Hi All,

I have a 2007 Polaris 500 Sportsman and it has started having starter issues. First it started just free spinning at the starter and not engaging so I did all the normal tests on Battery etc. first and battery is good and all connections fine....

It will pull start in one pull, but now rope is not returning properly either.

I as yet do not have a manual, but can wrench just fine just looking for some advise on where to start.

OK on the starter issue, relay, solenoid or starter? are there any common issues with this model I should look at first.

Pull start, Can it be lubed or cleaned while attached or will it need to be opened up to service?

Thanks in advance for any help...Bill

 

sounds like the starter drive is seized up. common problem on the two stroke models. not sure on the differences. On th two-strokes water acculmulates in the recoil housing causing this.

 

theres a bendix inside the recoil housing that goes bad sometimes, it won't spring out to turn the flywheel when u hit the starter, while ur in there u can try to lube the recoil rope, but u may have to wind the spring back in there to get the rope tight, make sure ur putting the rope handle all the way back on, water gets in there and messes a lot of things up if u don't

 

Bendix less than $100 bucks and can be changed in 1/2 hour your be good to go .

 

Looks like this may be all my issues in one... I pulled the drain plug after seeing the pull rope was wet and rusty water drained out So now looks like I will have to pull the cover and clean/replace as needed.

Anything to watch for when pulling cover or will it simply unbolt and come right off? Guess I will be needing to get a manual.

 

Cover will come right off and the bendix can be pulled out a little and wiggled out past the flywheel. Clean up any rust/corosion in recoil and around fly wheel. Check that the small metal caps that the bendix rides in inside the cover and cranckase are not cracked/chipped(can cause bendix problems).Dab a little grease at both ends of new bendix and at top of bendix cap as the new ones are usually pretty dry.. PLUS a little trick on extending bendix life is to crank with left hand and as engine starts,BLIP the throttle lever which will kick the bendix back a little quicker away from the flywheel (Common thing is bendix wear on 500 engine as torque when starting is sometimes not enough to allow bendix to retract and you can hear bendix still engaged when engine cranks) OPT

 

Thanks so much for the input folks! Bendix is kerput and waiting on a new one and in the meantime I will clean up the rusty mess and check the caps as suggested. This turned out to be very easy to do, much easier than changing a bendix on my old Shovelhead...

 

Silicon the rope handle in place over the rope hole and water will never get in the recoil again.

The rope handle does a terrible job on its own to keep dirty water out. There is a $300 plus stator inside the recoil also that hates to get wet and dirty.

 

There is an idea and will do it! Is there something safe cleaner wise I can spray behind the flywheel to clean the rust from the stator and area behind it? Just hate leaving it in there, but also want not to have to remove the flywheel....

Bendix will be in today and will be putting her back together.

 

I used electrical spray cleaner.