mikeexplorer

I have used it where tire plugs would not seal a puncture and it works. Some have suggested putting slime in their tires as a preventive measure but I would not do that. I use it as a last resort. Mike

He is a good dealer and very trustworthy, don't know if he messed with the carb, but the machine ran real good after the rebuild. Ran it 2,000 more miles to make 16,000 on it and then sold it for parts. I beat the snot out of that machine, rolled it twice, several collisions, frame was broken in two spots, so it could not be traded in with a welded frame. That 2007 Arctic Cat was known for wiring harness issues, I had several problems with it until I wrapped it in spiral wrap to keep it from rubbing. Some people on Facebook bust me about the maintenance I do on the machine, I take photos so I have a record of what was done to them and when, but as I pointed out to them, we RIDE these machines, not let them sit in the shed, so I keep up on them and we have very few breakdowns. Plus sometimes on the Arctic Cat fourm I can use a picture I took to explain to someone how to fix something. Even that older black 366 I keep up on it even though its not used that much since its a spare machine. I wasn't worth selling it. Plus she had something to ride this weekend while her machine is in the shop. I had just put in about $1400 worth of parts on that machine, then I got the offer to sell my 2007 machine for $2000 (the beat up one) so I couldn't turn that down (he wanted it for parts, mainly the motor. So I pulled the trigger and bought her a new 2017 Alterra for $4500 and kept the 366 as the backup machine. That was the year Textron bought Arctic Cat, so I figured if I bought her a new machine now, I can sit back for a few years and see what happens to Arctic Cat before I have to go buy another machine. Glad I did, this year they went back to the Arctic Cat name, but there are no new machines out there right now, don't know what they are doing, even the dealer is baffled by this. my 2012 450 is in good shape (I bought it in 2014 brand new) so I don't have to buy for a few more years. Mike

This is the oldest machine and it is a spare so it doesn't get a lot of use. It is also used for plowing since I can mount the plow on it and leave it on all winter. Last year a few wires in the front harness rubbed through and popped the ignition fuse. This was actually the first time I seen pins not fully seated in the connectors. They are usually clipped in well with heavy duty connectors with waterproof fittings. I do use diaelectric grease on everything, keep a big tube of it on hand It cranks well, it is probably the valves out of tolerance. It is 9 years old with 9,700 miles on it so it probably needs to be adjusted. It also has a slight tick in the engine, not sure whats going on there. It is scheduled to go to the dealer when I get the Alterra back. (It is at the dealer for the same hard start issue) I don't do engine work, for the few times I need the valves adjusted, I let the dealer handle it. He is a very good dealer and his prices are very reasonable, he always cuts me a break since I bought three machines off him and I buy my parts from him. Back a few years ago, I had a 2007 Arctic Cat 400 with 14,000 miles on it and sunk it in a mud hole on a poker run. Shortly after it started burning oil like crazy and lost compression. With the miles it had, the only choice was to bore it and install an oversized piston & rings, in addition, the timing chain was at the limit, the valve seats were worn out and he replaced all gaskets and seals since the engine was split. He also rebuilt my primary clutch (the wet clutch shoes were still good, but he lapped the primary to remove the small grooves) He also lapped and cleaned the valves. Total cost was $575, but the deal was they only worked on the quad "on the side" so the rebuild took a month. He did it for the part cost only, because the normal cost of the rebuild I would not have done and would have junked it. Ran that machine for 2 more years and sold it for parts. Now that is a good dealer! Mike

Could just be an Arctic Cat thing, it is stated in the service manual to put the belt in with the arrows in direction of rotation. Mike

We noticed the fan never ran on the black quad, did not see an overheat warning either. Last year I replaced the sensors because they were not working. When I wired in the LED lights on the front rack, I used the two pin trailer connectors to make it easy to unplug if I had to remove the front rack, the fan uses the same so I unplugged the lights and plugged the fan it and had her run it manually. This was weird. Got home and pulled the sensors and tested them by heating up some oil. The sensors tested good, and jumping the plug on the quad, the fan runs, so it was like WTF? Turned out the pins for the sensor were not fully seated in the connector. This machine also has a hard starting problem, not as bad as the Alterra, so it will go in the shop when I get the Alterra back. Mike

Arctic Cat CVT's are known to be a bit noisy and its normal. From it sitting for so long, the secondary might be sticking. Easy enough to take it out and clean it. My old quad, a 2007 400 Cat I had over 16,000 miles on it and the wet clutch shoes were still good, they last a long time is taken care of. Arctic Cat belts have an arrow marks on them to indicate which way to put them on, these belts are directional. When installing the belt the arrows have to be on top and facing towards the front of the machine, the clutches turns clockwise. Putting a belt on wrong will cause extreme slippage. If he used the wrong oil and did not run the quad long, the shoes will probably be ok, he would just have to change the oil to the proper stuff and he should be good. Mike

Actually have a long weekend off, usually we work the holidays but the plant shut down to install a new switchgear so lucky me! Took a ride on an old railroad grade that is now a recreational trail and legal to ride. There are a few places to stop and get something to eat. Michelle is driving her old quad, a 2010 366 which I kept as a backup machine. Her Alterra developed a hard starting problem at Snow Shoe, so it will be off to the dealer to adjust the valves. Was good to give this machine a nice long cruise run as it doesn't see many miles anymore.

