2006 Polaris Sportsman 500 HO

[elksnout]

Well....drove it out of the garage, parked it and hours later went to drive it back into the garage. Dead as a fence post. No nothing. Battery is four months old and always kept on a tender and started up 1-2 times per week.

Had battery tested today. 14.83 on the meter and well over 200 plus CCA's under load.  Last year replaced the starter, bendix and solinoid. 

The lights will not come on. Wouldn't that be the battery?

Help!

Thanks
Elksnout

[Mudman]

Fuses??

[Katmai Guy]

Bad power switch?

[callturner]

Check connections, make sure all switch's are on and don't ask me why I would say that.

[ghosthunter]

Fuseable links?

[elksnout]

Ran a jumper wire to bypass kill switch and still no power when turning key. Instrument panel lights up, lights do come on and starter relay makes clicking sound.

Checked and rechecked for loose wires and connections. Rig doesn't have fuses. Not sure how to check a fuseable link?

Elksnout

[Sandberm]

Your starter could have broke.

I replaced a stock starter once with one made in China(significantly cheaper than oem). After about a year the bike wouldnt turn over. I took the chinese starter off, found a very small piece of cast metal had flaked off and wedged itself in there so the starter motor wouldn't spin. Put it back together and all is good.

[ballpark]

Stator.  Pull cover off clean the pickup and check for burnt windings.  I had the same problem, replaced stator - all good.

Do you have RPM's displayed?  I have the service manual for troubleshooting if you want PM me and I can send it via email.

[elksnout]

Stator.  Pull cover off clean the pickup and check for burnt windings.  I had the same problem, replaced stator - all good.

Do you have RPM's displayed?  I have the service manual for troubleshooting if you want PM me and I can send it via email.

Replaced the stator when I replaced the starter. I have the codes and the rpm's briefly come up. I've tried the blink codes per the manual but can't get any numbers to code up.

Put in park. Turn key to on position. Then key to off and on There times in less than five seconds. No codes. Just the service wrench icon that fades away?

I have power going into the starter solenoid. Where should power be coming out? There's no power coming out of the two wire plug coming off of it not the other post going to starter.

Shouldn't there be?

Elksnout

[Buckmark]

Lighty give that starter some love taps with a hammer while holding the start button

[elksnout]

Lighty give that starter some love taps with a hammer while holding the start button

No go with plenty of taps.  That was new this time last year. This thing fired right up all last hunting season and I've ridden it around the property multiple times since and it's been kept on a tender.  Started it up to back it out of garage, shut it off then hopped on it to drive it back in. No power. No turn over. Nothing.

[hawks33]

I know you said you checked, but I had same issue with same atv, loose battery cables...

[ballpark]

Rereading your initial post and from what you have already done I would check for loose connections or a hard ground.  Is your primary ground loose, investigate the connection to frame.  There is a common ground group up front, brown wires to the frame also.  Requires some removal of front clip.

[WapitiTalk1]

Maybe give Powersports NW, Centralia, service section a holler and ask them.  I betcha they could give you some idea of what little demon is giving you issues. 

[Sandberm]

Maybe give Powersports NW, Centralia, service section a holler and ask them.  I betcha they could give you some idea of what little demon is giving you issues.

Sometimes information is free, other times they answer, "well, bring her on in and we'll give it a look!"

[ballpark]

The brown ground wire group up front is where your stator wiring ground goes also.

[elksnout]

All connections are solid and ground cable is secure. Plastic removed for checking.I've checked multiple times. Battery cables are tight. No corrosion anywhere.  Both of the local shops are 2-3 weeks out and I leave a week from tomorrow for eastern Oregon.

Beyond frustrated so I need to just step away from it. Thanks for all of the suggestions but still no one has answered my question about power coming out of the starter solinoid???

Thanks
Elksnout

[Mudman]

Longshot but an idea is maybe the park/neutral sensor/switch?  Im not familiar with your quad.  Ignition?  Starter solenoid and motor and a multimeter check should help islolate if current getting thru?

[Buckmark]

Longshot but an idea is maybe the park/neutral sensor/switch?  Im not familiar with your quad.  Ignition?  Starter solenoid and motor and a multimeter check should help islolate if current getting thru?

Good call on the switch, i for sure would be checking/bypassing it to see what happens

[ballpark]

Longshot but an idea is maybe the park/neutral sensor/switch?  Im not familiar with your quad.  Ignition?  Starter solenoid and motor and a multimeter check should help islolate if current getting thru?

