olddude

21 hours ago, Gwbarm said:

I have heard good things about their products, im eventually going to have to get one for my eiger and this company was at the top of my list.

Hey if you don't mind......If you do get from them could you tell us how it went. 

On 6/13/2022 at 11:22 PM, Krazo said:

Any suggestions for electrical components?  I think my Stator got burned up.  got a 2005 kingquad 700.  pulling a harrow on a hot day and I think it was just too much for it.  anyway, I've found used OE stators on ebay, cheap aftermarket stators on ebay (caltric and others) and both of these are going in the 100-150 range.  but a new OE stator is nearly 600.  This is a job I dont want to do twice but man thats at least 4x the price of an aftermarket or used OE.  I'm sure the aftermarket isnt the same quality and I'm very reluctant to get a used stator even if it is OE.  I'm tempted to bite the built and spend the cash for a new OE.  any one with experience here?

Try these people you might find something there.

Charging (rmstator.com)

18 hours ago, davefrombc said:

Contrary to what so  many conservative Americans think, the Chinese and Asians are just as capable of making quality parts  as anyone, and North Americans  are just as capable of making junk as the Chinese and other Asians.

You want to try to bring some of the manufacturing back to the US? Bring back the tax regime of the'50's where companies and individuals were encouraged to  invest and re-invest in the US rather than  take their profits and  run offshore to  invest them while demanding more subsidies from the American taxpayers.  Don't blame  Asians for the tax and business decisions made at home.

Maybe some of them are capable. I remember when you couldn't buy much of anything that wasn't built in Japan and some of that stuff was built quite well. I also remember when you could by a tv made here and get 10 or 15 years out of it maybe more. Today, you are lucky to get 2 years out of one and the same with most electronics you buy. 

Unions and gubment regulations are pretty much the reason for American companies sending their products abroad to be manufactured. Unions were really good at making a $5 part cost $50 and this gubment's lust for control of anything and everything that's done here, not to mention it's never ending lust for more money to give away to one group or another. I wont carry this any farther here because it's not what this thread is about. 

On 6/13/2022 at 11:22 PM, Krazo said:

Any suggestions for electrical components?  I think my Stator got burned up.  got a 2005 kingquad 700.  pulling a harrow on a hot day and I think it was just too much for it.  anyway, I've found used OE stators on ebay, cheap aftermarket stators on ebay (caltric and others) and both of these are going in the 100-150 range.  but a new OE stator is nearly 600.  This is a job I dont want to do twice but man thats at least 4x the price of an aftermarket or used OE.  I'm sure the aftermarket isnt the same quality and I'm very reluctant to get a used stator even if it is OE.  I'm tempted to bite the built and spend the cash for a new OE.  any one with experience here?

Actually sometimes an aftermarket part is better than some of the OEM stuff. That is if it is made here and not some china knockoff. Back before china took over the world there were smaller companies that could supply just about any part you could think of and be as good if not better that OEM. Just because a part is OEM doesn't mean much when it comes to materials and workmenship. Now day though you can hardly find a aftermarket part that isn't made in china. 

Years ago when I was a boat dealer I used mostly aftermarket parts in our shop not because they were cheaper but because they were better, especially OMC parts. Sadly because of everyones lust for the cheapest parts they can find, Me included😯 I hate to say a lot of the older aftermarket companies are now gone because they just could not build stuff as cheaply as the crap that comes from china.  I'm sure there are some of those old companies that have managed to survive and you can find them you just have to look for them. I've been out of it for a long time now and find myself in the same place as you are and the search goes on.

On 8/20/2022 at 4:51 PM, Mech said:

I was just thinking it might have be easier to pull the sensor wire off and out to where you can get at it, then back probe it and refit it up in the confined place, but if not then not. Keep riding and see if it doesn't just come right.

The suzukis over here seem to be fitted with an after market handlebar push-button switch to turn the fan on. They originally came out with only the oil temp switch for the fan, but within about two years started appearing, from new, with a handlebar switch as well. I'm in a forest here and on steep land, and it's often sweltering and no wind, so I use my manual switch quite a lot on summer. Easy to rig up.

The pig tail is just not long enough to where you can get a good look at it. Probably if I pulled the air box off it would be possible to get down to it. I don't see any other switch that might turn the fan on. There is a switch though that says override or something like that but nothing happens when I slide it one way or another. That switch is just under the green push button start switch. I have been trying to figure out just what that switch is for but have had no luck. That switch appeares to be factory.

But as I stated the radiator temp switch seem to be working as it should.......well the last time I checked it anyway.

