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Still cannot get 3 of the 4 mounting bolts off. They broke the nuts loose where you can't get at them, and too hard to chisel. Will have to have them torched off. Been out of the country for awhile and will get back to it when I return in a couple of weeks. Just keeping you posted.

I have a 2005 Arctic Cat 500 (Kawasaki engine) that I leave sit for about 7 months a year, as I am elsewhere. It, at first, won't start. This has been typical for about 6 years. Then, I pull the plug to make sure I have spark. At one time, I thought the fuel pump was at fault, so I replaced it (no difference). I replaced all the fuel and vent lines, so I could see if fuel was getting to the fuel pump and on to the carb. What I found, was, even though fuel was traveling to the carb, it apparently was not priming the carb enough, or at all, to allow it to start. The solution, now for first startup, has been to take the line off the fuel pump to the carb and blow fuel down it. Works every time now. Another thing you could do, is blow on the line from the fuel pump back to the fuel tank. It could be that, after sitting for awhile, the fuel filter in the tank is clogged enough to sufficiently dis-allow fuel flow to the fuel pump.

Also, beware of cracked and aged fuel and air lines. They definitely will prevent starting and/or cause erratic running problems, which was the main reason I replaced all my lines.

Let me know if you have luck.

On 2/19/2017 at 0:04 PM, davefrombc said:

My  guess is there  is  a shorted winding in the  winch.  Connecting the  positive to  each terminal without the  negative   connected  should not  have caused any current flow.

You'll  have to  pull the  motor  off   and disassemble  it  to  see  where the  problem  is.

As usual, the bolts which fasten the winch to the frame let go inside the winch housing (one turned out) and so I'll have to chisel them off and drill them out once I get the winch motor off. This will take some time, but, I will keep you posted.

14 hours ago, davefrombc said:

Look  on the  winch motor ..  If there  are 3  wires on it , one  will  be the  ground  and the  other two  the  forward and reverse terminals. Usually  the   directional  terminals are across from  one  another  while the  ground terminal  is separate.  If there  are only  two terminals 180 degrees apart,  Then  the  winch runs forward and reverse by switching the   power and  ground terminals.  One  terminal  positive , the  other  negative,  one direction;  switch the terminals  and  motor  runs in the  opposite direction.

There is one blue wire (-) and one yellow wire (+) to the winch. I ran 12v directly to the terminals on the winch one at a time and sparks flew. It melted the fuse right into the socket. Got one leg out, the other is welded in. Also melted the top of the socket where the fuses go in, but none of the other fuses were damaged.

Would it be that the winch is corroded tight? It has never been in water and seems to be a tightly sealed unit.

6 minutes ago, davefrombc said:

Make of winch ?.... Are there  3  wires going to the  winch motor? . .If  so ,  one ( usually  black)    would be the ground wire  and the other  two  would be  forward and reverse. You should be able to  find the  wiring  diagram  for your winch online.  My  guess would  be to  try 12 volts  to  each  terminal    ( red  and Yellow)  To  see if the  winch  motor runs in either  direction .  To  see  if there  is output  from the solenoid ,  simply  disconnect the  wires  from the  winch motor  and hook  up  a  tester  or  light  to  each of the  wires  and try  the solenoid switch in either  direction.  Power  at either of the  wire  terminals  would indicate  a problem in the winch motor,  and that  is usually solved with a  new set of brushes .

Okay, thanks, I'll check that out tomorrow. It's a Warn winch, don't know which model because all it has for a label (that I can see) is Arctic Cat. I suspect it is a 2000 or 2500.

Yes, 3 wires coming out of the toggle switch (one probably connecting to the ignition sw), but 3 coming to the solenoid. Looks like blue, black/white, and green. From what l can see with a light, they appear to be embedded into the solenoid as opposed to connection. But am not sure. There are 8 studs on the solenoid and 4 appear to have plastic caps on them, so I'll have to pry them off to see if they are connectors or what.

Winch_Part Numbers_Arctic-Cat-Parts-Manual-2005-ATV-500-AUTOMATIC-TRANSMISSION-4X4-FIS-LE-GREEN.pdf

Arctic Cat 2005 500 auto

I also have a winch not working. I have 12 volts to the solenoid, but before blaming the solenoid (are these repairable, can they be taken apart?) I want to test the winch terminals with 12 volts. Question is do you put 12+ on the yellow terminal and 12- to the blue wire terminal? And can you go 12+ to either terminal and the other to frame ground  to reverse the direction?

12 hours ago, Ajmboy said:

I didn't see a manual for the 500 in the downloads section: https://www.quadcrazy.com/files/category/9-arctic-cat-atv/

Maybe there is another AC that's similar?

