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Try doing this first!

57K views 69 replies 34 participants last post by  parulfojii 
#1 · (Edited)
I see alot of our fellow riders up here having electrical issues with their quads. I want to reiterate to anyone working on the electrical systems of their machine that you cannot do anything without a manual,wiring schematic, and a multi meter. alot of the issues i have seen with these machines have been relativly simple repairs. If you take the time and go through every wire and every component chances are you will find the culprit and it not be that 400 dollar CDI or stator, but a bad ground or broke contact in the ignition switch. Take my quad for instance the guy I got it from had been working on it off and on for over a year brand new engine and he could not get it to fire. I got it from him and within 10 min. I had it running, the revers switch wasn't hooked up, I bypassed it a bam it started. You need to check, recheck, when you think you checked it check it agian. I am a firm believer in Die-Electric grease.
So before you venture out and buy that stator, CDI or ICM, check for that loose wire, broken wire, or bad ground. You might be relieved in the long run, and be able to spend the 3 or 4 hundred on something nicer than a needless part. Good Luck :lifting:



Added 09/29/09
I also want to say that the same goes for the mechanical aspect of these quads do a little homework ask questions there are alot of sharp guys on here. Red, Saber,Tom, Pain and myself just to name a few there are alot of others but these are who I can think of right now.

ADDED 9/29/12
hahaha just looked at the edit dates. Ironic
Anyway over the past 3 years or so I have really gotten aquainted with these machines. The older ones you can use a standard mulit-meter and OHM the components to check them, on the newer say 93 and up you WILL need a peak voltage adapter, I cannot stress enough when I say Clean your connections, check all grounds and tighten all nuts and bolts. I do also realize some of our members are extremely young and do not want to take the time to figure it out on their own. . . For all of you... the search tab is at the top right. The way I see it if you can ride you can read, if you can follow directions you can fix.
 
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#2 ·
Very good post, I agree. I had my quad in the shop for 3 weeks because I kept blowing fuses. The shop could not figure it out so I finally took it back and within 20 minutes a friend of mine found that the spring in my start button was stuck compressed and was touching both contacts causing a short.
 
#7 ·
I see alot of our fellow riders up here having electrical issues with their quads. I want to reiterate to anyone working on the electrical systems of their machine that you cannot do anything without a manual,wiring schematic, and a multi meter. alot of the issues i have seen with these machines have been relativly simple repairs. If you take the time and go through every wire and every component chances are you will find the culprit and it not be that 400 dollar CDI or stator, but a bad ground or broke contact in the ignition switch. Take my quad for instance the guy I got it from had been working on it off and on for over a year brand new engine and he could not get it to fire. I got it from him and within 10 min. I had it running, the revers switch wasn't hooked up, I bypassed it a bam it started. You need to check, recheck, when you think you checked it check it agian. I am a firm believer in Die-Electric grease.
So before you venture out and buy that stator, CDI or ICM, check for that loose wire, broken wire, or bad ground. You might be relieved in the long run, and be able to spend the 3 or 4 hundred on something nicer than a needless part. Good Luck :lifting:
Very good advice, if people would take a little time they could fix just about anything on their quads.
 
#9 ·
I brought this to the active topics again for the new comers to read
 
#11 ·
True but we just tell them enough to keep them coming back for more... plus we post cool pics and talk alot of smack...lol
 
#13 ·
Snow gone yet? I'm still waiting to see some but we probably won't again this year
 
#15 ·
I see alot of our fellow riders up here having electrical issues with their quads. I want to reiterate to anyone working on the electrical systems of their machine that you cannot do anything without a manual,wiring schematic, and a multi meter. alot of the issues i have seen with these machines have been relativly simple repairs. If you take the time and go through every wire and every component chances are you will find the culprit and it not be that 400 dollar CDI or stator, but a bad ground or broke contact in the ignition switch. Take my quad for instance the guy I got it from had been working on it off and on for over a year brand new engine and he could not get it to fire. I got it from him and within 10 min. I had it running, the revers switch wasn't hooked up, I bypassed it a bam it started. You need to check, recheck, when you think you checked it check it agian. I am a firm believer in Die-Electric grease.
So before you venture out and buy that stator, CDI or ICM, check for that loose wire, broken wire, or bad ground. You might be relieved in the long run, and be able to spend the 3 or 4 hundred on something nicer than a needless part. Good Luck :lifting:



Added 09/29/09
I also want to say that the same goes for the mechanical aspect of these quads do a little homework ask questions there are alot of sharp guys on here. Red, Saber,Tom, Pain and myself just to name a few there are alot of others but these are who I can think of right now.
You hit the nail on the head. I've seen people chase a problem by just replacing good parts because their buddy said the certain part was bad, or because it's a circuit board, and that HAS to be the problem.

