Hi. Never had an ATV before, never posted here, but since my boys insisted, I bought them an ATV to learn and to ride.

Picked up a TrailBlazer - so far so good. Well, almost good - low compression, unadjusted carb, etc. But the neutral switch worked, the key would activate the solenoid and engage the starter, all parts and pieces were there. That's the end of the good part

So far:

1) On the way home, the seat flew away - no problem, bought a another one.
2) Low Compression: got Wesico piston and rings, had a local shop bore out the cylinder (20 over), put it all together - so far so good.
3) Oil reservoir was missing, and the previous owner was mixing gas/oil @ 40:1 - yes, I read about pluses/minuses of removing the the Oil Injection system and decide that this is the route I want to go. Ordered the block kit (block plate, throttle cable, gear replacement insert) - should be here soon.

Current issues: After I reassembled the cylinder, the ATV starts, idles, runs ... BUT...

1) Neutral switch DOES not seem to activate the green light
2) Because (I assume) of #1, key does not activate the relay/solenoid, thus I need to use recoil to start
3) Headlight works ONLY when the RED kill switch is in the run position, and the key is turn - that's good, indicates that these switches do work
4) Sometime the engine starts revving up (throttle cable is tight) and nothing can shut off the ATV - not the kill switch, not the key. I need to shut off the gas supply to kill the engine. Immediate restart (usually) fixes the issue for few minutes, then it starts to rev up again. --- When running normally, both the kill switch and/or the key kills the ATV.
5) REVERSE not engaging - sounds like it's shifting into the gear, but nothing happens - tried with and without the override YELLOW button. Previous owner stated that reverse did work a couple of times - I will try to adjust the linkage - maybe that would help.

Questions:
1) How to test the neutral switch? I need it to work, as this safety feature is important for 12 year old boys.
2) Why would it REV UP and not come down? ... as if the jet needle get stuck, but that makes no sense, as throttle cable is tight and the spring should push down the needle.
3) Reverse not working - what to check/do. Any instructions on how to adjust the linkage?

Any suggestions? Any ideas?

Thanks,

Vlad

 

Too many problems for my fingers,but if the engine is revving up,an air leak from the intake manifold or crank seals can be the cause or the carb slide is sticking. Reverse is gear to gear not driven by the internal chain like the forward range. The dogs on the reverse gear or the gear itself may be broken. This requires tearing into the gear case.The best thing on this is to have a manual plus it can pin point electrical problems with the trouble shooting guides and wiring diagram.It can pay for itself many times over if you plan on keeping the atv.Best 5 bucks you could spend.2003 Polaris Trail Blazer 250 Service Manual PDF Download

 

Good point. I will check the air intake and crank seal leaks. Tearing into the gear box does not sound like a fun thing, but if required, it shall be done. Manual - buying it right now.

 

Couple of updates:
1) The manual is AWESOME!!!
2) After testing all the switches (on ATV and off ATV), and after tracing most of the wires, the issue turned out to be a bad connection on the plug for the left side kill switch. Once it was corrected - all electrical started working as it should
3) Revving up: I realized that I was missing a gasket between the needle and the carb slide - once I made a new gasket, never had that issue again.
4) Still no reverse, but everything else works!

Vlad

 

See why I push manuals all the time.. If they don't directly lead you to the problem area it can help you trace down where the problem may be. I've had the same problem on left control switches that were dirty or the connector pins not making a good contact which will cut power to the machine.