The other night we were looking this thing over and a guy put his hand over the tailpipe and it did not give any resistance, did not even change the idle much. He said that means the cam lobes are worn and not allowing the valves to open all the way. He said he just replaced some a couple of weeks ago on a 02 700 that was doing the same thing. Then we took the the air filter off and saw gas being blown back into the air box.
I have no dought that the Ducuti ignition is going to fail and needs to be replaced at sometime, but before I replace it I want to know how to check it first. When I get back from the inlaws I am going to pull the valve cover and check the lobes to see if they are rounded off.
Not tryng to second guess any information from anyone, my luck is it has multiple issues.

 

The cam shaft is internal(middle of the engine) on the 700,NOT under the valve cover! All you will find is rocker arms, push rods and lifters!One of the reasons for gas in the air box on this atv is because it won't burn the fuel and sprays back into the box! I've seen this happen several times when this ignition fails!Replace the Ducati ignition and don't listen to this guy!He must be thinking of a 500 engine or he doesn't know the difference between the two! OPT

 

I hate it when different people tell me different things!
OPT I trust that you know your stuff, you helped me out with a 400L I had problems with last year.
Every post about the wiring on the 700 you tell people to fix the ignition and no one ever gets back with if it works or not. They do not post again so it must work.
I bought this 700 with the intent to fix it quick and cheap and sell it, so I hate dumping a pile of money into it so I may just sell it as is. I have a few people interested in it. If I do decide to fix it it does not sound that bad to do.
I really did not think that guy really know what he was talking about, but he was standing in front of it when it was happening. He must think that the 500 are the same as the 700. Thanks for all your help in the past and I know again in the future.

 

This why you need to study faults or problems or weakness of certain models before you try to buy one not running for the purpose of flipping it.Just do a search at the top of this page on 700 ignition problems and you will find a lot of posts on this. Several have reported back after replacing the ignitions! Just like buying a house for the same reason.You wouldn't want to buy one without at least an appraisal or close inspection. Always expect the unexpected on a machine not in running condition. OPT

 

Being a contractor I know what to look for on a house. On this quad I did not have the time to do the proper research like I normally do before I bought it. Worst case I will brake even. At least I will come away more informed. I might even fix it and end up liking it more than my King Quad 700.
Thanks for all the help.

 

Got home tonight from the inlaws and was ready to do something productive after sitting around the last couple of days. Started looking over the 700. Checked the oil just to do it. It was higher then before, so I looked closer and it was very thin as well. I thought that was odd because it was 25 degrees outside. Then realized it was full of gas.
Is this another common sign of the ignition? Just like the gas being blown out the intake because it is not being burned all the way? It also fills the crankcase like a badly flooded car.

 

If you have a worn/stuck needle and seat in the carb you can have problems with gas contaminating the oil. Whether this is your problem or part of it, the oil and filter need to be changed and the carb needs to be looked into,before any engine damage can happen from the thinned out oil. OPT

 

Hey

I ran across this post looking for a post I has seen earlier that was a little more on point.

I bought a 2002 Sportsman 700 that had been sitting for a few years. I changed all fluids, pulled the plugs, oiled the cylinders and she fired right up.

My question is, how long should it take for the cylinder oil
to purge itself? The older post I saw said it took quite a
While.

When I give it a good amount y of gas it will blow blue then
what looks to be carbon then back to blue?

Thanks

 

May be rings stuck if it sat for a long period of time or early symptoms of the Ducati ignition going out as the spark begins to weaken, not burning all the fuel,causing the smoking. Plus if you just pulled the plugs to oil the cylinders and didn't change em,replace them. Early models came with crappy Champions. Use NGK BKR7E plugs.

 

Can some one tell me how I can test to verify if my
cdi is bad on a 2004 Polaris Sportsman 700. The dealer
says its bad, the machine was parked and then just would
not start.

Thks