My Sportsman 400 won't start anymore with the switch, just a nice loud CLICK.
My battery is at 12.5V cold, so seems like it's fully charged. I read about bypassing the solenoid or something. I want to ask if I have this right:

The solenoid has 3 connectors, two long ones and one short one. I believe I want to short across the two long ones, correct? DO I do this with the key on or off? And once I try to start it, if it starts, this indicates the solenoid is good?

Thank you.

 

Load test the battery first after you have charged it over night. Any auto supply can do this or you can check yourself with a meter to see if it needs to be replaced or not.https://www.batterystuff.com/blog/ho...ry-is-bad.html If the battery is ok check for voltage on the starter wire of the solenoid when it clicks. If there is 12 volts,then the starter or connection could be bad. If there is no voltage transferred to the starter wire,just get a new solenoid.

 

Thanks OPT.

Did the multimtere test, 12.5V, press the starter and hear a cick, still 12.5V, hold the strater for 20 seconds, STILL 12.5V. So nothing being pulled from the battery it seems.

I then jumped the solenoid and the starter started cranking.

Sounds like I need a new solenoid. Does just about any brand work?

Thanks.

 

Google search for your year model on ebay or amazon. Check for one that looks like yours. Most are cheap.Here's several examples.Polaris solenoids | eBay

 

I never bought anything from eBay but have had good luck finding a lot of things on Amazon. They have Polaris starter solenoids starting at $6.99 for Sportsman 400s. There are others $1 cheaper that may or may not work if you just search for Polaris ATV starter solenoid and don't put the model in.

 

Thanks, found the solenoid, but still won't turn the ATV. I do see a voltage drop now whenI hit the start button so at least power is being used for starting. Gonna put the battery on the charger overnight and see if that juices it up. Battery is less than 1 year old.

Oddly, yesterday when I tried to start it, I could see a little wisp of smoke come off one of the solenoid terminals. I did it again and same thing. I thought the nut might be loose and me, not being very bright, tried to tighten it with my fingers....(let's see I just saw wisps of smoke come off this nut...nah won't be hot).

I tightened everything up real snug, so I hope this will be the fix once I get the battery amped up!

 

Battery may be the root of the problem even if it's only a year old. Once charged check the voltage drop at the battery. If it drops below 9.5 volts,the battery is toast.

Load Test the Battery

Your local automotive shop is more than able to load test your battery for you. But it's quite easy to do at home. All you need is a digital voltmeter. For any load test to be accurate, the battery must be fully charged. Let's use a motorcycle battery for an example. Remove the seat and expose the battery in your bike so that you have access to the terminals. Do not disconnect the battery because you will attempt to start the bike. Hold the prongs of your voltmeter to the correct terminals on the battery. Now push the starter button and watch what the voltage drops to. It doesn't matter if the bike starts or not, what you're looking for is a voltage reading.

DC VoltageA healthy 12 volt motorcycle battery should maintain a range from 9.5 - 10.5 volts under the load for a good 30 seconds straight. If the battery begins to hold and then steadily drops in voltage, there is a problem. If the voltage instantly drops to 0 volts, that is also a problem. We call this the open cell. On a new battery, this can be a result of manufacturing flaws, but it also may be caused by sulfate crystal buildup. Under the intense heat of the load, one or more of the weld pieces connecting the cells is coming loose and separating. This will cut the current, and voltage will drop. When the battery cools off, the pieces will touch, barely giving a complete connection. This gives you a false voltage reading. Batteries with open cells may read fully charged in idle, but they fail under a load test every time. Once a battery reaches this point, there is no going back. The best thing to do is recycle the thing.

 

SO fully charged battery, press START, just clicks. Voltage falls instantly from 12.5 to 9.2 and stays there...
Battery? Something else?

 

Battery is toast if voltage drops that low. Replace it and see if that's the root of the problem. You still may have a faulty solenoid but take it one step at a time.

 

OK, brand new fully charged battery, turns my son's 4 ATV over no problem.

Mine just gives the same old song....loud click and that's it. Recent new solenoid.

Is it possible the starter is "stuck"? Like maybe frozen, and a good "twist" or something would get it going again?