19 hours ago, Mech said:

Ecu coolant temp sensor... https://www.mickhone.com.au/partFinder/fiche/suzuki/2011/lt-a500xp/cylinder-head#next

Part 31.

The air temp sensor would have to be a mile out to cause your problem probably.. Ignore that one.

The ecu water sensor, I haven't had a read up but it's possible you may be able to test it roughly with it in place. You could pull the plug off and try a resistance test on the sensors terminals, estimating what the water temp is by either having a temp probe in the top of the radiator, or using a temp reading gun thingy, or, you could test it by carefully getting the water-proofing plugs out of the back of the plug where the wires go in, and poke pins in there carefully and test it running with the ohm or volt gauge.. Don't damage the water proofing. they are sensitive and getting water in the plug could cause problems.

The radiator fan sensor/switch is on the top of the radiator, and that's the one that is probably causing the red light.

If it seems nearly right now, it may come better with continued use..

Thanks for that link. Believe me, I have tried to get up in there but it's impossible to get to those terminals, you can't get to where you can even see them without taking a bunch of stuff off. it would be a hit and a miss to try and probe the wires in the back of the plug. I thought about that but decided against it because I was afraid I would mess it up. 

I had checked that radiator fan sensor awhile back because I had never noticed the fan coming on. When riding it I could feel a lot of heat on the side of my right leg and though it was over heating but later found out the heat was coming from that exhaust leak at the muffler to the pipe connection. I guess I was just not running it hard enough for the fan to come on. Finally I let it sit and idle awhile after riding it for awhile. It finally came on and I checked the temp with my lazer temp gun. I checked it from a cold start until the fan came on and it was within a couple degrees of what the spec was. It cut the fan off when the temp came down to the cut off spec. At first I thought maybe the fan was bad but I tested that by puttin 12v to the fan connector and it started normally so I knew the fan was good so that only left the sensor or the wiring. In the end everything checked out like it should. 

I only had that light problem one time and that was after fixing that leak and changing the spark plug, oh and also putting that heavy dose of StarTron. on the first start up it ran ok but the next day on start up it has h@ll to start and ran like crap for about ten minutes but ater shutting it off and restarting it several times it cleared up and ran good and haven't had that problem since. The miss is gone but like I said It will still do that spit back through the intake every now and then, maybe 3 or 4 times on a half hour ride. It just does it at lower speed like when You come off the throttle to make a tight turn or are pulling it into the shop or putting it on the trailer. The weird thing is that it doesn't do it every time just once in awhile. 

Hey Mech........I checked the ECT and everything seems ok, well maybe. This may be a dumb question but where in the parts lookup can you find these sensors? I looked all over and none seems to be listed. The only thing I could find was the ECM. The reason I ask is that I couldn't check the resistence on the sensor itself. There is just no way to get in there to check it without taking it out. I tried and I'm afraid if I really try it will be no good by the time I do get it out and I thought of buying a new one before I do take it out just in case. 

I couldn't even get to the IAT it's packed in there so tight I couldn't even get my hand on the connector. I could maybe get to it if I removed the airbox or maybe the front fender but it's so close to hunting season I hate to open up that can of worms right now. It is runing ok enough to get through the season and I planned on getting a new fender sometime after the season is over. 

The miss is gone I think changing the plug fixed that, it's just that little spit back I get every now an again at lower speed that's left, other than that it runs well. 

Just looked again and found out that light is the engin coolant  temperature/FI indicator light. I'm going to look at that sensor and connector later today.

HeHeHe......I hate it when you sit down for a thick juicy steak and remember it's still in the cooler. Although that's about the way I felt when I figured out about that plug. I still can't believe I admitted to doing that.😯

I'll try the learning trick and see what happens. Yesterday I needed to take a short trip through the woods to do some relic hunting and it started up like nornal but it shut right off with a little spit sort of like the back fire thing. I tried several times to get it going and after about 5 attempts it started but ran like crap spitting back through the intake and really boggy. I didn't think I was going to be sble to get her going. Finally it cut off again but started right back up and I managed to back it out of the shop. When I took it out of reverse and put it foward it shut off again but started right back up. I finally got it going and several times I though it was going to cut off but I was able to toggle the throttle back and forth and it finally got to where it picked up speed. Once I got it moving along it did seem to run a little better and I got to the place I needed to get to. I was worried that if I did cut it off if I would be able to get it going again but I went ahead and shut it down. I hunted for around 3 hours and one I got back and got it loaded back up I hit the start button and it started right up. It did spit and cough a couple times but once I got to where I could get up some speed it ran ok all the way back to the shop.

