A good friend's neighbor passed away last year, and his widow offered them their Sportsman 400. It had been sitting for a few years and I offered to help get it running.

Pulled the carb, and it was full of corrosion. I did a quick-clean, spray out the bowl and jets and put it back on. It idled perfectly and ran okay, but would only go maybe 20 mph. It seemed like a simple issue, but for now, I bought a cheap carb and put it on. VROOM! Starts right up and runs strong. That's not the issue, just some history.

The speedo/tach gauge was dead, but after getting it running, it would occasionally turn on and start working and then turn off. When it turned off, the ATV would shut off like you hit the key unless you were running. In fact, even if you barely touch the throttle lever, it would keep running.

After this went on for awhile, it got to where it would just shut off anytime you weren't touching the throttle a little. So, I pried the cap off the throttle box and noticed that there was a little contact in there that opened when you touch the throttle lever. Curious, I put a thin piece of cardboard between the points to prevent them from making contact, and instantly, the ATV runs great.

I'm trying to figure out what that contact does, and how to get the gauges and electronic parts working. Any suggestions on where to start looking?

 

most likely it's the etc contacts. it prevents the bike from being stuck with a full throttle. any mice chewed wires or maybe a lot of corrosion as you found with the carb. start checking the connections like on the speedo and other for corrosion. just a thought.

 

That sounds like good advice. Will just start looking. It would be nice to have gauges, but as long as it runs, that's the big thing.

Thanks for that. Will start looking. I wonder why they are worried about the bike sticking at full throttle?

We rode the machines today for a couple of hours. It rode well. That is a comfortable riding machine. Really heavy, though! Eston caught a stump and turned it on it's side. That thing is MURDER to lift!