I have this exact machine. It is unlikely your belt broke unless the belt was not an OEM belt. With that low of miles, I would assume it had the factory belt. The drive belts last a long time on these machines. I just recently changed mine, but I have 6,400 miles on the machine. As the belt wears the symptoms are loss of low end and loss of engine braking. Which side was the noise? Sitting on the machine, the right side is where the drive belt is. You mentioned changing the fluids, if you changed the oil, did you use wet clutch certified oil? These machines use a wet clutch as the primary and if you use normal engine oil, you will burn up the primary clutch shoes. Mike

Happy 4th as well. No big plans, probably do some riding on the trails closer to home. Mike

Start the machine and measure the voltage at the battery, rev it up a bit, should not exceed 14.5 volts.

Schematics are here, its the file that is large https://www.mymowerparts.com/pdf/Arctic-Cat-ATV-Repair-and-Service-Manuals/ Service manuals are here: https://support.countrycat.com/?home_feed=feed&order_by=recent&taxonomy_59981_taxa=6bb2d2a2-7689-4e31-9050-ea99c2aac3f0

Check the battery as I mentioned above to make sure its not weak, that will cause loss of spark. The coil could also be weak, that is an inexpensive part to replace. Have you downloaded the service manual for the machine and schematics? Mike

One thing to try is while it is idling, turn on your headlights low and high beam then try to give it some throttle. If it runs better, shut off the lights and take a meter and measure the voltage on the battery. Should not be above 14.5, if you give it throttle and it rises, the regulator is not working and it will mess up the CDI and cause a loss of spark. It is also possible the voltage goes low and will cause loss of spark. A bad regulator will cause these issues as well. Its an easy test with a meter. Though the symptoms are acting like the carb is not cleaned properly. You could also have some junk in the tank from it sitting and it got sucked into the carb. Older cats fuel lines were also not made to handle the E10 gas that we use nowadays, the inside of the fuel line could be breaking down and causing junk to be sucked into the carb. With a machine that is now 15 years old, I would replace the fuel line, then add an inline fuel filter while your at it. Wire rub through was not known to be an issue with 2004 cats, and with only 400 miles I would think that is not likely at this point. Mike

I noticed the butt splice in the photo is also showing signs of burning out. Clear indication of an overload. Is there an inline fuse with this kit? The photo does not show one. Any connection directly to the battery needs an inline fuse. It is dangerous not to have that, in the event of a short, that wire will get red hot and arc out. Wire gauge appears to be correct (14 gauge) for a 100 watt kit, so you seem to have an overload condition. Mike

Usually yes. Camping is free but primitive if you sign up for the ride. Mike

$40 you get the ride (50 miles), a t-shirt, and a chicken dinner after the ride. Good ride and good deal

This is now an annual event which raises money for the Relay For Life to help cure cancer. Over 200 machines plus passengers attend the event. (I don't have the exact count from this year) The whole town of Renovo welcomes the riders for the weekend and there are plans to connect this town to the nearby state trails as part of the "Northcentral ATV Initiative"

There are no longer any dealers on the East coast. I am kinda surprised they are not more popular here, out west they are common. They even make a small one that can be towed behind a side by side. For $500 they will deliver it right to your door. AOAA is a good place to ride and reasonable. $25 for 1 day, $10 for each additional day. Mike

Spent the weekend at Anthracite Outdoor Adventure area and camped at the Trailhead Campground. This campground is next to the trails so you can just ride over to the trails. AOAA has about 311 miles of trails on 6,500 acres of land. All kind of terrain depending on what you like.

If you know the make of the bulb you can go to headlightexperts.com and find a LED version Mike

I would check the battery to make sure it is good, should last longer then a week without running it. You could also have a parasitic draw on the battery.

I also agree about disabling a safety feature. Removing the airbag might cause a problem when the car is recalled since it was removed. It also may not pass inspection with the airbag missing. I know in PA the airbag must be present to pass inspection. Since this is a known issue, I am sure there are Youtube videos in how to deal with this. Mike

I can't help you, the two machines I have that are carbed have automatic chokes. Have you tried searching Youtube for how-to videos? Mike

Some of the maintainers come with that connector so you have a quick way to attach the charger. No harm in attaching it. The only way it could have damaged the battery is if it overcharged it for a long time. (as in the charger is defective) you can check that by measuring the voltage on the battery with the charger attached. It should not exceed 14.5 volts. For a charger to "boil" out your battery, you would see over 17 volts. Mike

There are many choices for LED lights nowadays. Some LED light bars have both in one unit. Mike