SPARK, small spark, NO SPARK 1996 polaris 425 magnum 4x4

[littlebill]

I have a 96 polaris 425 magnum 4x4. I traded for it without knowing a whole lot about it. It was wrecked hard enough to take the radiator out. They replaced the radiator, rode for roughly 5-10 minutes and it died. They never got it to run again. I started off with no spark. Stator wouldn't test out, it had a bad bobbin. Bought new stator no change. New coil, wire, boot, plug, no change. New CDI, regulator things started changing. I don't know if wiggling wires, just changing parts, I really don't know. At times I have a 4th of july spark, at others maybe half spark, and sometimes no spark. It's ran for 5 minutes, and just dies. 15 minutes maybe and dies. It has run up to 30 minutes at a fast idle and dies. But when it dies, its done. The next day it might run, maybe not. It seems to change whenever you mess with it. Does anyone have any ideas what it could be. I would love to ride it, but it would leave me sitting or walking. I've traced wires until I can't see straight. Checked connections looking for corrosion, loose connections, broken wires. I don't know where to go with it now. Any help would greatly be appreciated.

[Ajmboy]

Sounds like a bad ground to me or loose connection, but you said that you checked over all your connections, right? Maybe a faulty CDI or loosely connected?

[littlebill]

I've changed out the CDI, looked at every connection I could find. Today I went to Lebanon Susuki to see if they could tell me something about plugs. When I ordered a plug for the make and model I got a NGK BRK5E, my Clymers manual called for a BRK5ES. Anyway we were talking and I told them what I had changed out, and the results I got. They told me in around about way that parts sometimes aren't as accurate as they can be. They told me to check the gap between the pickup coil and the flywheel. The old one didn't have hardly any gap at all. The new stator I got with the pickup coil gap was quite a little bit bigger. They said it could weaken spark, and throw it out of time a little. I haven't rearranged it yet, but I will. Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated about the distance between the flywheel and pickup coil. Thanks littlebill

[DirtDemon]

That spec should be in the Clymer manual. If you are still having problems after fixing the gap problem, and checking for loose connections, the regulator/rectifier may be your problem.