Looking for a service manual

[olddude]

As I have posted before I just bought a King Quad that I thought was a 2006 400 but it s turned into a 2011 500 xri. I've bought several service manuals and I don't have the right one yet. I wonder if someone could tell me if the latest one I bought would be anywhere in the ballpark for the ATV I have. That one was for 06 - 09 450 xr. What I need is wiring diagrams for my bike. I was riding last weekend and I noticed that the bike seemed to be getting pretty warm. I cleaned the radiator and checked the fluid level but all that was good. Then I thought about the fan motor and went to check that out and there is no wire at all going to it. There is a small rubber boot that looks like it may be where the wires go into the fan motor but as I said no wire. Looking closer at it I found another switch on the right side by the rear brake pedal that has no wires going to it either. I assume that switch works the rear brake light. I don't reall care about the brake light but I do want to get that fan working. It's hard to see anything on this thing without taking a bunch of plastic off. I need to find the temp switch on the motor and see if there is anything going to that also. I don't mind buying another service manual but this time I want to get the right one I already have close to $75.00 in manuals now but I don't mind taking another wack at it this time hopefully I can get the right one.

[Mech]

Find the frame number, perhaps on a metal tag welded to the left rear down tube of the frame, and use that to identify your model and year.

If you post the frame number in here someone will help I;m sure.

Or.. go to an online parts place, and start comparing parts for various years, with your bike.

[olddude]

I found the frame number awhile back and according Auto Check vin decoder that number comes up a 2011 Suzuki King Quad 500 AXI 4x4.  The site Vin Search came back with no records found. Vin Audit says it's a 2011 LT-A500 X/LT. I'm not sure exactly what all those numbers and letters mean but I'm sure they mean that the bike is not a 2006 A 400 LT like the guy I bought it from said it was. I ordered a manual for the 400 LT and right off I knew that there was something wrong because the 2006, 400 LT is a carborated engine and the bike I had was a FI engine. A little more searching I found that suzuki had a 450 XLT that was FI a little later on in the year 2006 so I bought that manual but now after checking the Vin Number that is the wrong manule also. A guy on a site somewhere told me about another manual that he was sure to be the right one but that was the wrong one also. That manual was for a carb engine also.

I didn't find the serial number plate until after I had bought those three manules. That 450 XLT manual shows a lot of the same stuff as the bike I have but it is for 06-09 models and I'm sure there are a lot of changes from a 2006 - 2009, 450, and a 2011, 500. I've looked all over and I can't seem to find a manual for this 2011 500 XRI that I'm now sure I have. I guess I was hoping someone here might have that same bike who had a manual they didn't mind sharing. Probably to much to ask for but it was worth the try.😀

[Mech]

well.. you cold give us your frame number and we might identify it.

Or.. Have a look at a few parts here...

https://www.mickhone.com.au/partFinder/fiche/suzuki/2011/lt-a400f#next

If you find a part that looks right, click on the arrow over on the right near the price, and it will show you what other models that part fits. You can deduce which model you have by comparing the parts fitted to the various models. You can switch years and model at the top of the page.

That site is Australian though, and they, and us Kiwis, don't always get the same model in the same year that you Americans do.. Once you know your model though, and can identify it from the other similar models of different years or markets, you'll soon figure which manual you need.

Check through the model years till you find the start of the fuel injected models, which can be identified by their fuel pumps. Then start refining the search to four-wheel drives and either sport versions or workhorses. Look at the suspensions and the drive-line.

Checking brakes can be insightful too.

If you can identify your model from that parts site, or any other parts site, we can probably direct you to the right manual to download for free.

[olddude]

13 hours ago, Mech said:

well.. you cold give us your frame number and we might identify it.

Or.. Have a look at a few parts here...

https://www.mickhone.com.au/partFinder/fiche/suzuki/2011/lt-a400f#next

If you find a part that looks right, click on the arrow over on the right near the price, and it will show you what other models that part fits. You can deduce which model you have by comparing the parts fitted to the various models. You can switch years and model at the top of the page.

That site is Australian though, and they, and us Kiwis, don't always get the same model in the same year that you Americans do.. Once you know your model though, and can identify it from the other similar models of different years or markets, you'll soon figure which manual you need.

Check through the model years till you find the start of the fuel injected models, which can be identified by their fuel pumps. Then start refining the search to four-wheel drives and either sport versions or workhorses. Look at the suspensions and the drive-line.

Checking brakes can be insightful too.

If you can identify your model from that parts site, or any other parts site, we can probably direct you to the right manual to download for free.