I did notice one thing, well maybe two. When I first had trouble getting it started I noticed a red light right to the right of the green neutral light. I cut the switch off to see if it would go away but it it came back on. It did this several times until it finally went out and that's when it finally started. The light never came back on the whole time I was riding it. I've never noticed that light before so I'm thinking it was why it wouldn't start. I looked around to see what that light is but I haven't been able to find anything.

The second thing I noticed was a noise like a ticking sound that I never noticed before. It only does it at low speed when I give it gas and once it gets going it quits. I'm thinking the reason I couldn't hear it before was because of that exhaust leak I had. It was making a lot of noise compared to how it sounds now. Don't know for sure and is just a thought. When I first fixed the leak it ran really good and I thought everything was good. 

Then I replaced that spark plug and the first time I rode it it seemed a little better. It sat for a couple days until yesterday and it started this next chapter.

There was one other thing I did when I changed the plug. I always like to put fuel additive in the gas when I plan to leave them sitting for a couple weeks. I also sometimes put some in the fuel tank when I suspect maybe there may be some fuel related problem like water or trash in the tank. I have had that stuff bring many sick boat engines back to life both carb and FI. It's Star tron fuel enzyme fuel treatment. It does a really good job of cleaning the whole fuel system. I guess it's possible that this stuff could have broke up a wad of crap and stopped up something.  Again just a thought.....

A shovel this time of year ain't a good idea anyway.....

I do have a confession to make though. I told you that I had changed the spark plug in that bike but never did. I remember now that I started to but found out I didn't have the right one so I ordered one. That was a couple months ago and that day I changed the plug in my old Gravely and one of my Wheel Horses. I also put in a new air filter in the bike and forgot all about the spark plug. I don't know why but later on all I remembered was spark plugs and air filters. 

Fast forward to now I was working on my plasma table Sat. and there were some parts on top of it for my lawn mower and another little ATV I have and among those parts I found a spark plug that I didn't know what it went to..........Then like a ton of bricks it hit me that it was the plug for the 500 that I thought I had replaced. I looked it up and sure enough it was. One look at the plug boot and I knew that I never replaced it, in fact I thought I was going to rip the wire in half trying to get it off. Once I had it in my hand I could see that it was badly worn, in fact the center electrode had worn down way below the end of the plug and the gap was over .060 right at double what it was supposed to be. Once I replaced it with the new one and started the bike it ran much better, imagine that! It started much better also. 

A bit later I had the time to take it out for a short run and after about a half hour I was satisfied that it was almost fixed. I said almost because although the little miss was gone and it ran much better it still had that cough,sneeze, back fire through the intake. It wasn't as bad it only did it twice the whole time I ran it. Before it would do this pretty much all the time especially at lower speeds while just riding along at a steady speed. Give it the juice and it goes like a bat out of h@ll no stumble, miss or anything. 

It has always been cold natured and ran poorly right after a cold start. Once it warmed up a little it would run a little better but had that miss and what I'll call cough. Now it runs much better when cold has no mid to hi miss just that every now and again cough, sneeze, back fire through the intake thing. If it stayed like that I could almost live with it but in the back of my head I would always know it was an accident waiting to happen.

Also I was thinking......when I replaced the air filter I replaced it with one of those K&N filters do you think that's causing a lean fuel mixture due to the extra air flow they are supposed to give? Just a thought, the old one was badly worn and really dirty.

16 hours ago, Mech said:

The bikes are all the same from 2008 to 2016(I think 16, might be later). The LT-A500XP or the KQ500 manuals are both right for you.

As long as the spark plug gap is right it will be ok.

The exhaust.. you will have to expand the muffler out to get it to fit over the sealing sleeve. The stub is so the sleeve can't get pushed too far along the pipe as you fit the muffler on. Some just have a ring welded on instead. If the clamp is welded to the muffler,you should cut the weld and take it off, then use a succession of bigger sockets as anvils to tap against from the outside of the mufflers tube. Put a big socket on an extension (for a handle), and drive it in tight, then beat the distorted sections of pipe down against it, gently, then use a slightly bigger socket driven in a bit tight and repeat the process. The new sealing sleeve is thick and soft and has to slip onto the pipe, and into the muffler nicely, or it will get chewed up.

That box with hoses is I think going to be a canister to catch fumes from the fuel tank, so follow breather hoses from the tank and you may find it. It is probably only on certain models(californian and some european markets most likely). If you read right through the manual it will no doubt explain it.

If you work your way through those steps I list above I'm sure you will find the problem.. without buying a lot of parts that aren't needed..