Solenoids are voltage dependent.  So to go back to battery being fully charged.  Might need to keep troubleshooting that after you look at the park/neutral switch.  Good luck keep us up to date.

[Angry Perch]

Does the hand brake override the safety switch? Try starting with hand brake on.

[Sandberm]

Between the Polaris and those fittings in the other thread, and the guy who needs something delivered to the wet side from Richland ,I'm about ready to hop in the pickup to make a nice loop roadtrip. 

[elksnout]

Longshot but an idea is maybe the park/neutral sensor/switch?  Im not familiar with your quad.  Ignition?  Starter solenoid and motor and a multimeter check should help islolate if current getting thru?

Part of my problem is I'm an electrical dummie.....pretty good elsewhere but there I got shorted at birth. No pun intended.

Where would I locate that switch?  All of the gears show on the instrument panel.  If the switch were bad they wouldn't, correct? I think that know I've added to my problem. I had a spare solenoid so I installed it. Now the solenoid clicks rapidly when turning the key but still won't fire. Plus, by accident I touched the starter just after the above and it was very early warm. Does it matter which of the two posts coming off the solenoid get which cables? Positive to battery and black along with small wire to starter.  But do these have a designated post to go to?  I

To answer another poster, I always have started this rig with the parking brake engaged.

Elksnout

[ballpark]

Starter solenoid wires - Red wire that also has two grey wires on same side, the red goes to battery + the two grey go to fusible links then turn into red.  Other post Red goes to starter.  Also starter has its own engine ground.

I'm not poking you in the eye - keep charging the battery, when its good, disconnect or turn charger off wait a few hours then charge the battery again.  New batteries may take awhile before you get the correct electrolytes.  I know you had it tested but its worth a try, those trickle chargers are sensitive as to when they shutoff, sometimes 70-80%.  It took me a few cycles on a new battery before it was "fully" charged.

[elksnout]

Starter solenoid wires - Red wire that also has two grey wires on same side, the red goes to battery + the two grey go to fusible links then turn into red.  Other post Red goes to starter.  Also starter has its own engine ground.

This is how it's wired. Concerning those two posts on the solinoid.... Does it matter which post is used for connecting to the battery and which one for going to the starter?

Thanks

[ballpark]

To answer your question give me a second, however;

I'm not poking you in the eye - keep charging the battery, when its good, disconnect or turn charger off wait a few hours then charge the battery again.  New batteries may take awhile before you get the correct electrolytes.  I know you had it tested but its worth a try, those trickle chargers are sensitive as to when they shutoff, sometimes 70-80%.  It took me a few cycles on a new battery before it was "fully" charged.

On the side with the fusible link wires, that post goes to battery.

[elksnout]

To answer your question give me a second, however;

I'm not poking you in the eye - keep charging the battery, when its good, disconnect or turn charger off wait a few hours then charge the battery again.  New batteries may take awhile before you get the correct electrolytes.  I know you had it tested but its worth a try, those trickle chargers are sensitive as to when they shutoff, sometimes 70-80%.  It took me a few cycles on a new battery before it was "fully" charged.

Logging

This battery is approx. 4 months old and I've ridden the quad many times with it. I keep it charged. Right now it's at 12.84 on my meter. 

Thanks

[ballpark]

When you are attempting to start - key turned over, what is the reading?

[elksnout]

12.22 with the switches on. Drops to 12.22 when key is fully engaged to the right. 

[ballpark]

12.22 with the switches on. Drops to 12.22 when key is fully engaged to the right.

May be bad solenoid.

[elksnout]

Meant to say it's drops to 10.22 with key fully engaged.

[ballpark]

That's not good.  If battery is fully charged that shouldn't happen until maybe long prolonged cranking.

[elksnout]

Starter is getting warm to the touch again.. 

[ballpark]

I hate electrical troubleshooting over the internet.  Sounds like solenoid is getting power to starter and starter is toast/grounded.  That might explain the voltage drop.

[Sandberm]

Take the starter apart, I tell ya there is something wrong there. Its getting juice but is unable to spin.

https://parts.polarisind.com/Assemblies.asp

[elksnout]

IT'S  ALIVE !!!

All weekend I kept thinking about how that starter was getting hot in addition to others suggestions on here. Overnighted one and swapped it out today. No small task.

Thanks for all of the help guys.

Elksnout

[ballpark]

 
Great machines, I have a 2005 Polaris Sportsman 500 HO, have worked on just about everything.  Glad to hear got it figured out.