Left on the hill again! '07 600 RMK HO Electrical Problem

[corpeleven]

Bear with me, this is a long post.......Tried searching but found nothing.

This is getting frustrating. Mid winter my sled died in the middle of another ride. Just climbed a hill, sled shuts off. Dead, no spark. Took it to the dealer, they put in a new Stator, and new CDI. $750 bucks. Ok, fine. It was fixed. Ran great for another 10 rides.

Last saturday, same thing. Was running great and then it just quits again. I pulled it once, it was dead, I sat and steemed about it for a few minutes - and pulled it again. Fires right up, runs great, finished the ride.

This Saturday, I get 30 minutes from the truck, running great. This time I shut it off to take some video. Won't start. Pulled a bunch, check all connections, got it to sputter a couple times, but not start. Towed it back to the truck. Let it sit for about 4 hours while my wife rode her sled, then as we were loading up to leave I pulled it again for ****s and giggles. Fires right up like nothing ever happened.

Plugs are perfect - chocolate brown, and it's running super strong and crisp when it runs. So I think it must be something electrical.

This is getting really frustrating as I usually ride some very remote areas and I don't trust my sled to run! Anybody have any ideas on what I should look at? Thanks - Ryan

 

[sledmasterr]

Have you checked the throttle safety switches? First place to start...

 

[corpeleven]

Have not checked the throttle safety switches. Where are they?

 

[knee deep in it]

ask your dealer to check into it while he is issuing a $750 credit. The Throttle safety switch is what he should have checked prior to replacing the stator and CDI.

 

[sledmasterr]

Two of them located in and by the throttle, ( not to be confused with the kill switch ). The reason for these is to kill the sled (ignition) in the event the sled stays at RPM with no throttle pressure being applied by the operator, (icing conditions as an example). On the older model sleds one could disconnect the the switches at the pin/jack connection up on the bars to see if this rectified the malfunction. It may be possible for you to do this on your sled also, maybe someone could chime in that has more experience with the newer model sleds as I ride mostly old iron. In the event you try this little trick, keep in mind your kill switch will be inoperative also while these are disconnected and the key switch will be your only ignition control.
I have seen these switches cause what you describe many times. Worthy of checking, good luck to you...

 

[SwampCat]

CFI or Carbs? This only applies to CFI. Flywheel is different. The inner ring on flywheel will come loose (superglued from factory) and cut the stator wires. Result,backwoods kill switch. Polaris has since updated the flywheel to a CRIMPED type. REALLY Polaris if you knew this was a problem,MAYBE let the customer know,GOD FORBID offer the new part at half price.

 

[corpeleven]

Thanks for all the input guys! It is a carbed model.

I'll check the throttle safety switches and see if that cures it. If it does, I might be a little chapped at the $750 bill for the new stator and CDI. Any other things that I can check while I'm at it?

 

[ericbigbore]

I have had a hand warmer ground out from rub and do this kind of thing. Make sure you dont have any wires rubbing through and grounding on the steel braided brake line.

 

[knee deep in it]

Thanks for all the input guys! It is a carbed model.

I'll check the throttle safety switches and see if that cures it. If it does, I might be a little chapped at the $750 bill for the new stator and CDI. Any other things that I can check while I'm at it?

did you get the defective parts back? it is pretty easy to see if the cdi was bad, you may even be able to check the stator.

 

[corpeleven]

Yeah, I have them somewhere. I'll try to dig them up. Is there a way to check them besides re-installing them on the sled?

 

[knee deep in it]

do a search on the stator, there have been some stator issues with the 800 dragons so i am pretty sure there is a way to test them.

The cdi is real easy to test, just install it on a known good sled and see of it runs.

 

[deepdiver]

Bear with me, this is a long post.......Tried searching but found nothing.

This is getting frustrating. Mid winter my sled died in the middle of another ride. Just climbed a hill, sled shuts off. Dead, no spark. Took it to the dealer, they put in a new Stator, and new CDI. $750 bucks. Ok, fine. It was fixed. Ran great for another 10 rides.

Last saturday, same thing. Was running great and then it just quits again. I pulled it once, it was dead, I sat and steemed about it for a few minutes - and pulled it again. Fires right up, runs great, finished the ride.

This Saturday, I get 30 minutes from the truck, running great. This time I shut it off to take some video. Won't start. Pulled a bunch, check all connections, got it to sputter a couple times, but not start. Towed it back to the truck. Let it sit for about 4 hours while my wife rode her sled, then as we were loading up to leave I pulled it again for ****s and giggles. Fires right up like nothing ever happened.

Plugs are perfect - chocolate brown, and it's running super strong and crisp when it runs. So I think it must be something electrical.

This is getting really frustrating as I usually ride some very remote areas and I don't trust my sled to run! Anybody have any ideas on what I should look at? Thanks - Ryan

Nothing better to develope character than a ball buster of an intermittent elec. problem. Very hard to troubleshoot remotely but two things come to mind...when you towed it the sled was bouncing down the trail before you got it to the parking lot. Bad connection or loss of a ground somewhere. Then you stated that after a few hours it would start up.. Anytime you have a coil of wire you can have a small break in the wire. With heat it will expand and can "break" its continuity..then as it cools down it can contract and then life is good again. You say you had the stator replaced...nothing to say that the new made in china stator isnt a DOA part. Or something else took out the stator. Good luck!