Get a manual, the one with the most pages will be best. Have a read. If you find anything that doesn't seem right ask and I'll check t out again.

Ok, that all makes sense. I just didn't know what I was working with by just looking at the parts diagrams because none of them show that stub. I already removed the clamp, someone had tried to get it off at some time and banged it up pretty good but I did manage to get it straightened out. I had to thread on a thread chase to the bolt and run a tap through the hole to clean the threads up.  Where it was spot welded it left a hole in the flange but I welded the hole full then ground the rough spots down smooth. I have a friend that owns a muffler shop and I'll get him to expand the end of the tube to fit the connector also. I orderd the connector and a new plug yesterday and that should take care of at least one of my problems.

I did look around for that box, someone else, (maybe you) had mentioned that when I was trying to figure out what I had when I first got the bike. Just looking at it at a glance I'd say it didn't have one but I'll look around some more.

Also, I downloaded that KQ 500 manual yesterday so that should take care of that. The only difference I see so far is that manual has a section on power assist steering so I should be good on that too. 

I know this bike was treated pretty rough in it's other life. In fact I almost passed it up when I saw that it had had a snorkel kit on it at one time and when I removed the seat I could see water marks up past the battery box. But it started and ran good so I decided to take the chance. At the time I wasn't too concerned about the Frankenstein plastic situation because overall the rest of the bike looked pretty solid. I think it will be a good machine once I get a few of these little bugs worked out. Oh.....Thanks so much for what you have done, It's kind of rare to find a site that has people like you that will actually take their valuable time and use it to help others like you have done. Semper fi

7 hours ago, Mech said:

And looking through the manual I see the muffler doesn't have a drain bung, but it does have a spark arrestor at the back, with three bolts holding it..Those definitely block up.. I'd clean that and fix the exhaust leak.

Then I'd check the spark plug and gap, look for air leaks, then anything that would cause it to not get enough fuel.. Low injector voltage, fuel filter, bad connection to injector.. Then electrical, air temp sensor, water temp sensor.. If those are out of range, but still connected, they won't cause a trouble code but can still make the mixture wrong. If the temp sensors(or anything) are causing a slightly lean mixture, it will probably run ok with hard acceleration when the ecu tells it to give it more gas, but falter and possibly backfire out the inlet when you throttle back or run it at light loads..

If you can confirm whether it has that canister with  hoses and wires it will be helpful.

I looked at the spark arrestor yesterday and it was clean. Also I already checked the plug and the gap and they looked good but I never was any good at looking at a spark plug and be able to guarentee it was good. Sometimes I have pulled them off the shelf and they were bad. Do you know off hand what plug is supposed to be in there I changed the one that was in there when I bought it but I just put back what was in there. 

I'm not sure about that canister can you tell me where to look for something like that? All those parts a packed in there pretty good and it's hard to tell what's in there unless you take a lot of plastic off and with this bike it's a real pain because of the way the original guy patched this thing up. One day I might put new plastic on it but I wanted to put a little time on it to see what I have before I spent that much money on plastic then have the engine poop out.

14 hours ago, Mech said:

Do any of these look like your manual ?  Scroll right down.. https://www.manualslib.com/brand/suzuki/offroad-vehicle.html 

I believe there was one for KingQuad 500 but it don't say anything as far as a year goes.

14 hours ago, Mech said:

Do any of these look like your manual ?  Scroll right down.. https://www.manualslib.com/brand/suzuki/offroad-vehicle.html 

16 hours ago, Mech said:

The join there is meant to have a thick walled sleeve of somethng like asbestos. https://www.mickhone.com.au/partFinder/fiche/suzuki/2011/lt-a500x/muffler#next

There will be too many tiny differences for anyone to explain to you. You need to get the manual, (which can be downloaded for free), and look in parts listings(That site I've posted shows two LTA500X and LTA500XP), and figure the differences out. In the back of the service manual it will have a section called the supplement quite likely, and there they mention any differences. What's not in the supplement section, is the same as the main part of the manual

If you confirm what model you have, I'll download the correct manual and have a read and see if I can help..

Thanks.....I believe you helped me out with the serial number search thing awhile back. If I remember there were a couple letters or numbers in the serial # that didn't seem right but from that we decided that this bike is a 2011 LT A 500X L1 E33. I looked over parts manuals for a week or more looking at differences in the different models and years to come up with this model #. The problem has been that I haven't been able to find a manual for that model for the 2011 year. I'm thinking that any 2011 manual for the 500 would do because as others and you have stated the main difference is the cosmedic parts and some of the 500's had power steering which mine doesn't.