Some times I have a hard time explaning things I guess. I'm not sure what posting the SN would do because I have checked it on 5 or 6 sites already. Sadly the same model never came up more than once but the year always came up a 2011. But just for grins I'll post it up to see what you come up with, 5SAAM46A8B7100795. The first one I bought was because that's what the guy I got it from said it was. The second one I bought once I found out the first was no good simply because Of the fuel system and also the braking system. The third one I bought because someone checked the sn and told me I needed the last one I bought.

All this time I had been looking for the SN that was stamped on the frame. Ask a question on the internet and it might surprise you just how many different answers you come up with. I was told it was on the back left, someone said it was on the right side by the foot rest, Another person said it was under the bike on the cross member where the motor mount is. All the bikes I ever had both, yamaha and suzuki the number was stamped on the front left either on the steering tube or a cross member next to the front left shock. The last place is where I finally found it. I pressure washed that thing three times before enough of the caked on mud finally was washed away and with the light just right and with the stars lined up just right there it was. Once I found that and checked it now I think it's a 2011 500 XRI. That's a pretty large span between a 2006 400 and a 2011 500. The funny thing is that there is a 500XRI sticker on the right side of the bike. I asked the guy about it three times and he just said the last guy put that on there just for the heck of it because he had it laying around.

There was a 450 in 06 that had FI and the rear brake was the same as mine so I figured it was the 450 rather than what I had so I got that one. I was stuck on the 2006 thing because the guy was so sure that is what the other guy told him it was. But he also was sure it was a 400 too. Also, he said the guy had rebuilt the engine just before he got it. Just another reason I was sure too that it was what he said it was. How could you rebuild a 2011 500 Fi engine thinking it was a 2006 400 carb engine? 

I've looked around for a 09 through 2011 manual but haven't been able to come across one. There are plenty for up to 09 but after that they are few and far inbetween. Maybe that's why the last guy told me the 09 manual is the one I needed because that was all I was going to get. The dealer close by wants $245.00 for one and I'm just not going to go that way, I'll sell the thing before I do that.

[Mech]

Ok well my books say it's an English version, from 2008, and looking online checking the rear brakes, fuel injected and water cooled, it looks like what they call a...  "LTA450X Kingquad 4X4 Limited" .  I checked here..

https://www.motorcyclespareparts.eu/en/suzuki-parts/motorcycles

There's a manual for that right here..

Check that and let us know...

[Mech]

The engine number, or a number at the bottom of the cylinder, should confirm it's a 450...  The number on the cylinder might say something like 489cc.. It will be slightly less than 450. If it says 389, you've got a 400, or of it says 748, a 750.

[Mech]

When you get the manual, check in the back in the supplements for the variations between years.

Also, that frame number says the check digit is incorrect.. The ninth digit should be a 3, not an 8. I always photo the plates and then enlarge and brighten them and things to be sure I'm reading them right. Everything else though seems right/feasible.

5 = England market

S = Suzuki

A = ATV

A = ATV

M = 400-499cc

4 = Four stroke single

6 = 6th model version

A = 10th version

8 = Check digit..  Should be a 3.

8 = 2008

7 = Factory.. I'm not sure which factory.

1 = From here on is the six digit serial number of the bike.

0

0

7

9

5

 

[olddude]

14 hours ago, Mech said:

When you get the manual, check in the back in the supplements for the variations between years.

Also, that frame number says the check digit is incorrect.. The ninth digit should be a 3, not an 8. I always photo the plates and then enlarge and brighten them and things to be sure I'm reading them right. Everything else though seems right/feasible.

5 = England market

S = Suzuki

A = ATV

A = ATV

M = 400-499cc

4 = Four stroke single

6 = 6th model version

A = 10th version

8 = Check digit..  Should be a 3.

8 = 2008

7 = Factory.. I'm not sure which factory.

1 = From here on is the six digit serial number of the bike.

0

0

7

9

5

 

Well that's' exactly what I did, (take a picture that is) and the ninth digit that is stamped is an 8. I found a thread on this site with several different decoders that I used. every one of them accept the first one came back a 2011 500. The first one came up no records found. I've looked on the base of the motor and can't find anything with a cc number. I guess it could be on the backside somewhere that I can't see. Also if I read what you said right about the 8 should be a 3......then there would be no 8 to equal 2008.  I have the 06 - 09 450 limited manual but that don't tell me any more than I already know. I guess the only way to really tell is to pull the head off and measure the cylinder bore.