If a few did everything you suggested they would LEARN more about their ATV than they ever thought possible. And this leads to confidence because you keep learning as you go along.

A person never knows what their limitations are until they try. There is no person I've ever seen that knew it all before getting in there and learning. The more you do, the more you begin to understand. Time and effort is what makes great mechanics. And everyone starts at the same learning place.....The Bottom.

Don't give up.
 
#17 ·
Red Racer Rides a 450R racing quad I don't think it has a display...What are you riding?
 
#21 ·
Moose, could not agree with you more. I work for a company that sells, repairs and services equipment for the physically handicap to operate or be transported in (everything from a foot throttle on a atv for a guy that had no right arm to motorhomes) and poor grounds and loose connections are a regular problem. It can be nerve racking to trace wires but you may eliminate a repair bill.
 
#22 ·
Agree^^^^!!100%
 
#23 ·
I see alot of our fellow riders up here having electrical issues with their quads. I want to reiterate to anyone working on the electrical systems of their machine that you cannot do anything without a manual,wiring schematic, and a multi meter. alot of the issues i have seen with these machines have been relativly simple repairs. If you take the time and go through every wire and every component chances are you will find the culprit and it not be that 400 dollar CDI or stator, but a bad ground or broke contact in the ignition switch. Take my quad for instance the guy I got it from had been working on it off and on for over a year brand new engine and he could not get it to fire. I got it from him and within 10 min. I had it running, the revers switch wasn't hooked up, I bypassed it a bam it started. You need to check, recheck, when you think you checked it check it agian. I am a firm believer in Die-Electric grease.
So before you venture out and buy that stator, CDI or ICM, check for that loose wire, broken wire, or bad ground. You might be relieved in the long run, and be able to spend the 3 or 4 hundred on something nicer than a needless part. Good Luck :lifting:



Added 09/29/09
I also want to say that the same goes for the mechanical aspect of these quads do a little homework ask questions there are alot of sharp guys on here. Red, Saber,Tom, Pain and myself just to name a few there are alot of others but these are who I can think of right now.

Thanks to THIS THREAD, I turn what could have been an expensive shop visit into a 5 second fix

Got the PDF for my 01 400ex form here, and sat down with a voltmeter and the wiring troubleshooting section. traced it down to the neutral switch wire that connects to the crank case was just hanging there.

EASY.

Listen to this guy, he speaks the very wise truth. THANK YOU!!
 
#24 ·
That's really the only way you can find an electrical problem. Start at the beginning of each circuit and trace all the wires and components, one at a time, until you find the problem. It can be time consuming, but there are no shortcuts. You might get lucky and find the problem at the beginning or it might be the last thing you check. Same thing with automobiles. A lot of garages won't even take this kind of work, because of the nature of it.
 
#26 ·
Yeah to much electrical crap to go wrong.
 
#27 ·
My friend owns a car audio shop we see issi=ues all the time. I hate it! Something goes wrong and we try to fix things. We get it done but my God! Not to long ago we helped convert a Nissan 240sx to a 5.7lt engine from a Newer GTO. What a Mess, the kid hacked up both vehicle harness and motor harness. But when it was done he had all functions and could still check his odb2 codes.
 
#28 ·
I stare at wiring schematics all day some days until my eyes get crossed I sit there with different color highlighters and trace out circuits I'll scan one of my scematic one day just to show you how complex a 125' boom lift can be a car is a walk in the ark compared to some of the schematics we have to use.
 
#30 ·
I want to add this little bit of information to whomever uses a multimeter..... IF YOU DO NOT UNPLUG THE ITEM YOU ARE TESTING YOUR READINGS WILL BE WRONG!
 
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