Locked starter
 

Everything seemed fine on my 1998 Polaris Trailblazer 250 when I went for a short ride. But after I turned it off at home, and later tried to start it, it seemed locked up! Using the starter button I only am getting 2 clicks, but the motor doesn't turn over. When I try the starter rope, likewise the motor seems locked up -- can't pull the rope more than 3 or 4 inchess. What could possibly cause this? It never had a problem starting, particularly with the hand start rope.

by any chance id you seize the engine?? you could pull the spark plug out (no compression) and try to turn it over with the rope. worse case pull the clutch cover off and try to turn the primary clutch by hand. if it does not move then the engine froze most likely. is the oil injection working? look at the end of the plug to see if any metal is melted to it from the piston/rings. just a couple of things to check

Thanks for the suggestions. I took out the sparkplug, & still can't turn the motor. The sparkplug looks normal, just a little carbon on it.
Then I took off the clutch cover, and the primary clutch will not turn.
I don't know if the oil injection failed. There is oil in the reservoir that I had been topping off, and the amount used seemed normal. Could a hose or some fitting have split or leaked so the engine wasn't getting oil? Also, when I last rode it last week, the engine didn't seem abnormally hot, and I let it idle a bit before turning it off.
Any other possibilities that would cause the motor to lock up -- some gear in the electric starter/pull start mechanism?
Thanks again

it does not sound too good. if you cant turn the clutch in either direction it sounds like the engine seized or the crank bearings did. the only way the starter could be the issue is if you actually tried to use it and it stuck out to engage and did not retract. but you would have heard it. it is possible that the injection pump stopped and it wouldn't take very long before the damage was done. you could pop the recoil starter off to just to be sure but I'm leaning towards an engine failure.

:yup: It sounds like it's seized. If it didn't get any oil the piston could feel like it's welded to the cylinder.