 

 

[Mech]

Ok.  Well.. The service manual explains where the engine number is. If you look there, the engine number should have the capacity as part of  it.

And if you download that manual from here, what differences do you see between your bike and the manual. If the manual's basically right for the model, all the major parts will be the same to look at.

If the manual is basically right, then we can look at parts that vary from year to year or month to month or engine number to number, and by comparing things like carbies(yeah yeah I know your bike is fuel injected), or axles or brakes or  bodywork and things that are easy to see and identify, and by seeing what combination of parts it has, we can tell to a few months when it was made.

[olddude]

On 6/3/2022 at 4:38 PM, Mech said:

Ok.  Well.. The service manual explains where the engine number is. If you look there, the engine number should have the capacity as part of  it.

And if you download that manual from here, what differences do you see between your bike and the manual. If the manual's basically right for the model, all the major parts will be the same to look at.

If the manual is basically right, then we can look at parts that vary from year to year or month to month or engine number to number, and by comparing things like carbies(yeah yeah I know your bike is fuel injected), or axles or brakes or  bodywork and things that are easy to see and identify, and by seeing what combination of parts it has, we can tell to a few months when it was made.

I posted a responce to this yesterday but I guess for some reason it didn't make it across the air ways.😬

I found a site that had all the different models specs for the years 2008 through 2012. From what I could gather from that is I can for sure rule out the 400.

In 2010 the 400 did go to fuel injection but it kept the rear drum brake setup. Also it kept the rear swing arm type suspension.

The 500 from the years 08 and 09 came only with power steering.

the 450 limited did share pretty much all of the stuff the 500 did, about the only difference I could see was the 450 had a displacement of 454 cm3 and the 500 was 493 cm3. One thing though, the 09/2010 model year was the last year of production for the 450. I'm not sure if there were any difference in the plastic parts I didn't get that far.

Also I do remember somewhere I read about the 9th didgit always being a 3. Then as the internet goes, I also read that it was not always the case. I've looked at many, many different SN's on different sites and actually, most of them were not marked with a 3. I wont say for sure one way or not, all I can say is that the number stamped on my frame for sure is an 8.

I found what I think is the engine SN but I looked high and low for a way to tell what all those numbers meant but I could find no way to decode it, The number that I think is the engin SN is, M413-106595. I had looked at that number several times before but didn't know if that was the right number or not, maybe it is, maybe it isn't but it's where everybody said it should be.

Only other thing I see as maybe different with the 450 and the 500, the 450 clutch is listed as Automatic and the 500 clutch is listed as Automatic (CVT) weather thats a difference or not I have no clue. 

Oh, one other thing, looking around I see that the 10th digit is the date code and from what I see the B letter is for 2011. But that could be like the 3 thing..........I don't know anymore.

[Mech]

Ok, well we are struggling here Olddude, because it's another old dude here, and I miss-read(bad eyes) the vin number model year as an eight instead of a B.. Haha. If it's a B then the model year is 2011.

I still can't resolve the vin number supplied though. I'd had an eight instead of a B in the tenth place, and I'd assumed that the first digit was/must be an S, because that's the only likely option I know of that looks like a 5. The S means England, but when we assign S a number the vin doesn't check right still. After I'd changed the year digit it still doesn't resolve itself, unless I put a 3 in the first place. A 3 as the first digit means it was made in Mexico.

That engine number suggests it's a 500cc.

So, looking up american versions for 2011 and I see there are four versions of LT-A500X***. They all have wet brake, belt drive, fuel injected and water cooled.  If you look that model up on a spares place and go to the body work section it will probably identify which specific model you have... We hope.

As for the manual, I had a search and can't find one exactly right. There are 2011 manuals for lt-a450x and lt-a700x, most of which would be good enough for most work. Or there are 2011 lt-a500 manuals without the x suffix.

Hope that helps.  And, for my own sanity, could you check that first vin digit again to make sure it's not perhaps a 3...  Thanks.

 

 

Edited June 5, 2022 by Mech

[olddude]

13 hours ago, Mech said:

Ok, well we are struggling here Olddude, because it's another old dude here, and I miss-read(bad eyes) the vin number model year as an eight instead of a B.. Haha. If it's a B then the model year is 2011.

I still can't resolve the vin number supplied though. I'd had an eight instead of a B in the tenth place, and I'd assumed that the first digit was/must be an S, because that's the only likely option I know of that looks like a 5. The S means England, but when we assign S a number the vin doesn't check right still. After I'd changed the year digit it still doesn't resolve itself, unless I put a 3 in the first place. A 3 as the first digit means it was made in Mexico.