 

I checked my service manual, but it's unclear. I'll try a flashlight.

I need to get at the wiring in back of the instrument panel (where the LED readout is). I have had every locking fastener removed, the ignition switch removed, and still cannot see what is preventing it from coming off. Is there a service manual somewhere with step by step removal instructions or can someone tell me what is preventing removal? Thanks.

UPDATE: Problem solved. I decided I would start all over with the carb air adjust setting. Turned it all the way in then backed off according to the book 2 1/4 turns. I had originally assumed the problem to be that the carb needed more air, so I had been turning it out 1/8 turn at a test. WRONG. This time I started turning the screw in 1/4 turn (to 2 turns out from 2 1/4). It worked right off. All this time the carb was getting too much air in the mix. It works fine now, no lugging on hills any more.

The reason I kept thinking it was a "air problem" is because a few years back I had taken the snorkels off and immediately ran into a poor running situation like this where it was getting too much air. Then, however it didn't want to run well at any speed, so I rerouted the snorkels underneath the hood (out of the way now so I can carry a tray on the front) effectively restricting the air intake, and it worked fine after.

This new problem probably started with air leaks in the old gas and vent hoses and I had started compensating with other adjustments. Now, I have all new vent and gas hoses.

Thank you everyone for trying to help me, and you have given me more experience, especially in how the automatic shifting works.

Larry

On 1/10/2017 at 10:26 AM, LT80 said:

Time for a compression test.

Has the valves been adjusted lately?

Never by me (8 years). Suckers are hard to get at, have to take the whole front off, plastic, racks, just to see the covers. And all bolts are rusted tight.

On 1/9/2017 at 7:57 PM, davefrombc said:

turning  out  ( counterclockwise )  opens the  jet.  If there  is only  one   adjustable  jet on the  carb , it is  likely  only the  idle  air  mix.

Thanks, I'll play with that for awhile. Long process, as I can only get at it with a short screwdriver when the exhaust pipe is cold.

1 minute ago, davefrombc said:

From  your description  of the problem   the only thing I  could  point to  was  a clutch problem.   I really  don't  think  you'd  be  able  to test the   clutches properly without  putting them  under load ..    Just  jacking it  up  and  running  it  unloaded  won't  show  up  many  problems that only occur when  pulling  hard. I'm  afraid  I  can't   offer  any suggestions  on fiddling  with the  fuel /  air  ratios to  get  more   power.  That is something you'd  have to  work  out  by trial  and error  on the settings .  a  little  adjustment  up  or  down  at  a time,  try,  readjust,  try  again  until  you  find  the  best  mix.

The only adjustment on the outside of the carb is the air setting. The manual does not say which way increases air or decreases. Do you know, if I turn the screw out, am I increasing air or decreasing air?

I got the clutch cover off and everything looks fine. I started the engine and revved it up...no hesitation, no problem, the belt goes up and down smoothly as it should. I cleaned the cover and put it back on. I'll try it again tomorrow, but expect the same lugging problem. Still seems like it's a gas/air problem. Any thoughts?

I spent all afternoon just getting the foot support and foot brake off. Everything rusted tight. Needed some heat and had to hacksaw one bolt. But, all ready for tomorrow, to take the clutch cover off and see what it looks like.

13 minutes ago, davefrombc said:

You  have a  dual range  (low/  high)  in your  quad  rather than  a single range as I had assumed from   earlier   posts..   The  clutches  act  as  a transmission,  the  range selector is what  chooses the speed and  power  range .  In  High range ,  your  quad will  go  its  maximum speed ,  in  low range  it   will  move the  slowest in really  rough going ,  and give the most  pulling  power.

So if I understand what you're saying...the 2 different ranges physically shift gears, but the clutch functions the same, only, because it's in low range, it has no need to move up/down to accommodate the faster speed as it has to in high range.

I think, in the next few days, I'll pull the cover off and take a look. I'll let you know what I find. Thanks again for all your expertise.

Larry

1 hour ago, LT80 said:

http://www.offroaderie.com/OEMpartfinder.htm?aribrand=POL#/Arctic_Cat/2005_ATV_500_AUTOMATIC_TRANSMISSION_4X4_TRV_CAT_GREEN/TRANSMISSION_ASSEMBLY_[60169]/2|~81280/2|~81280|~0737-771

#7 is the spring needed.

Just a parts fiche,I wouldn't buy from them.  

 Thanks for the reference though. I did find the spring at "gearhead.com" for $25.