As far as the muffler and pipe. I looked at the parts listing on partzilla and it's confusing at best for me any way. If you look at the pic you see the exhaust pipe and the connector. They are two different parts. But when I look at what I have got in front of me I see the pipe and on the end there is a medal stub sticking out about maybe 3". I started to order the connector just to see what I would end up with but haven't done it yet. You mention a thick walled sleeve and I'm wondering if that just fits over this stub I see and it just doesn't show the stub in the parts list? That would make sence because yesterday I found some aluminum tape that I wrapped around this stub to shim it out a little and it did help to stop the leak but it still has a small leak. I'm going to order that part and hopefully it will fit on the stub and solve this problem. I understand how misleading some parts lookup books can be because I worked on boat motors for 30 years and I know you have to have a lot of imagination sometimes when looking at those drawings.😕

21 hours ago, Mech said:

A blocked fuel filter or low fuel pressure could cause a lean mixture.

Only at set speeds is probably significant..

I thought we'd sorted the model and got the right manual.. So what have you noticed about the bike that isn't as the manual says ?

I'll check the filter later today. The only manual I could find that was close was the 2009, 450X. I went to a suzuki dealer to get one but I just couldn't see me paying $160.00 for one. I guess you could call me a cheap scape. 

Most of the stuff is the same, plastics, suspension seems the same, drivetrane, brake system all I could find that was different was the engine for obvious reasons and some wiring.

I never could get an answer on how many changes they may have made to the engine, like ign, fuel system and a few other things. from 2009 and 2011. 

I did find the exhaust leak. The connection between the header pipe and the muffler. It will not tighten and someone shimed the connection with muffler tape I guess just to get by so they could sell it. The tape fell out and thus it started leaking. It's a slip fit there and the clamp that is spot welded to hold it in place just will tighten enough to make a secure fit. In fact, once I unbolted the muffler it just fell out and the clamp was as tight as it would go. I don't know if that clamp has stretched to it's limit or if the connector itself has worn enough to where it won't tighten up. Then, I guess someone could have put the wrong muffler pipe on it that is a little larger. I have been looking for an automobil muffler clamp but can't find one small enough.

19 hours ago, Mech said:

Ok... I'm not familiar with the model.  It's always the recommended thing to check or do a standard tune before trying to find defects. That would include the fuel filter and any vacuum hoses if the bike has emission control components, such as a vapour trap canister.

A tight valve clearance could cause that, so could a defective or incorrectly adjusted sparkplug, or a lean mixture. Those, apart from the sparkplug though, will be temp related.. they probably won't be the problem from cold.

They used to say on older models that as part of the standard tune and service that you should take a bung out at the back of the muffler and run the bike to drain any accumulated gunge.. I've tried it heaps of times and never got anything out, but they seem to think the mufflers block.. A blocked muffler could cause your symptoms, and it might be why the muffler's leaking.. A leak at the muffler won't cause the miss, but it  perhaps it would be worth checking the exhaust isn't blocked.

I'd check all those things first, then start looking for electrical/electronic problems..

Your observations have been good so far. It's useful, vital even, to note the symptoms in as much detail as possible, and also the circumstances such as throttle positions, temp, load, time running, rough ground, rain.. anything we notice that seems to consistently causes the problem because they are often the thing that helps diagnose the problem, and, then we can repeat the conditions after the work to be sure we have fixed it.

 

 

Thanks, I haven't had the time to mess with it for awhile but I want to get it running right before hunting season. When I get the time I'll pull some of the covers off and go over the basics. Lean mixture? doesn't the ECM control all that. I haven't been able to find a service manual for this ATV. I downloaded several but they turned out to be the wrong ones. The closest one I found is a 2009, 450 AXI and that's been close enough up til now. 

I looked at where it is leaking and I can see that someone has wraped muffler tape around that area and it has come loose. When I first got the bike I didn't hear any leaks and it is strange that the cough/spit thing shows up about the same time I noticed the leak. As far as the muffler being stoped up I guess that is a possibility but when I first got it I was looking at it because it was a tad bit loud for my taste and I could tell it was passing gas because I could feel it. Though I guess it could be partially stopped up but if it was stopped up I would think it would be boggy and hardly run. This thing has plenty of power and aside from the little spit every now again it takes off from a dead stop to WOT with no hesitation. Also when you give it gas and while it is excellerating you don't get these miss/cough/spit it just goes. I only notice it when you are just moving along at a set speed.

