ATV AnswerMan - September 2015

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My 2010 Honda Big Red MUV starts fine, then when run for a while, and turned off, the thing acts like the battery is dead. A jump start will start it and it runs fine when started.. The battery tested good but gets warm.

Ideas? One person said maybe the stator, but we used an alternator tester and it tested fine.. And if it was the stator, would it not run off battery until battery was dead and then die?

I’m trusting that you actually tested the stator at proper RPM for voltage? The stator only builds voltage well above idle. The battery can back feed you the 12vlt you were seeing on your meter. Measure the Generator/Stator per OEM specs and at proper engine speed. If I recall correctly, the Big Red makes 410 watts only at 5000 RPM. Granted, it will make power at lower engine speeds, but I’d say it’s about 2000 revs or more before it is building real charging power. Also, the battery may be a 12V system battery, but it’s fully charged at 13V. Anything around 12V is really low.

Hi my name is Gavin, i recently bought a second hand 2007 honda trx400ex from a old friend but could not really test it to see if everything is 100%. Anyway the problem im having is that when i start it, it struggles to idle even if the motor is driven hot ,the only way it idles is if i put the chock on to make it idle and not die. The other problem is that I am able to drive it through all the gears but i cant go full throttle, when i go past half throttle it starts to cut out and loses all power until i come down with the throttle and then i am able to drive normal again but nothing above half throttle. Please assist me on this.

I love the way you mention you didn’t have time to check it out before you bought the quad. NEVER take anyone’s word on a used off-road vehicle. Never. The problem you have described is a fuel issue, obviously, and I’m thinking if you pull the carburetor float bowl, clean or replace the primary jet and reinstall the bowl you will be ripping up the trails so fast you’ll forget you almost had an honest old friend.

What would make a 1998 arctic cat 400 4×4 quit running when battery goes dead? Or what would cause the battery to die very quickly?

That’s a really a simple question. The battery is dead. Your ATV needs some kind of reliable power source to supply electricity to the motor. If your stator is not producing electricity, then your battery will not get charged and thus you have a dead battery. Figure out if the machine is making electricity and if it still is then try fully charging the battery. If your quad isn’t ridden over trail speed (as some hunting ATVs are) you might not be generating enough power to refill the battery.

Will a 96-97 Yamaha Timber wolf rear differential fit to a 2000 Yamaha Timber wolf?

I am happy to report that the years 1996-2000 Yamaha Timberwolf ATVs have interchangeable rear differentials.

I have a 2005 arctic cat 500. It bogs out when you push the throttle. It’s got a new spark plug and a kit put in the carburetor.

Rodney

I really wished I had the info of how this beast last ran before the issue arose. This could be a fuel issue and it could also be a low compression issue. Simply adding new jets to a horribly corroded carb will not be enough. Chemical cleaning will give you the best assurance of its cleanliness internally. Completely service the carburetor to eliminate that issue. A simple compression test will also reveal problems with the cylinder or rings and if the engine has ever been abused you could have a bent valve causing low compression as well. You have some investigating to do, so get after it.

MY 700 POLARIS DIES WHEN I SHIFT TO REVERSE. I THOUGHT IT WAS THE REVERSE GEAR SWITCH BECAUSE WHEN I UNPLUG THE CABLE GOING TO THE SW IT WILL NOT KILL THE ENGINE WHEN I PUT IT IN REVERSE. IT JUST DOESN’T REGISTER WHAT GEAR IT IS IN. ALSO I CAN PUSH THE OVER RIDE BUTTON EVEN WHEN THE CABLE IS PLUGGED IN AND EVERYTHING IS OK. I HAVE ELIMINATED THE GEAR SW BY TRYING ANOTHER ONE AND IT IS THE SAME. I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS OTHER PROBLEM IS RELATED BUT IT STARTED HAPPENING AT THE SAME TIME. WHEN I TURN THE KEY ON BUT NOT ENOUGH TO START THE ENGINE, THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE WILL BOUNCE AROUND 40 TO 60 MPH SITTING THERE WITH THE ENGINE OFF.

THANKS, DENNIS

Coming in LOUD and CLEAR in his all caps post! Sounds like an electrical gremlin has you in its hand, my friend. I didn’t catch the year or type of Polaris you’re riding, because you hadn’t posted it, but maybe I can get you in the ball park of where to look. With the speedo on the fritz and the reverse lockout going nuts, id say a full wiring inspection would be a great start. The next step could be the regulator rectifier for the voltage. All of this could be directly related to a dead or dying battery as well.

Driving (Suzuki 500) along fine in 5th then all of a sudden I hear skip click sound slightly loose speed a jerk then rides fine again this happens out of the blue again and again. Can you please help me. What can it be,?

I gotta have a year my friends! There are hundreds of 500cc Suzuki’s out there. Could it be a dab of water in the fuel causing the engine to stumble and then restarting again? I bet it could be.

I have a 1990 Yamaha warrior 350 6-speed with a mikuni carb. I just rebuilt the carb on it tonight and it fired right up and I’m getting full throttle till I let off the clutch and take off and then it seems to be down and barley pull its self even if the throttle is wide open any info would be helpful

The simplest things to check are as follows: Be sure the brakes are not stuck and dragging the motor down. Be sure the bearings in the rear are not rusted up and restricting wheel motion. The easiest way to do this is by putting the quad on jack stands and spinning the rear wheels. Next, be sure the fuel is fresh and that the engine has proper compression. If you have an even slightly bent valve you could be losing power there. Good luck.

Hey I’m Carson Newberry and I have a 1999 Honda Foreman 400 and it will run for about 100-150 yards then it will just cut off.

The hardest thing to do is pinpoint exactly what is wrong when I cannot see or hear it myself, but if I were you I would go through a checklist of items and troubleshoot the quad myself like this. Is the fuel truly clean and free of debris or water? Drain it and replace it to be sure. Is the spark plug wire in place and secure? Is there any water or debris in the carburetor? Is the kill switch or any wiring shorting out on the steel framework of the ATV? I think you may find one or more of these items to be the issue.

My Chinese 2005 rocketa 150 is not starting after I cleaned the carburetor, but before that it would start and run but it had to be full throttle. It would not get enough power to move. Unless I let it almost die and rev it. It would move fifty feet or so and die, but before it died it would sputter really bad. Can you help?

Oh boy, you have opened a can of worms here, my friend. Maybe a local dealer could help figure the issue out? WHAT, no dealer or support much less parts supplier for the off my knocker Rocketa? I bet you could get some replacement parts from the hardware store right? Guess not. Now that I have probably ticked you off, I guess I could also say I told you so? Why spend hard earned money on a completely unknown ATV when there are so many good, used, well known name brand machines on the market today?

I will attempt this one just for you, as I feel a bit bad for being right about knock-off junk ALL of the time. Is the machine getting gas? Turn the engine over a bit with the choke on and then (if it doesn’t start) pull the spark plug to see if you’re even getting gas into the cylinder. No gas = no start. If there is gas present, then be sure you’re getting spark by holding the spark plug in the spark plug cap against the side of the engine and turning the engine over. These two things, plus air, are all that is required for an engine to start. Good luck.