I guess the problem is the alternator since it runs with battery connected but not at all even when I pull start it.

 

tsethp you have to have a battery that has a few volts in to run the DC ignition system on your machine tsethp. The charging system on these machines will not keep it running with the battery unhooked.the ignition system draws power right from the battery on a polaris with dc ignition.check voltage out put with the machine running to see if stator is working right.

 

Dont turn any lights on without the battery in it, it will blow all the bulbs, battery acts as a buffer.

 

my neighbors 2000 500 scrambler runs with no battery. I guess our systems are different. I will check output voltage when I get home from work this afternoon and report back. I did put my battery on trickle charge last night. So it ought to run it. If not I will get a new battery. Any of you all have any suggestions on what would be the best kind or where to find one. There is a polaris dealer about 30 miles away. Is it necessary to run polaris brand batteries?

 

Will a bad battery affect charging? What causes these to go bad?

 

I bought a new 2008 400 HO, , now I am having battery problems, only 80 hours on my machine,first big problem is, I cant get to it, anyone come up with an easy way to get to this battery??

 

Definitely a bad battery......had the same problem with my '08. No amount of idling or battery tending would bring the battery back to life once it gets to this point. Replace the battery and then don't forget to place the red kill switch on the LH control to the off position after you key off the ignition switch. I suspect that there is an unintended draw on the battery that persists despite the ignition switch being keyed off. Putting the kill switch to the off position decouples the system and stops this drain. This trick has worked for many to save batteries by all of the 400HO owners I know.

A battery tender is also a good idea and this bike is well set up to use one.

All in all changing a battery on this buggy sucks so do everything you can to avoid this. When changing the battery removing the RH inner fender and LH side panel is necessary at a minimum. I've not tried jack standing the vehicle and removing the RH front tire but it looks like this would make the job easier as well.....mainly by allowing you to see what the heck you are doing instead of working by feel. In short there is exactly one way that the aluminum battery strap and plastic batter cover comes off. You can pull the black battery cover out of the vehicle to give you more room to work but don't remove the aluminum strap....just move it out of the way.

By the way.....if you are planning to put on a winch now is the time to do it to avoid having to repeat this battery access circus.

 

Thank you for all the help, I was hoping on a miracle to get the battery removed, I cant believe it. I was wondering about that kill switch, great Idea to shut it off!! Thanks again, Tom

 

Overall I love the small Sportsman 400HO though.....small, easy to manuever, plenty of power but with good throttle control & traction due to the starting clutch design. A bit noisy but this doesn't bug me too much. A great all-around machine for the right type of rider....it just does what an ATV is supposed to do without all the ego.

I've had two of these, an '08 and '10. A shame that this small frame model got axed this year!

 

had this exact same issue a while back with my 400HO, took a little time to narrow down the posibilities, (I hate electrical problems), it ended up being a short in the contactor for the winch! Found this out after switching out the battery and checking everything else for shorts!
A week of my life I won't get back!!!

Cheers