Rolled, Rescued, Now to Repair

1388 Views 6 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Goober, Sep 15, 2019

gies1

Discussion Starter · Sep 14, 2019

Hi all!
well as the title implies, I'm having a pretty rough time. I got a 2000 honda fourtrax 300. I ended up rolling in on a mountainous trail a little while back and had to be searched and rescued out. During the roll, the ignition cylinder got busted out into pieces, brake throttles loosened, the steering column snapped in half, handlebars bent, and oil light busted out. Rescue team couldn't get her going, and ended up leaving it. Next day, went up with a friends wildcat 1000 and towed her off the mountain. Same friend works as an aircraft welder. He welded up the steering column and made one hopefully stronger than anything Honda makes. Now the fun part, trying to get her running to asses damage. I "hot wired" the ignition and get no neutral light/ no crank. I then tested the battery and checked fuses. All good. I then jumped the starter solenoid and she cranks like a bat out of hell, but does not start. This makes me think I have a faulty neutral safety switch?Does this sound correct? I pulled the cover for the neutral switch wires and it seems to be intact, how do I test it? But also, why won't she start ? Shes got good compression , gas, but what I would guess to be is no spark. Sorry, I cant test the spark, as I cant reach far enough to jump the solenoid and ground the spark plug at the same time. Unless someone knows a good technique. Where would y'all go next on this diagnosing adventure? Could it be the left handlebar choke/ kill switch? The choke lever snapped lightly but still can move, so i know it took some impact in the roll. Is there a way to bypass the kill switch to see if that/s the issue? How can I run through the entire ignition/ spark/ coil system to see where the issue is? Thank you guys for any advice you can offer me.

Best Regards!
gies1

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SamUK

· #2 · Sep 14, 2019

No neutral light, no start!

Take the kill switch apart, I can't remember if it's a closed or open circuit when OFF. You'll see as soon as you open the casing up. Just bridge the switch and try it, it won't do any harm.

You should have two sensors by the neutral sensor, I'm pretty sure their the same, swap them over and see if that works. If it works then it's a bad sensor.

Personally I'd say you've got a bad kill switch or a loose or broken connection somewhere after the roll over.

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SamUK

· #4 · Sep 14, 2019

Your on the right track, it's a lengthy process sometimes, a process of elimination.

Testing continuity means making sure there are no breaks in a wire. Some multimeters have a continuity setting and will make a beep if the wire is good. If yours doesn't have that then select the 'ohms' function. You will get a random number appear and then drop off to nothing if the wire is good. If the wire is bad you will get no reading at all.

A continuity test is a test to confirm resistance through a wire or electronic item such as a bulb or fuse etc.

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SamUK

· #6 · Sep 14, 2019

Yes, connecting the neutral wire to a ground will work. I always prefer the sensor to work but as a temporary solution whilst chasing a fault it will work.

So testing for continuity... It's a pain in the butt!! You'll have to trace the wire you want to test from one end to the other. So take the tape off the harness and work your way through.

The best way to approach this is to carefully cut sections of the tape away and leave small pieces of tape in place to hold the wires together. If you cut all the tape off you'll end up with wires everywhere and it's a nightmare to take the harness back up neatly.

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