Went riding with the family in Mark Twain National Forest today and at probably the farthest point from my truck... with wifey and 4 kiddies on two other quads... my 2000 Sportsman 500 decided it did not want to start! I would turned the key, got the electric on, but when pressing the starter button only got a CLICK, CLICK from the solenoid.

At risk of hyper-extending my wrists - GEEZE I HATE DOING THIS - I used the recoil start the rest of the day.

When I got home, I remembered a trick my Grandpa taught me on old trucks - tapping on the starter with a hammer. So... I used a long socket extender and TAP TAP TAPed on my starter...

What do you know! The darn ATV started right up after that! And did fine, repeatedly, afterward!

So my question to anyone out there...

What does tapping on the starter mean? Do I have pending problems coming later? Is there something I can do now?

Though this quad has never had the opportunity, he he he, to be in more than about 4 inches of water, I do plan on checking the recoil plug. Is there anything else I can do?

Thanks in advance!!!

My pictures -> Click here....

 

I myself wouldn't worry about it. It could mean more problems later but, it wouldn't suprise me to see it go for years before it ever does it again.

Mine is actually doing the same thing now but, it is a 96 300. I rebuilt the motor this spring and while I had the engine apart, I took the starter apart to see how it looked inside. It was absolutely disgusting inside. I cleaned it all out and noticed that the brushes were completely gone. Being in a hurry to put it back together, that is what I did. I only got a couple of months out of it before it started doing the same thing again. I know it needs new brushes to make it work right again. They cost about $40 but, you get the whole plate that they are on. I just don't feel like taking it out because it is a pain in the a$$.

By the way, a friend of mine broke his arm while trying to pull start his Sportsman. All I can say is, if you have to pull start it, don't touch the gas while you are pulling it because that cancels the compression release in mid pull. A friend of ours leaned over and hit the gas while the other guy was pulling it. The motor kicked back on him and took his arm with it while he was still pulling it. We still laugh at him for breaking his arm," pull starting his wheeler."