I bought a clean 02 Sportsman 500 HO and the odometer and hour meter wasn't working. Guy told me it was hit and miss with him, but both the hours and miles were very low. Got it home pull started it (needed a new battery too) and the digital gauge was faint, but there. I was able to confirm 200 miles 100 hours. Put a new battery on it and it sometimes the digital read pops right up after turning the key and the next time it won't show anything at all. I pulled the gauge off and cleaned the wires, but it all looks like its sealed pretty tight, so I can't actually go into the housing itself... which makes sense. Any ideas before I go swapping this gauge? I hate to do that cause the miles are low and I'm sure I won't find a used one that reads close to mine. The speedometer works great.

 

I would follow the wires down and take apart at all the connections clean them and put dielectric grease in them follow it all the way back as far as you can (hopefully all the way to the battery) it may have wiggled loose or got some moisture in it cleaning and inspecting all connections could find and fix your problem

 

I looked at it more tonight and think my speed sensor may have been going bad and it fully crapped out. My speedo isn't working at all now either. Can someone confirm if the odometer and hour meter will totally go out (meaning no display at all) if the speed senor is bad?

 

Usually just the speedometer portion and miles accumulated will go out if the speed sensor craps out,but you can always pull the speed sensor connection and see if the speedo lights up and everything else works. Anythings possible with electronics! OPT

 

I'm not following you on unplugging my speed sensor and seeing if it lights up? I can uplug the sensor, but what will I be looking for if it does or doesn't light up? The gauge light itself does illuminate, but that's the only thing the entire gauge is doing now. No speedo, odometer, or hours... at all, not even ones that stand still. I swapped a sensor a few months, but I'm starting to think it read the hours and miles, they just wouldn't log, which is what you just confirmed. I looked through my manual and couldn't find anything out of place on my wiring diagram and I can't see a fuse that links into the gauge cluster.

Is there a way to test the gauge?

 

That's what I meant by unplugging the speedo sensor plug from the gauge to see if it was shorting out the rest of the gauge! If the gauge doesn't illuminate and no functions shown and you have power on the main red wire at all times coming into the main harness of the speedo,then it could be the gauge needs to be replaced. Especially if you eliminated any wiring shorts that could be the problem. I've replace them before so it's not an isolated problem.The gauge can short out the same as any electrical component can. OPT

 

I got you, so one connector could be shorting the other. I'll try that before buying any parts. Thanks

 

I dropped by the Polaris dealership this afternoon and actually talked them into letting me go back in the shop and hook my gauge up to a 2001 they had. The one on it worked fine... mine did not. Unless there's something internally different between the 01 vs 02, then mine seems to be fried.

Anyone have a good 02 Gauge for a Sportsman 500 4x4?

 

$290 at Cycle Parts Warehouse. You might try some salvage yards if any are around or Ebay,but you would be taking a chance that you might end up with another bad one. OPT