2000 YFM250 won't start with button
 

Hey guys

Got a 2000 YFM250 Beartracker here that has been a workhorse for us. Recently it starting having trouble keeping the battery charged. So we tested the stator and it seemed to be bad. We got 0 ohms on the multimeter from the 3 prong plug and 0 on the 4 prong plug. So we ordered and installed a new one. Now we get .7 on the 3 prong plug and proper numbers (according to the service manual) on the other. So I think the stator is good. But it won't start. In fact, the green neutral light won't come one and the push button start does nothing. I charged the battery overnight and had 12.7 volts in it this morning when I tested. Nothing.

I pull started it and it started right up and ran ok. And while it's running the headlights burn and the green neutral light is on. But they headlights and the green neutral light flicker and dim when you rev the engine. They are brighter when you just let it idle.

Also, while the atv is running I'm not really getting any charging voltage at the battery. I seem to just get the battery voltage. We checked it the night before when we pull started it. The battery voltage was 1.5 volts (yup -- completely dead and drained of acid) and we only saw 1.5 volts at the battery leads while running. So it seems the charging system is putting nothing out.

Anyone have any idea what is going on or what I can test?

This is one of those "well I wouldn't have started from here" situations. If the fuse has blown or you fit the solenoid big terminals the wrong way round, or the solenoid gets corroded, you get a bike that won't start on the button but, once running, lights, etc, work.

When "ohming out" a stator, the actual readings are fairly meaningless, coil shorted to earth bad, open circuit bad, anything else, probably OK. Far better to check, with engine running, if there are any volts being thrown out by the stator wires. We test if the battery voltage is altering and between 13v and 15v with engine running. If it stays at the same circa 12v, not varying with revs, we stick on a new voltage reg. If that makes no difference old voltage reg goes back on and we start checking the stator.

Check for a drain on the battery by putting a fairly heavy duty ammeter between the battery and the pos terminal, with everything off you should get no reading, a couple of milliamps is OK. If you have no drain but the battery flattened itself overnight, it is scrap. If you do get a drain disconnect the voltage reg and see if the drain goes away.

Agreed, the solenoid or battery is most likely your issue. I have a kodiak that had a bad starter that also did something similar but you should still hear the solenoid click.