18 hours ago, Mech said:

Is it a carby or fuel injected motor ? I know what a miss is, but what is a cough ? Do you mean it spits back out the intake ?

I doubt the exhaust is your problem.

Yeah me too but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. Cough, Sounds somewhat like a cough I guess and yes I think maybe it's spitting back up through the intake. It's fuel injected I don't even think they had a carb 500 in 2011. It's random on the cough but it does it pretty much all through the RPM range.

When I bought this ATV I noticed a slight miss between mid and high speed. Now I notice it has developed a bad cough as well as the miss. At first it was mainly when you first started, the cough that is, now even after the bike is warm. I also notice that I have an exhaust leak right behind the motor is it possible the leak and cough are related? I haven't pulled any of the plastic off yet I was just wondering what to look for once I do as it will be a big pain when I do.

Thanks again........I spent some more time yesterday trying to get a pic to come out right and I think I finally got one that you can make out the first digit. It looks like a 5 to me. I'll try and put up a couple pics then maybe you will see something different. As my handle implies I really am an old dude.........well maybe not that old, just a tad under 76 and my seeing ain't as good as it used to be.😃 Kinda makes me wonder how a old fart like me would want to even ride an ATV anymore.

I'm going to try and post a couple pics of the bike when I first unloaded it and maybe you will see something that will pop out that will help solve this mystery.

There are a couple other things I want to adress like why this thing is so cold natured and it has a miss or two or I should say a bogg when I give it throttle past mid point.I goes pretty good once it warms up all accept that boggy cough it does every now and again. but I'll do a different post for that. Thanks again

13 hours ago, Mech said:

Ok, well we are struggling here Olddude, because it's another old dude here, and I miss-read(bad eyes) the vin number model year as an eight instead of a B.. Haha. If it's a B then the model year is 2011.

I still can't resolve the vin number supplied though. I'd had an eight instead of a B in the tenth place, and I'd assumed that the first digit was/must be an S, because that's the only likely option I know of that looks like a 5. The S means England, but when we assign S a number the vin doesn't check right still. After I'd changed the year digit it still doesn't resolve itself, unless I put a 3 in the first place. A 3 as the first digit means it was made in Mexico.

That engine number suggests it's a 500cc.

So, looking up american versions for 2011 and I see there are four versions of LT-A500X***. They all have wet brake, belt drive, fuel injected and water cooled.  If you look that model up on a spares place and go to the body work section it will probably identify which specific model you have... We hope.

As for the manual, I had a search and can't find one exactly right. There are 2011 manuals for lt-a450x and lt-a700x, most of which would be good enough for most work. Or there are 2011 lt-a500 manuals without the x suffix.

Hope that helps.  And, for my own sanity, could you check that first vin digit again to make sure it's not perhaps a 3...  Thanks.

 

 

I'll look at the SN again. I'm pretty sure it's a 5 but I'll look again. It's really hard to see the first letters because the bottom radiator hose is covering it up and where it is at you can't move it over to see. I tried to snap a pic of it but I can never get the first one or two to pop out because of the way you have to hold the camera it makes everything distorted. Maybe I'll try another camera and have a little better luck

On one of those decode sites I looked at it came up as a AT- 500.. Another one came up as a LT-A 500 or LT-A 500xCL/LT or A 500XL I'm not sure how all that works out because I haven't been able to figure out what all those extra letters really mean. On one of those sites it came up as a LT- 500 XRI and that strangely enough is what that one sticker that is on the L side of the bike says. But the guy was so sure that sticker was just put on there for the fun of it. Of course he was really sure it was a 400 also.

Once I finslly figure out what I have there are a few things I want to fix most of the plastic parts are a mess. All of the front plastic pieces are so banged up it would be really hard to tell what they originally looked like. The first guy must have been pretty hard on it. All the underside protector pieces are gone, the front fender has a big hole cut into it where he had put a snorkel kit on it and all the other smaller pieces of plastic don't fit together like they should because I guess the mount holes don't line up right. Most of the plastic on the bike is wire tied together rather than with the hardware that it came with. I'll have to say this, the guy was good. The way he had it wire tied together looked pretty good, all the pieces came together pretty much where they should and it looked fairly good. I made the mistake of buying a bag of the the plastic attaching clips and pins that hold the plastic together, thinking I could get it to look a little better but once I cut the left side parts off to reattach them nothing lined up and now it looks worst than it did to start with. I probably will replace the front and side pieces later on once I finally figure out what I have. The rear pieces is in fairly good shape accept for the under fender pieces so I'll probably leave that as it is. I also would like to get the under protector pieces put back on too. I hate buying something like that because once you get it, it's yours wether it fits or not. 

