davefrombc

I see no reason an atv master cylinder ( and wheel cylinder(s) can't be bled the same way automotive cylinders are bled. Fill master cylinder, pump up and hold brake and crack the bleed valve. The fun part comes with some atvs when you need to remove the seat or plastics to access the rear master cylinder cylinder or bleed valve.

That's what makes me suspect a loose or corroded connection. Turning on the power can make a momentary surge in power that can connect through a little corrosion, and movement can make a loose connection make contact when previous movement made it lose. I'd bet more on a loose connection or even an incomplete break in the wire where the ends are close together and a little movement makes connection. It's possible in the ignition switch too if a little corrosion in there .. Next time it doesn't want to turn over, try turning the ignition switch on and off a few times to see it that makes it work. Electrical gremlins that cause intermittents are the most evil. It's much easier finding a complete failure / disconnection.

I would look for a loose connection or a corroded connection or ground in the circuit to the ignition switch and starter circuit.

You can add one to the line to the carbs. Quick search just showed 2 electric settings for the fuel pump -On and Prime- with no shut off valve.. If your quad is going to be laid up for an extended period you could disconnect the fuel hose and use the prime position to pump the fuel tank dry to prevent sludge build up in it from the gas rotting in storage. To simply run the carbs out without installing a shutoff valve you could wire a switch into the power line to the fuel pump to turn it off when you want to run the carbs out.

Looks like it is remove and disassemble time to find out why it is sticking.. If the quad is gumming up from sitting unused for a considerable time, I would suggest every time you do use it you turn off the fuel and run the carb out when you're done. That way there's no fuel left in it to rot and gum up the works. I make a habit of doing that with all of my equipment from the quad to lawn and garden gear, power saw and snow blower.

Have you checked system voltages, tried to rev it up with headlights on? . Other threads have pointed to faulty voltage regulators causing erratic running / stalling and acting as though running lean due to a faulty voltage regulator.

There's always 2 0r more prices for everything transportation or leisure involved.. Years ago there was 3 prices for an identical alternator used on a vehicle , boat or aircraft. Yes, there were slight differences between them--- the marine alternator had screening to make them less likely to ignite fuel vapors in the bilge and the aircraft certified ones were much more tightly quality controlled; but it still didn't justify a more than 3x price increase over the automotive one. Price the identical part for a Chevy and Cadillac, or any companies basic models and their luxury line. You are paying a premium for the name or "luxury". Even some power tools have huge price differences depending on the brand name on them. I remember a 4 " angle grinder made by one company having 2 prices .. The very common utility brand was $100 cheaper than the "elite" branded one. The difference between grinders? the expensive one had a polished aluminum gear case while the basic one was matte finished as it came from the forming die. Otherwise the two angle grinders were screw for screw identical. When the tool salesman was confronted with that he admitted the utility grinder maker also made them for the company whose tools he was selling .. I won't say their names but the initials for the two companies were B&D and S.O. LOL... As far as chains are concerned, it isn't that hard to cut down chains or add to them to modify them to fit a different tire diameters, a little more work to modify width You don't need to pay the higher price tags for new if you don't want to.

Got this off a Polaris forum The specified juice is Polaris Premium Synthetic Gearcase Lubricant PN 2871477 (Gallon) PN 2871478 (12 oz..) Capacity: . . . . At change: Approx. 20 oz. You could use ATF, Harley high shock synthetic transmission oil, Bel Ray Big Twin transmission lube, (my favorite) Honda two stroke transmission oil or any JASO rated 5w20 through 20w50 multi grade engine oil approved for use in motorcycles that lube the transmission with the same oil as the engine. Shop Owner and Mechanic with over 50 years experience

I'd be hesitant to use a brush cutter attachment for a quad. I think sharp stubs of brush could likely too easily puncture tires. One would be ok for mowing jobs. I can't see it as a haying machine.

The Big Bear 400 is air cooled and the Kodiak 400 is water cooled according to their specs I found on line .

My guess is the transmission is locked in two gears; possibly one forward and the reverse. There should be a service manual in the downloads section here to help you with diagnosing and fixing the problem.

Is that a center saver under the tip of the puller rod? It looks like if there is, it appears slightly off center / too large for the shaft and catching on the clutch preventing the clutch from moving out when I blow up the picture.

There's something not indexed right in tranny assembly then That is most likely the reason for the lock up. There should be a manual in the downloads section that can help.

Is it possible you have the wrong length bolts in the clutch assembly? I've seen car motors locked up because in replacing a motor they used bolts for a manual shift flywheel to install a flex plate for an automatic. The longer bolts contacted the motor block when tightened and effectively seized the motor. Something similar could be happening in the Honda if one or more long bolts got swapped in where shorter ones were called for.

Just my 2 cents in , but if there are "decent dents" in the piston, check it very closely for cracks too

Did you check the fuel line to the carb for restrictions? It may be the float bowl isn't filling fast enough.

Try using a jumper cable directly from the battery to the starter to see if that spins it over faster. The wires from the starter solenoid to the starter should not be getting hot if the starter is not dragging. They may be too small to deliver proper voltage and current to the starter. If it spins the motor over with the jumper cable then change out the starter wires for heavier ones. If there is no difference then you need to look for why the starter is dragging.

I run 5 psi in the tires on my old '91 Honda Fourtrax 300FW. The tires are rated for 7psi max. It is also a solid axle rear , full time 4x4 and as such has the turning circle of a pickup truck and a harsher ride than the newer independent suspension rigs with selectable 2- 4WD. Simple , dead reliable old technology but much easier to maintain like most of the old Hondas and Suzukis. 5 psi is fine in your quad, and you could easily run them at the recommended 4.4 psi. The low pressure gives a little less harsh ride and better grip in rough terrain. Hard core 4x4 offroaders drop their vehicle tires from highway 30 -50 psi pressures down to as low as 10 - 15psi. Some with bead lock rims drop pressures into the single digits for rock crawling. Softer tires give better grip and ride , harder tires give better fuel mileage and handling on the highway.

Fuel valve left on and the carb flooded either from a bad seat or stuck float. You'll need to completely drain the crank case and refill with fresh oil, drain and clean the air box and find out why the carb flooded. Pull the spark plug and make sure the cylinder is not also flooded.

Check the float level as well as all the items Mark mentioned. It could be too low.

I would blame worn starter brushes not making proper contact. When you have the starter engaged and give it a turn with the kick start it is enough movement to make the brushes make better contact and spin the starter. I had similar trouble with my '91 Foutrtrax 300FW. New brushes fixed it .

Your wires look like a nightmare to deal with now. Here is a download of a Raptor 660 service manual that should have a wiring diagram for you to follow. Hopefully the color coding it shows corresponds to your machine. Sorry I can't help more than that.

The most common cause of that is a faulty voltage regulator.

A handy tool to have is an in line spark tester. Sometimes you can have spark when the plug is out of the cylinder but the spark fails when under compression . The inline tester will show you if it is sparking without having to pull the plug.