That engine number suggests it's a 500cc.

So, looking up american versions for 2011 and I see there are four versions of LT-A500X***. They all have wet brake, belt drive, fuel injected and water cooled.  If you look that model up on a spares place and go to the body work section it will probably identify which specific model you have... We hope.

As for the manual, I had a search and can't find one exactly right. There are 2011 manuals for lt-a450x and lt-a700x, most of which would be good enough for most work. Or there are 2011 lt-a500 manuals without the x suffix.

Hope that helps.  And, for my own sanity, could you check that first vin digit again to make sure it's not perhaps a 3...  Thanks.

 

 

I'll look at the SN again. I'm pretty sure it's a 5 but I'll look again. It's really hard to see the first letters because the bottom radiator hose is covering it up and where it is at you can't move it over to see. I tried to snap a pic of it but I can never get the first one or two to pop out because of the way you have to hold the camera it makes everything distorted. Maybe I'll try another camera and have a little better luck

On one of those decode sites I looked at it came up as a AT- 500.. Another one came up as a LT-A 500 or LT-A 500xCL/LT or A 500XL I'm not sure how all that works out because I haven't been able to figure out what all those extra letters really mean. On one of those sites it came up as a LT- 500 XRI and that strangely enough is what that one sticker that is on the L side of the bike says. But the guy was so sure that sticker was just put on there for the fun of it. Of course he was really sure it was a 400 also.

Once I finslly figure out what I have there are a few things I want to fix most of the plastic parts are a mess. All of the front plastic pieces are so banged up it would be really hard to tell what they originally looked like. The first guy must have been pretty hard on it. All the underside protector pieces are gone, the front fender has a big hole cut into it where he had put a snorkel kit on it and all the other smaller pieces of plastic don't fit together like they should because I guess the mount holes don't line up right. Most of the plastic on the bike is wire tied together rather than with the hardware that it came with. I'll have to say this, the guy was good. The way he had it wire tied together looked pretty good, all the pieces came together pretty much where they should and it looked fairly good. I made the mistake of buying a bag of the the plastic attaching clips and pins that hold the plastic together, thinking I could get it to look a little better but once I cut the left side parts off to reattach them nothing lined up and now it looks worst than it did to start with. I probably will replace the front and side pieces later on once I finally figure out what I have. The rear pieces is in fairly good shape accept for the under fender pieces so I'll probably leave that as it is. I also would like to get the under protector pieces put back on too. I hate buying something like that because once you get it, it's yours wether it fits or not. 

AS I said I don't really know what all those X's, LT's, TA's mean so I really don't know what to look for when looking up parts. I'll try and get a little better pic of the SN today then maybe we can narrow it down a little closer. I really appreciate you hanging in there with me on this. Folks like you are what makes sites like these a fun place to go for answeras. Thnks!!!

[Mech]

No trouble buddy.

All the LT-A500 are the same basically whatever the suffix, and the main difference I could see looking in the parts places was in the front bodywork... unfortunate since yours is all busted up..  If you look up a parts site though, you may be able to make out which model you had.. the grill is a good section to start in. They all have different grills I think

[Mech]

And getting the numbers right.. yeah it can be tricky. I always take several photos, from different angles. Sometimes one shot has the first few clear, then it gets hazy, but as long as the next shot shows the last digit of the first shot clearly, and then a few more digits, I can patch it together.

I sometimes also run a knife/scraper over the numbers carefully. When the numbers get stamped it raises a little metal around the indent, and when we scrape it the raised bit shows up better than, or at least confirms, the stamping. Scraping is better than either sanding or wire brushing because it doesn't get into the indents, it highlights the raised bits, and leaves the stamped number looking black against the bright steel where we scraped.

[olddude]

Thanks again........I spent some more time yesterday trying to get a pic to come out right and I think I finally got one that you can make out the first digit. It looks like a 5 to me. I'll try and put up a couple pics then maybe you will see something different. As my handle implies I really am an old dude.........well maybe not that old, just a tad under 76 and my seeing ain't as good as it used to be.😃 Kinda makes me wonder how a old fart like me would want to even ride an ATV anymore.

I'm going to try and post a couple pics of the bike when I first unloaded it and maybe you will see something that will pop out that will help solve this mystery.

There are a couple other things I want to adress like why this thing is so cold natured and it has a miss or two or I should say a bogg when I give it throttle past mid point.I goes pretty good once it warms up all accept that boggy cough it does every now and again. but I'll do a different post for that. Thanks again