5 hours ago, davefrombc said:

With a CVT there is no  "low gear"  or  "high gear"  the clutches  act  as gears   by constantly varying the ratio  between them  depending on rpm  and torque  load.

 

And yet I have a low gear shift position that winds out at about 30 miles per hour, about 5000 rpm. What am I missing?

Okay...I ran it down the hill, turned around, started slow going up the hill now. With the shift in high, at about 17 miles per hour it bogged down, lack of power and the engine would have quit if I didn't slow to about 14 mph. I stopped, shifted into low gear. It went up the hill with no problem. Low gear tops out about 35 mph which is very high rpm, so I continued at about 30 mph and it didn't lack for power. I stopped, shifted into high gear and at about 17 mph it started bogging down again.

What is the clutch doing when in low gear? Why does it not have a problem in low gear?

Okay, watched some u-tube videos on the clutch. Really pretty simple. The hardest would be getting parts shipped to Panama.

I have one more question not answered...my Cat (automatic with 4 wd) has a low speed and high speed shift. How does that work? Does the belt just stay at low speed position even while using higher RPMs? If so how? From what I saw the clutch is going to work the same. Am I actually shifting gears to achieve this?

There must be a way to prove/disprove this. For instance, couldn't I be going in regular high gear on the level, at slow speed (considering the belt would be on the low speed auto), then make a turn and start uphill, still at low speed. Wouldn't that produce an answer?

Or, if I put the auto transmission in low gear, shouldn't I be able to accelerate up the hill without a problem?

Sounds like I need a shop manual.

Dave, it sounds like a very astute answer. I'll check my manual and see if I can figure out how to do that. Meanwhile, is there any advice you can provide on how to do that? Also, if it's a clutching problem, wouldn't it do that going downhill or on the level too?

Arctic Cat 500LE green 2005. It lugs going up steep hills (of which there are a lot here in Panama). Sounds like it's not getting enough gas. Puts me at about 20KPH going uphill.

I Can't figure it out, I've had this problem for a couple of years now. There were times it went away, but now it's lugging uphill again. I have a new fuel pump, all new gas, air, vacuum lines, I cleaned the carburetor for the 2nd time, tried adjusting the air setting on the carb, now back to 2 1/4 turns out (never seems to make a difference changing it a 1/8 turn at a time).

It runs great on level or slight hill, and fantastic downhill. I'm thinking it's something in the gas tank, but if a slope causes something to clog the filter, why not downhill also? I've had this Cat for 8 years now, and it ran fantastic the first 5 or 6 years. I put what was supposed to be bad gas in (after the fact) at about that time and have had problems ever since. It's a lot of work to get at the tank, so I've put it off, trying to solve the problem in more obvious ways.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated, thanks.

Larry

2 hours ago, davefrombc said:

Whenever  you  have  dimmed lights or something like tail/ brake lights   working with headlamps off,  but not when  on, the first thing to  check  is the ground for the lights  or display.  The same applies  for   starters  not spinning over properly. Check the  ground cable  first  if  you  know   the battery  is  fully  charged. One trick many don't  know  is to   cover the  battery terminals with  grease or vaseline.  It  protects  them  from  corrosion from acid vapors from the  battery and from  general  corrosion  associated  from the  air  and road  grime/ salt  that  might find its way to the terminals. It's  a trick you should  use on  all  your  mobile gear ,  from  quads , bikes, boats  to  your  car  and truck.  The  newer SLA  and  gel  batteries  aren't  nearly  as prone to terminal corrosion,  but  greasing them   still  helps  keep   other   corrosive contaminants  like  salt  off them.

Good info Dave. I've come to that conclusion only recently, but at this time the ATV is at my home in Panama where I will be in January. So please wait and I will be sure to let everyone know what finally fixes it. I intend to take the crash bars, and plastic totally off and go through all the wires, as we have a lot of corrosion problems there. Also have a fuel problem that comes and goes, so I will be replacing all the gas and vent lines, cleaning the carb again and cleaning out the fuel tank and filter (which is where I think that problem stems. Thanks, Larry.

I checked the fuse...okay. Disconnected battery overnight...still dim. Maybe the grounds are getting corroded? When I get back I will start with that. I'm in another country right now and won't be back until January, so be patient, I will be back on this subject then. Thanks, Larry

I would pull the connector to the pod and clean it with electronic cleaner spray then reconnect it first. Its also called contact cleaner, you can get it at any auto parts store.

Mike

I have had the connector apart. The contacts were nice and clean, I should have checked voltage. Odd thing is, the fading is mostly from outside in, with the outside areas dark fading to light.