So this 01 sportsman 500 has been a basket case,just rebuilt the carb,replaced coil,fuel pump and axle,fired up runs great now......until....
Pulled back in the yard and hit the brakes pretty hard and it died...fires up after a few cranks pull it in the garage turn the headlights on and it dies....starts after a few cranks hit the headlights it sputters and dies.SO Im thinking a short in the wiring?I took pics of the wiring because the PO made a few changes and I have no idea why.The speedo lights up but doesnt work,the N and R ligts work fine.Can anyone tell me where on the coil I need to run 12v to make sure its hot so I can try to chase this down?I want to hotwire the ignition and see if it runs,then I can figure out where my issue is,Im thinking the switch with run/headlights may have a short?Any help appreciated!

 

Think you're getting close on the left control switch or the wiring leading from it down into the pod. You can take the switch apart,but usually springs pop out. If you don't have wiring diagram here's a pdf service manual that can help. Never liked the blue scotch locks the po used for wiring. All it takes is a little water to short things out.Index of /ORV Manuals/Polaris/Sportsman/1996 - 2001

 

Is the white wire connected by a spade connector on the coil the ignition hot wire?I want to run 12v to wherever I need to see if I can keep it from shutting down on me.

 

Look at the wiring schematic detail on your model. Shows the blue/white wire coming from the cdi module to the coil. Red wires are power wires,always hot. Red/white wires are hot only with the ignition turned on.

 

Do these things have resetting circut breakers?It acts like its tripping a breaker that resets after it cools down,.....

 

Can I bypass the CDI and run a hot wire to the coil?Do the CDI modules fail in this manner?

 

Again just use the manual.. Shows electrical resistance tests on the ignition system,particularly stator and coil tests to help track down problems.There's a 20 amp circuit breaker in plastic pouch close to the battery,but you need to find out what's tripping it. Item #2 Dirt Cheap Yamaha, Honda, Arctic Cat & Polaris OEM Parts & Accessories – Cycle Parts Warehouse

 

Ive got no spark now,I tried another coil no spark.I dont have a working Ohm meter so Im dead in the water,is this a CDI issue?

 

No power to the cdi so I started unhookin stuff...unplugged the speedo and boom it started....WTF?Can I leave it unhooked ntil I can afford to buy a used working one?

 

Get a cheap ohm meter to test the speedo harness wiring. Possibly a short in the wiring or in the speedo head itself. You can leave it unplugged,but you won't have awd unless you jump the brown/white speedo wire to ground(brown wire) or possibly do as this video shows.