[georgia400ex]

i have a 01 400ex i got last week and i got it running then i wanted to see if the parking brake would work. after i checked my four wheeler wouldn't do anything. when i hit the start button nothing at all happens and no neutral light turns on. i've jiggled wires and checked fuses. i've read forums what said something about a clutch switch and i think that's it but i can't find it and i don't know what to do. any help please?

 

[mrbb]

not to sound like a jerk, but are you sure the kill switch is in RUN
as if you just tried to use parking brake or?? and suddenly it won;t start?
its a common thing to miss the simple?
and are you sure you have spark ?

and is Battery GOOD?

 

[georgia400ex]

not to sound like a jerk, but are you sure the kill switch is in RUN
as if you just tried to use parking brake or?? and suddenly it won;t start?
its a common thing to miss the simple?
and are you sure you have spark ?

and is Battery GOOD?

i'm positive it's on run, the battery's good and it just suddenly stopped doing anything right after i messed with the parking brake

 

[SamUK]

I'm not sure on your model but does it have a brake light? Is the brake light connected to the ignition somehow and the light switch is recognising that the brake is on?
Is it in gear? Does your model start if it's in gear? Try pulling in the front brake in and see if it fires up.
As I say I'm not familiar with sports ATV's at all but there are some possible options that could solve your problem.

 

[georgia400ex]

I'm not sure on your model but does it have a brake light? Is the brake light connected to the ignition somehow and the light switch is recognising that the brake is on?
Is it in gear? Does your model start if it's in gear? Try pulling in the front brake in and see if it fires up.
As I say I'm not familiar with sports ATV's at all but there are some possible options that could solve your problem.

i think the model has one but mine doesn't. like i said, i think it has something to do with a clutch safety switch and that lets it turn on with being in gear as long as you hold the clutch in. but i've tried that and tried holding the front brake in.

 

[SlammedRanger]

The clutch switch has no effect on the neutral light. If the light worked before and dosnt now then it dosnt think the quad is in neutral which is why it does nothing when you hit the start button. All the clutch switch does is make it so it will start in gear with the clutch in. No green light is a blown fuse, bad ground, or the neutral switch down by the shifter on the engine side case is un-plugged or broken. Should be 1 green wire. Also your model dosnt have a brake light. They didnt add that till 05. It did have a running light though. Welcome to the forums!

 

[georgia400ex]

The clutch switch has no effect on the neutral light. If the light worked before and dosnt now then it dosnt think the quad is in neutral which is why it does nothing when you hit the start button. All the clutch switch does is make it so it will start in gear with the clutch in. No green light is a blown fuse, bad ground, or the neutral switch down by the shifter on the engine side case is un-plugged or broken. Should be 1 green wire. Also your model dosnt have a brake light. They didnt add that till 05. It did have a running light though. Welcome to the forums!

thanks man! i'm about to check on that.

 

[georgia400ex]

The clutch switch has no effect on the neutral light. If the light worked before and dosnt now then it dosnt think the quad is in neutral which is why it does nothing when you hit the start button. All the clutch switch does is make it so it will start in gear with the clutch in. No green light is a blown fuse, bad ground, or the neutral switch down by the shifter on the engine side case is un-plugged or broken. Should be 1 green wire. Also your model dosnt have a brake light. They didnt add that till 05. It did have a running light though. Welcome to the forums!

thanks man! i'm about to check on that.

what wire?

 

[SlammedRanger]

Should be a wire plugged into a neutral switch right here. Without that i cant figure out how you ever got a green light to light up?

 

[georgia400ex]

Should be a wire plugged into a neutral switch right here. Without that i cant figure out how you ever got a green light to light up?

i don't even remember if one ever even lit up when i started it, i'm not worried about that right now anyway. just that it's not doing anything when i hit the button.

 

[SlammedRanger]

Ok well the way the clutch switch works if you still have the stock clutch lever and perch. There is 2 wires going to a micro switch on the under side of the perch. Most 400ex's i have seen have an aftermarket clutch lever and perch mind you. So what they do is take those 2 wires and cut them and go one of 2 ways. If you put them togeather it will start in any gear(the dangerous way IMO). If you seperate them and leave them seperated it will only start in neutral with the green light on. That being said with your wire missing to that switch if your wires are seperated it will never start. For your quad to have ever ran without that wire down to that switch they have to be put togeather period. Hope this helps!

 

[georgia400ex]

Ok well the way the clutch switch works if you still have the stock clutch lever and perch. There is 2 wires going to a micro switch on the under side of the perch. Most 400ex's i have seen have an aftermarket clutch lever and perch mind you. So what they do is take those 2 wires and cut them and go one of 2 ways. If you put them togeather it will start in any gear(the dangerous way IMO). If you seperate them and leave them seperated it will only start in neutral with the green light on. That being said with your wire missing to that switch if your wires are seperated it will never start. For your quad to have ever ran without that wire down to that switch they have to be put togeather period. Hope this helps!

so i need to find the two wires and put them together or what?

 

[georgia400ex]

Ok well the way the clutch switch works if you still have the stock clutch lever and perch. There is 2 wires going to a micro switch on the under side of the perch. Most 400ex's i have seen have an aftermarket clutch lever and perch mind you. So what they do is take those 2 wires and cut them and go one of 2 ways. If you put them togeather it will start in any gear(the dangerous way IMO). If you seperate them and leave them seperated it will only start in neutral with the green light on. That being said with your wire missing to that switch if your wires are seperated it will never start. For your quad to have ever ran without that wire down to that switch they have to be put togeather period. Hope this helps!

so i need to find the two wires and put them together or what?

and i'm pretty sure the perch is stock but i don't know about the lever, which ever it is, there isn't two wires at the clutch

 

[SlammedRanger]

Yep find those wires and put the togeather. Take a picture of your clutch side handlebar. I will tell you stock or aftermarket.

 

[georgia400ex]

Yep find those wires and put the togeather. Take a picture of your clutch side handlebar. I will tell you stock or aftermarket.

what does the wires look like? there's a rats nest of them.

 

[SlammedRanger]

That is a stock clutch lever and perch. The wire colors im not 100% sure of. I dont have a pre 05 manual. You will want to find a wiring diagram for your year and model and look for clutch switch on it. I know its 2 wires for sure. Hacked up wiring is a nightmare!

 

[UnkleRaRa]

If this wire isn't connected you're never going to get the starter to turn over.

 

[SlammedRanger]

If this wire isn't connected you're never going to get the starter to turn over.

Thats not 100% true. The clutch switch actually by-passes that neutral safety switch. So if you put the 2 wires of the clutch switch togeather it would trick it into thinking its not in neutral but the clutch is pulled so it will still start that way.

 

[georgia400ex]

If this wire isn't connected you're never going to get the starter to turn over.

where does that wire go to?

 

[SlammedRanger]

Thats the neutral safety switch wire i was talking about earlier in the thread.