Bought a 06 450 with ecm issues
 

So I scored an 06 sportsman 450, for $500.
I knew about a lot of the issues with this machine before I bought it, but there was no way I was passing it up.
Buddy who I bought it from, got sick of the electrical issues. Kept killing batteries, etc.
He did the recall for the ecm back in 2008, but I am about 100% sure it's junk again.
I charged the battery up, and turned the key, and nothing at all happens. No lights, no clicks, nothing at all.
So I call the polaris dealer, and tell them the ecm that was replaced is shot, and they tell me that they haven't heard anything about the replacements being bad. I have read all over about people putting 3 of these things in before getting it to work.
So, a few questions.
Does this sound like your typical dead ecm?
Should the dealer have to warranty the part, due to it being a safety recall?
I can pick one up for $150, but does it need to be flashed to the bike by the dealer anyways?

This dealer is full of it... I've had to replace multiple US made Sure Power ecms on the same machines that have failed. Dealers will only replace the Chinese ecm on a one time basis. Any other failures are out of the owners pockets. Key on,no power,lights,etc,sounds like another one has failed. All the circuit breakers and several other functions are controlled by this box. Don't over look the battery if it's been constantly drained down. Have it load tested if in doubt to its condition.

Ok, will do. Thanks.
Do you know if it needs to be flashed/programmed to the bike? Or is it just plug and play?

Just plug and play. Have the battery disconnected first before you install a new one. As an extra check you can also see if the switch has power on the red or red/black wire to eliminate it being a switch problem.Also the speedo will have one voltage on one wire at all times for memory. If the switch doesn't have power then sounds most likely that another ecm has failed.

It's ALIVE!
New ECM came today. About 20 mins later, hit the key, and it fired right up.
Now the real question, is how long before this one fails?
Still, couldn't be happier. I have $150 into the ECM, and another $14 for a tie rod. Next is fluid changes, and grease it up.

Some ECMs last for years and years. Some don't. Cross your fingers and hope for the best.

I will say, that I'm having a hard time understanding why polaris hasn't gotten to the bottom of this issue. Thousands of the sportsmans out there, and youre telling me that they dont have some rocket doctor working there that can figure out this problem already?! Ive been a true polaris fan with atvs, and snowmobiles, but after this, things may have to change.

Find a later model... 2009 models they went back to a plain old regulator/rectifier.

Very true, and I understand that. But, with how many of these things have burnt up, I guess I would figure they would have came up with a solution for the owners of them.
Just venting a little.
Thank you guys for your help though, I appreciate it.

This is from what I had to go through.
Polaris sent a "test kit" that comprised of really nothing more than a load tester for the Chinese ecms. If they passed the load test,you placed a green dot on the ecm and sent it on it's way. After doing dozens and dozens of these from all the maxchines we sold along with machines from other dealers,they came out with the bulletins to change them all.. I changed ALL the Chinese ecms that came into the shop and then started having random machines coming back that had problems on the US made modules.Then more and more machines came in and Polaris said it would only honor a one time replacement. That was their solution to the ecm problem..

There were well over a million Sportsmans sold and most of them were good but they really messed up when they made them with the ECM that was too complicated.

I didn't notice this at first..Even I would have picked this one up at this price. 500 bucks,150 for an ecm, don't think you should be worried as this is a machine that's worth around $2800-$3000 if in decent shape. The ecm may last a long time but even if it doesn't you don't have one good reason not to smile.. :)

That's the way I see it also. Even if I have to put another one in, it's a super easy repair. $150 isn't bad, wish it was a little cheaper for the reliability factor, but I'm happy.

......and it's dead again.
Made 3 passes around my house with it the first night. Parked it, went to start it this morning, and there is absolutely nothing again. Frustrating.
I should mention it also has a shutoff on the battery, that I also had turned off.

You have some other problem than an ecm itself sounds like.. This is where a wiring harness may have to come into play. Either that or spend hrs trying to track down what's causing the ecm to go south. Before I splurged on that I'd do a stator check from the manual. That may be the cause of the whole ecm problem.

Ok, I'll start there. I don't suppose you would happen to have a link for the stator check, would you?

2006 Polaris Sportsman 450 Service Manual PDF Download 5 bucks and well worth the price.

Thank you sir. :thumbsup:

Just wondering before I tear into this.
Do you think then, that the new ecm worked for that first ride, but the stator could have fried it in that short little ride?

