It seems like everytime I post, its a problem on my 2000 500 Sportsman. No, I'm not going for a record. With a fully charged battery, starter does not move when trying to start. At first noticed when it was running that the speedo was dead. Then it died, and would not start. I managed to get it started with the rip cord. Is there a main fuse on this system? I couldn't find any loose wires under the headlamp pod or anywhere. What about the solenoid? Anyone have this problem before?

 

Swack, It sounds to me like the main power wire is not making good contact, or there is an open in it. Take a small jumper wire, and touch it to the bat + terminal, and touch it to the small terminal on the starter solenoid, ( under the plastic, close to the battery) The starter should crank. This will prove that the wire is opened or not connected. If this does not work, e-male me back. We will think some more on it.
Later, Dave

[This message has been edited by Pasqualie (edited 01-24-2000).]

 

Make sure the key is turned COMPLETELY to the on position.Sometimes your key ring will hit the gas tank cap and knock out everything and the engine will still run and start.====BILL

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Sounds stupid, but it could be dirt. I couldn't get my starter switch to work either. I ride a lot of mud, and I could see all the dirt in the switch. So I took it apart and cleaned it. Works better than new now.

 

Okay, after a little prodding with a VOM, found out that solenoid is okay, now, found an interesting thing. Theres a small black plastic wrapped eggroll lookalike enclosed elebtronic breaker that goes "tick...tock" and then 10 seconds of silence, ehn it repeats. New dealer said the switch I am hearing is trying to reset. Bad time to have no truck to get it in to get checked out. I fabricated a letter to Polaris, to be sent snail mail explaining all of the problems I've had, but I didn't ask for anything. Not sure what to ask for. New quad? Free quad? I'm not the threatening type, so bashing on the net is not worth it, plenty out there already, right?

 

My bet is on Bill’s theory. Charge your battery, take anything you have hanging on your ignition key off. A slight bump to the key will turn the electrical system off. After that the quad will run until the spark plug runs the battery down to nothing.

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FloodRunner, on the Wisconsin River

 

SWAC,E-mail?New quad?Free quad?You can forget all that BS.Polaris only understands one thing ''LAWYER'' Floodrunner can tell you of the problems I went thru with my quad.It was'nt pretty.It is now running fine and im keeping my fingers crossed.Do you by chance have another dealer you can take your quad to for repair?List all your problems,and call Polaris customer service at 1612-417-8650.Tell the rep of your utter dis-appointment,ask for his name.When you bring the quad in for repair to the dealership,bring up the Polaris reps name for the mechanic to refer back to.Keep ALL your repair records,and make damn sure that the dealership lists ALL of them on the repair order.Best of luck,your now happy Sportsman owner===BILL

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Thanks Bill! I still intend on sending mail to Polaris, attn President or CEO. I don't mean to raise a big fuss about everything, but 7 different problems with a machine after 54 days of owning it...I've had it and mad as hell. I can't afford the lawyer way, but if I MENTION it in a letter, just possibly they may catch wind of my disgust. I remember from posts of mine before about the relationship between manufacturer and the end consumer. I'd be scared as hell if my products were defective and my customers were beyond irate. Should have studied politics and law in school.

 

SWAC, did you notice what your digital odometer was doing while experiencing this problem?

 

S, If that noise is the circuit breaker that you hear trying to reset, then, you have to elimanate circuits. When you find the circuit that is causing the problem( GROUND), then all of the other circuits will come back on-line. Then you need to trace that circuit out and try to find the problem. Usually it is a bare wire or such. I would say that you should do this before you scream at the dealer, as it may be due to a stick, or something that did the damage. If it was a stick, that would not be covered under the warrantee. I had my left front wheel stop pulling the other day, and when I took the wheel off to see, I found the wire torn in half, and the caliper hose bent. Since I normally mow down sagebrush that is 5 feet tall, I can see how it could happen. Good luck, Dave