AS I said I don't really know what all those X's, LT's, TA's mean so I really don't know what to look for when looking up parts. I'll try and get a little better pic of the SN today then maybe we can narrow it down a little closer. I really appreciate you hanging in there with me on this. Folks like you are what makes sites like these a fun place to go for answeras. Thnks!!!

On 6/3/2022 at 4:38 PM, Mech said:

Ok.  Well.. The service manual explains where the engine number is. If you look there, the engine number should have the capacity as part of  it.

And if you download that manual from here, what differences do you see between your bike and the manual. If the manual's basically right for the model, all the major parts will be the same to look at.

If the manual is basically right, then we can look at parts that vary from year to year or month to month or engine number to number, and by comparing things like carbies(yeah yeah I know your bike is fuel injected), or axles or brakes or  bodywork and things that are easy to see and identify, and by seeing what combination of parts it has, we can tell to a few months when it was made.

I posted a responce to this yesterday but I guess for some reason it didn't make it across the air ways.😬

I found a site that had all the different models specs for the years 2008 through 2012. From what I could gather from that is I can for sure rule out the 400.

In 2010 the 400 did go to fuel injection but it kept the rear drum brake setup. Also it kept the rear swing arm type suspension.

The 500 from the years 08 and 09 came only with power steering.

the 450 limited did share pretty much all of the stuff the 500 did, about the only difference I could see was the 450 had a displacement of 454 cm3 and the 500 was 493 cm3. One thing though, the 09/2010 model year was the last year of production for the 450. I'm not sure if there were any difference in the plastic parts I didn't get that far.

Also I do remember somewhere I read about the 9th didgit always being a 3. Then as the internet goes, I also read that it was not always the case. I've looked at many, many different SN's on different sites and actually, most of them were not marked with a 3. I wont say for sure one way or not, all I can say is that the number stamped on my frame for sure is an 8.

I found what I think is the engine SN but I looked high and low for a way to tell what all those numbers meant but I could find no way to decode it, The number that I think is the engin SN is, M413-106595. I had looked at that number several times before but didn't know if that was the right number or not, maybe it is, maybe it isn't but it's where everybody said it should be.

Only other thing I see as maybe different with the 450 and the 500, the 450 clutch is listed as Automatic and the 500 clutch is listed as Automatic (CVT) weather thats a difference or not I have no clue. 

Oh, one other thing, looking around I see that the 10th digit is the date code and from what I see the B letter is for 2011. But that could be like the 3 thing..........I don't know anymore.

14 hours ago, Mech said:

When you get the manual, check in the back in the supplements for the variations between years.

Also, that frame number says the check digit is incorrect.. The ninth digit should be a 3, not an 8. I always photo the plates and then enlarge and brighten them and things to be sure I'm reading them right. Everything else though seems right/feasible.

5 = England market

S = Suzuki

A = ATV

A = ATV

M = 400-499cc

4 = Four stroke single

6 = 6th model version

A = 10th version

8 = Check digit..  Should be a 3.

8 = 2008

7 = Factory.. I'm not sure which factory.

1 = From here on is the six digit serial number of the bike.

0

0

7

9

5

 

Well that's' exactly what I did, (take a picture that is) and the ninth digit that is stamped is an 8. I found a thread on this site with several different decoders that I used. every one of them accept the first one came back a 2011 500. The first one came up no records found. I've looked on the base of the motor and can't find anything with a cc number. I guess it could be on the backside somewhere that I can't see. Also if I read what you said right about the 8 should be a 3......then there would be no 8 to equal 2008.  I have the 06 - 09 450 limited manual but that don't tell me any more than I already know. I guess the only way to really tell is to pull the head off and measure the cylinder bore.

13 hours ago, Mech said:

well.. you cold give us your frame number and we might identify it.

Or.. Have a look at a few parts here...

https://www.mickhone.com.au/partFinder/fiche/suzuki/2011/lt-a400f#next

If you find a part that looks right, click on the arrow over on the right near the price, and it will show you what other models that part fits. You can deduce which model you have by comparing the parts fitted to the various models. You can switch years and model at the top of the page.

That site is Australian though, and they, and us Kiwis, don't always get the same model in the same year that you Americans do.. Once you know your model though, and can identify it from the other similar models of different years or markets, you'll soon figure which manual you need.

Check through the model years till you find the start of the fuel injected models, which can be identified by their fuel pumps. Then start refining the search to four-wheel drives and either sport versions or workhorses. Look at the suspensions and the drive-line.

