I have 1999 sportsman 500 that just clicks one time when I try to start it. I have replaced the starter and solonoid and still just one click. I checked my connections and still one click. When I ground the solonoid case with a screwdriver to the frame once, it fired up. So I ran a ground wire from the solonoid mounting bolt to another bolt on the frame and I get just one click. I'm really scratching my head on this one.....help

 

Scrape any paint,rust from the back of the battery box where the solenoid mounts so it can have a better ground.Several people have found that they had to do that when replacing solenoids to make them work.

 

Makes sense. I will do that.
Thank you!

 

I thought I got it good, but still just a click. Can I run a ground wire from the mounting bracket direct to the battery ground? If so what gauge should it be?
Thank you!

 

You can run a separate ground wire but you need to make sure the battery isn't causing the problem also.

3) 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 Voltage on a 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.

 

Battery checked out good. Checked for Connections with a test light also. from battery to solonoid, then solonoid to starter when I hit the run button. I pulled rope starter cover and found bendix to flywheel gunked up bad with metal shavings (magnetized of course). Cleaned everything out and replaced bendix (I should have probably done that when I did the starter). All back together now and starts and runs great!!
Thanks for keeping me on track!

 

Yes best to replace the bendix and starter as a combo then you wont have to go back in again later on. Glad you found the problem on the bendix binding up.