i have a 1999 kodiak 400 and am having problems getting it started it doesn't seem to be drawing little to no power to the coil. i checked the coil and it seems fine i did however expect that when i opened the cover oil would come out but none did there where just traces of oil inside...is that normal? and how would i go about checking the voltage coming out of the stator where would i hock up the meter too?

 

If you believe that you are having a problem with weak or intermittent spark there are a few easy tests that will help in trouble shooting.

The easiest and first test that I would start with would be to pull the recoil starter to see if it has tough resistance. If there is, then you have at least some compression.

Next, pull the spark plug. Is it new? If it is a year or more in age I would replace it.

Now that the plug is out of the cylinder head try once again to pull the recoil starter. Do you feel any difference in the resistance? There should be a great deal of change in the pull, if not check compression with a tester.

In this next step you must use extreme caution. KEEP THE PLUG AWAY FROM THE CYLINDER HEAD AND USE A PAIR OF GLOVES TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SHOCK. Push the spark plug into the plug wire boot. Ground the plug base away from the cylinder head to the frame of the ATV. Push the electric starter. You should see a nice thick blue spark jump from the center electrode to the ground strap. Try then to use the recoil starter; you should see the same healthy spark.

Try these quick few steps and post back. Remember this is a preliminary test and even if you have a strong spark in open air it does not mean that it will be as strong in the cylinder under compression.

 

aw now i gotta fix my pull start...i've been neglecting to do that for so long. but i do thin kthat there's no real pressure when i pull it that' may be where the problem is

 

Try the plug spark test to see if the machine will produce a healthy color spark.

 

no spark at all no power going to the coil

 

Do you have a service manual or service CD? Do you have a digital voltage meter along with a basic tool set? If you do not then you may want to think about having the machine serviced by a qualified professional. If you do have these items then it will be easy to find the cause of the problem.

 

How did you determine that there was not any power going to the coil?

 

i hooked up a voltage meter to it and tried starting it and the was only about 0.0- 0.10 in the orange wire going to the coil that connects to the spark plug boot.

 

First, what type of meter are you using to obtain your readings?

Second, have you measured the resistance on both the primary and secondary of the ignition coil?

 

i am using a digital meter. i'm hooking it up to the orange wire the runs directly to the coil. the only other wires on it are the black/ground which i keep grounded, and the cable that the spark plug boot connects too.