Checking brakes can be insightful too.

If you can identify your model from that parts site, or any other parts site, we can probably direct you to the right manual to download for free.

Some times I have a hard time explaning things I guess. I'm not sure what posting the SN would do because I have checked it on 5 or 6 sites already. Sadly the same model never came up more than once but the year always came up a 2011. But just for grins I'll post it up to see what you come up with, 5SAAM46A8B7100795. The first one I bought was because that's what the guy I got it from said it was. The second one I bought once I found out the first was no good simply because Of the fuel system and also the braking system. The third one I bought because someone checked the sn and told me I needed the last one I bought.

All this time I had been looking for the SN that was stamped on the frame. Ask a question on the internet and it might surprise you just how many different answers you come up with. I was told it was on the back left, someone said it was on the right side by the foot rest, Another person said it was under the bike on the cross member where the motor mount is. All the bikes I ever had both, yamaha and suzuki the number was stamped on the front left either on the steering tube or a cross member next to the front left shock. The last place is where I finally found it. I pressure washed that thing three times before enough of the caked on mud finally was washed away and with the light just right and with the stars lined up just right there it was. Once I found that and checked it now I think it's a 2011 500 XRI. That's a pretty large span between a 2006 400 and a 2011 500. The funny thing is that there is a 500XRI sticker on the right side of the bike. I asked the guy about it three times and he just said the last guy put that on there just for the heck of it because he had it laying around.

There was a 450 in 06 that had FI and the rear brake was the same as mine so I figured it was the 450 rather than what I had so I got that one. I was stuck on the 2006 thing because the guy was so sure that is what the other guy told him it was. But he also was sure it was a 400 too. Also, he said the guy had rebuilt the engine just before he got it. Just another reason I was sure too that it was what he said it was. How could you rebuild a 2011 500 Fi engine thinking it was a 2006 400 carb engine? 

I've looked around for a 09 through 2011 manual but haven't been able to come across one. There are plenty for up to 09 but after that they are few and far inbetween. Maybe that's why the last guy told me the 09 manual is the one I needed because that was all I was going to get. The dealer close by wants $245.00 for one and I'm just not going to go that way, I'll sell the thing before I do that.

I found the frame number awhile back and according Auto Check vin decoder that number comes up a 2011 Suzuki King Quad 500 AXI 4x4.  The site Vin Search came back with no records found. Vin Audit says it's a 2011 LT-A500 X/LT. I'm not sure exactly what all those numbers and letters mean but I'm sure they mean that the bike is not a 2006 A 400 LT like the guy I bought it from said it was. I ordered a manual for the 400 LT and right off I knew that there was something wrong because the 2006, 400 LT is a carborated engine and the bike I had was a FI engine. A little more searching I found that suzuki had a 450 XLT that was FI a little later on in the year 2006 so I bought that manual but now after checking the Vin Number that is the wrong manule also. A guy on a site somewhere told me about another manual that he was sure to be the right one but that was the wrong one also. That manual was for a carb engine also.

I didn't find the serial number plate until after I had bought those three manules. That 450 XLT manual shows a lot of the same stuff as the bike I have but it is for 06-09 models and I'm sure there are a lot of changes from a 2006 - 2009, 450, and a 2011, 500. I've looked all over and I can't seem to find a manual for this 2011 500 XRI that I'm now sure I have. I guess I was hoping someone here might have that same bike who had a manual they didn't mind sharing. Probably to much to ask for but it was worth the try.😀

As I have posted before I just bought a King Quad that I thought was a 2006 400 but it s turned into a 2011 500 xri. I've bought several service manuals and I don't have the right one yet. I wonder if someone could tell me if the latest one I bought would be anywhere in the ballpark for the ATV I have. That one was for 06 - 09 450 xr. What I need is wiring diagrams for my bike. I was riding last weekend and I noticed that the bike seemed to be getting pretty warm. I cleaned the radiator and checked the fluid level but all that was good. Then I thought about the fan motor and went to check that out and there is no wire at all going to it. There is a small rubber boot that looks like it may be where the wires go into the fan motor but as I said no wire. Looking closer at it I found another switch on the right side by the rear brake pedal that has no wires going to it either. I assume that switch works the rear brake light. I don't reall care about the brake light but I do want to get that fan working. It's hard to see anything on this thing without taking a bunch of plastic off. I need to find the temp switch on the motor and see if there is anything going to that also. I don't mind buying another service manual but this time I want to get the right one I already have close to $75.00 in manuals now but I don't mind taking another wack at it this time hopefully I can get the right one.