That's kinda my thinking or you have a problem in the wiring harness or possibly even the ecm harness connector. The stator tests can help on this part. A general test is to check all the yellows leading from the stator into the ecm. Should be some resistance between each other with no yellow shorting to ground. Not entirely fool proof,but a start.The manual goes deeper into stator trouble shooting.

I'll get back. Having multimeter issues as well now.

Would you happen to know the size of the flywheel puller I am going to need?

You can rent these harmonic balancer pullers at most auto stores for a small refundable deposit if you don't want to buy one. Takes three 8mm bolts about 2.5-3 inches long. These are in included in most kits. Procedure is the same as shown on this 700 flywheel beginning at the 3:40 mark.Air impact is needed.

Ok, finally got around to wrenching on it again.
So I got another ecm sent to me under warranty, and put a new stator in as well. Buttoned it up, and no dice.
No power at all again.
I pulled the ignition switch off, and I am getting 12.75v to it. I'm just not sure where to test from there. I just ordered a new switch, because it's cheap.
I don't like throwing parts at this problem, but seems like something to try.
I wish it just ran like crap, I can fix that. This electrical mumbo jumbo......leaves me feeling pretty defeated.

And thank you for the help on the stator removal, very helpful.

If you are at least getting power to the switch,then like you mentioned the switch could be bad.Would seem the left control switch is working ok,no problems there.Not an uncommon thing to happen as I've had to replace ignition switches also. Hope that's the problem. IF the switch doesn't help,then you need to check the switch connector and its wiring harness along with the wiring under the front panel for any shorts. One common area was around the headlight pod wiring.

I'm starting to lose my patience with this thing now. Of course, new switch did nothing.
When I put my multimeter on the wires from the ecm, they all have 12.75v. Not sure what that really means.
Starting to feel pretty defeated on this one, hate to do it, but I may have to take it in to see if I'm missing something.

Sometimes best to let an experienced tech look at it rather than guessing. He may be able to trace down the problem fairly easily.

So today, I was getting it ready, to go to a mechanic.
I tried to take the kill switch apart, to look for anything out of the ordinary, and was welcomed with tiny springs, ball bearings, etc., all over my garage floor.
So, I figured I would order up another one, so he didn't have to deal with that. I put it on today, and for shits and giggles, I turned the key.......and it came on. Couldn't believe my eyes.
Took it for a couple laps around the house, and it ran great. Seems like everything is charging, getting 15.5v while running.
I guess I'll see if it still starts tomorrow.

OPT would know for sure but I don't think the voltage is supposed to be that high.

Strange that you said you had voltage to the ignition switch as the left control switch supplies power to it and cuts power to everything when in the off position. Guess this control switch had an intermittent short in it. The charging rate is a little higher than normal,but see how it does for a few days.

It's still running today. Going to go ahead and mount up the plow, and throw a winch on it now. (Definitely keeping my snowblower in tip top shape, as I don't trust this four wheeler one bit.)
I am going to install one of the digital automotive volt meters, so I can keep a closer eye on it, while working the machine.
Thank you all for your help on this, really a big help. You guys have a lot of knowledge on these things, so thanks for sharing it with me.
I'll keep you posted on what breaks next.:nod:

Aw,come on be a little more positive.. :)

Just joking. I've been a Polaris fan for years. Haven't been on anything new, but my favorite has been a 04 sportsman 700 twin. Love the power that it has. Ride Polaris sleds as well.
This 450 will do exactly what I want it to now. Plow, and drag deer. Should last me a long time, now that i got the cluster to light up, it only has 600 miles on it.:D

Have you checked the voltage again? It should be charging around 14 volts when it's running, not 15.5.

Key on.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/atvconn...2f9f0d6100.jpg

Running.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/atvconn...2bb0310d9e.jpg

Looks good enough to me. 12 volt batteries are roughly 12.6 volts when they're fully charged. They have 6 cells that are 2.1 volts each, give or take a little. If it starts okay that's all that ever matters to me. The original 6 year(?) battery in my truck lasted 10 years but finally crapped out in the winter. Not enough cold cold cranking amps. My ATV is overdue for a new battery but I'm just keeping my eye on it for now. Sitting there not running for several months drained it and I haven't fully charged it yet. 14.4 volts while it's running is okay but it's toward the high end.