mikeexplorer

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

Typically ATV incandescent head lights would draw about 35 watts each. If it used to have two lights, that is 70 watts. I would use a 50 watt LED light bar to be safe. That light bar will be far brighter then the original head lights and you would be safe that you won't overdraw the electrical system. Mike

Need to know the year of the machine. A good resource is https://www.countrycat.com/ You can bring up parts diagrams and you can download service manuals for free. Example of a diagram shown below. I picked a random year so don't go by this. Mike

Eventually they pick up mud and crap and will need to be cleaned out. I had my original WARN winch for 10 years and always worked well. I would take it apart every few years and clean it out. Sold it with the machine and it was still working well. One trick I use is when I am ready to wind the cable back on to the spool I use one of those battery jump boxes to power it to wind the cable back on. This way I can hold some tension on the cable so it lays on the spool better. Mike

Yes, Here is a good guide on how to take apart and clean a winch. This is an excellent guide with pictures. Over time the winch gears will pick up mud and crap and make switching from winch mode to freespool very hard. I have used this guide with good results. Mike Winch_cleaning_instructions_V3.pdf

I purchased this one and it seems to work better then what I had for maintaining the battery on the Jumping Jack trailer. I also found that this charger will work off the inverter that is built into my Tahoe. This gives me a means to charge the battery on the trailer if I run it down. My old charger would not work off the inverter. Mike

Its working out well for us. It is the 6 x 8 (Standard) trailer. Since I changed rims on my machine, loading and unloading has been fine. This model weighs 1,200 pounds with the trailer plus tent. Axle is rated for 3,400 pounds. Last year a friend was interested in buying one, so we test fitted his Polaris General on the trail and it fit fine. (This sized trailer is rated for 2,200 pounds on the deck) When he called for a price he was quoted $6,500 for this model. Now there are no longer any dealers on the East coast so what they told him is for $500 they would deliver it to his house. These are made in Salt Lake City Utah, on the west coast these are very popular with hunters and riders.

No, its just the camera angle for the second picture makes it look different. These pictures might be better, first one is with the SS rims, second with Arctic Cat Rims. Where the ramps go to load & unload, it changes how much room I have on the deck of the trailer which although does not look like much, makes a big difference. Mike

Yes, it moves the tires out about 2 inches. First picture is with the SS rims. Second is one after replacing them with standard rims. What is a bit deceiving is the new tires are also 1 inch wider then the older ones. Mike