t have to spend the money and put the wheeler in the shop. Long story short. Did a bunch of snowplowing and on the very last push, I got the wheeler stuck and had to run out the winch cable to a fence post to pull me out. Once I put a load on the winch, I had no power. Battery stone cold dead. New battery…….6 months old. Just wore it down using it, I guess. I put my good battery charger on the battery………yes all was connected correctly……..and read the charger manual to make sure it handled motorcycle batteries…….and the manual made many references to how that charger was ok for motorcycle batteries. I got the battery charged up a little, started the wheeler and pulled the wheeler out with the winch. Hooked the cable back on the plow and rode it into the garage. Pulled the battery out and put in on the Battery Tender Jr for two days, red light for several hours charging and then steady green for most of the two days.

Here’s the problem. I hook up the positive terminal with the red wires. No problem. The second I hit the negative terminal with the black cable, the starter kicks in. As long as I have the negative post hooked up, the starter turns the engine over and over, no matter what I do……….the kill button, and it still turns over………..the key out, and it still turns over. I put the key in and just turn the key to “on” and the wheeler immediately starts running correctly…….and will stay running properly for as long as I want. But the second I turn the bike off and/or hit the kill button, the starter engages and it cranks and cranks until I disconnect a battery terminal.

I even swapped the second small wire that goes to each terminal on top of the main red and black cables, thinking maybe I had a hot wire on a cold terminal, but that didn’t do anything. I am 99.9% sure I have everything hooked up correctly. I’m not that stupid.

I sure hope you have an idea or a contact who can tell me what’s what with this."

Thanks in advance.

Dane

 

I don't no what year Sportsman you have but my 01 Magnum got to a point that the switch would stick and it would keep cranking after it started. The button would drop back down but the switch would stay engaged. If it is the older one that has the starter switch and the kill switch built together take a look at that. All I did was use some contact cleaner and lubricant but make sure it is the type that you can use around plastic. Other than that I have no Idea.

 

Thanks for the response. It is a 2004 Sportsman 500 H.O.

 

sounds like the solenoid is fuse inside causing a direct connect to power to the starter.

 

I agree, sounds like the solenoid is stuck/fused closed. Try tapping on the solenoid with a plastic hammer or screw driver handle to break it loose.

Wenty

 

thanks guys.........I try those steps first thing tomorrow.