 

[skidmore]

600 carb electrical failure

I have seen the same type of problem on a 07 rmk 600 carb. I bypassed the kill switch, the ignition switch and throttle safety switch, with absolutely no luck. This one turned out to be corroded pin type connectors, located BEHIND the air box. It was obvious, there was green corrossion all over two connectors. I would advise pulling apart all connectors and cleaning them. Then apply dyelectric grease. I know it's hard to believe it can be that simple, but the one in our group was. Good luck, Skid

 

[corpeleven]

Great info guys, I really appreciate it. Looks like I have my work cut out for me this week......and then head up Saturday and run it - see what happens. Keep the suggestions/experience coming!

 

[07IQRMK]

Dude I had some elec problems myself put the sled in the shop let it dry out hit all connectors with dyelect and you should be good to go hope it works out for ya.

 

[518skidgine]

600 electical

Same problem new cdi, no problem since.

 

[deepdiver]

Great info guys, I really appreciate it. Looks like I have my work cut out for me this week......and then head up Saturday and run it - see what happens. Keep the suggestions/experience coming!

While your sled is running..flex and wiggle all or the elec cables and connections. Unplug and inspect all connections. If any are grundgy at all use water displacing electronics cleaner. Here is a link for all sorts of cleaners and other electronics industry chemicles and voodoo crapola. http://www.albatross-usa.com/pdf/homepdfs/electronicscleaning.pdf

I think you should be able to find elec. switch/contact cleaner at any good hardware store.. Lowes and the Homey depot should have something compatable as well. Probably NAPA or other auto parts dealers.

The dielectric grease is a good idea as well. Another thing that works well once you have a "working machine" is to seal connections with silicon/rtv./ You can use mama's saran wrap over the connector after you place some silicon sealer over the connector. You can then work the silicon to the desired locations and let it dry then pull off the plastic wrap.....works real good. You shouldnt have to go to that extreme however.

 

[Chern_889]

I Just got over a similar problem, (07 RMK 600HO with 660 BB), sled popped and farted a couple times, thought it was my glove getting caught in the throttle and tripping the safety switch, so i kept riding. Then i was going wide open across a field and the sled just died on me, i was thinking "oh great" i just cooked a piston. Grabbed the rope, not seized, give a yank and bam fires right up. Kay, that was weird, seems to be running good still, so on my merry way i went.

The next day we where about 75miles into a great ride and the sled farted again, but came to life right away, so now im thinking "okay, defianlty got a short somewhere, i hope i can make it the truck". I was hauling *** down the trail, came flyin around a corner and grab a fist full of throttle and blahhhhhhhhhh sled dies. Pull the rope and.......nothing, great, pissed around with it for a while and couldnt get it going. So my old man tows me 12 miles back to a little bum-*** town and sit and wait for 3 hours.

Once we get home i threw an Ohm meter on the stator, and yep, shes pooched. Purchased one off ebay for half price!
If it dies when its hot, but fires up after its cooled down, its defiantly the stator, wires expand when hot, and short out, but contract when cool.
This is the second 600 Small block to eat a stator on me, and it was the same wire/coil both times.
Bust out your multi-meter and test the resistance, the connections are easy to find, just follow the wires out of the recoil housing up and there are two triangle shaped connectors, those are the ones you want.

Hard to tell in pic, but connection ontop of the coil closest to the camera(tan color) is burnt and exposed from the silicon seal

Definatly not within spec! LOL

Here are the specs if you need em

Sorry about the novel, wow

 

[corpeleven]

Ok.

Again, thanks for all the info, and pics. Those are very helpful.

Tore into it today, checked all connections, applied de-elec grease to all connections. Didn't see anything major. Put it back together, started it and let it idle for about 30min. Got it up to 150 degrees, which is 25 degrees hotter than it runs on snow. Idled perfectly, never shut down. I then shut it down multiple times, and let it sit from 1 min to 15min, and it always fired up on the first pull. You'd think it was perfectly fine.

Since the throttle safety switch was new to me, I looked for that. Not sure what I was looking for, but is it the small peg that the thumb lever pushes in when it's in the relaxed position? If so, then I don't even have one. My wife's 06 600 has one, but mine doesn't? Is it possible that I don't have one or am I looking at the wrong thing?

I guess I'm going to take it up tomorrow and run it. Gonna be a deeeeep pow day and I can't just stay home. I guess we'll stay fairly close to the lot, just in case. For all I know, it will run perfectly tomorrow. Hope to get this solved at some point. Thanks guys.

 

[Hillboy]

If u unplug the white plugin coming out of the stator u will
Rule out any chassis wireing problems but will have to use
The choke to kill it. Easy way to narrow the problem down.