bellarmine

Well remember that measuring continuity thru a good starter motor from pos to ground will be near 0 ohms, better to check for 12v thru the circuits. Just a suggestion, let us know which circuits are giving you trouble, what works and what doesn't. Cheers!~. Bellarmine

Welcome to the forum Aaron! I've also got a Bayou 300, My Dad bought ours new in 1986, first model year, had it my whole life I'm just a bit older than it is lol. For a wiring diagram check out my 3 posts at this other topic, I show my (Complicated) OEM Wiring Diagram and the SAME diagram re-drawn and simplified by my late Dad, as a tribute to him (lost him last May....:o), we're both electrical engineers. . Same thing, believe it or not. Now that is a "Schematic". The OEM one is a "Wiring Diagram" (pet beef)...:o) Hope this helps Aaron, do let me know if I can further assist! Bellarmine

Glad to help and glad you got it out. And thank you for marking my message as the solution, my first!😀 Also ditto to what Jen said, helping out the couple with their ATV is very nice of you, hope it works out for all involved! You're right that ATV looks brand new, garage kept always helps. I've still got my Dad's '86 Kawasaki Bayou 300 he bought new, almost always garage kept, getting just a little bit rough now after 40 years of firewood gathering but not beat like so many others I see, plastic still near perfect, starts and idles nice, on the original carb kit (!), put it back in after the Japanese kit I bought failed lol......🤣 Cheers and Merry Christmass! Bellarmine

Did you ever get an answer to removing the plug on your ATV carburetor? I think I see a little hole there, just stick a strong pointy thing in and gently pry, it should come out. Or use a short wood screw, screw it in 1/4" and pull it out. Or drill a hole near one edge, then use a small screwdriver to pry it out. Drilling shouldn't damage anything, as when it goes thru the plug you'll feel the drill drop down, so then just stop. Done Johnson outboard carbs for years this way never a problem.

Yes I'd agree sounds like it's running pig rich. I got a Suzuki Kingquad running nice with a Chinese carb, took a bit to dial it in, but I just used the factory jetting. Unfortunately you don't know what yours was or should be. I suppose you've checked the standard items such as the pilot jet screw, and the float level? They are very important.

Hi Mark, Welcome to the forum! It sounds to me like it's likely you have a bad ignition switch, as the Neutral light is the fist thing that comes on when you turn on the ignition. The clicking you hear is the Neutral relay at the back which enables the starter solenoid. Does the neutral light come on and off if you wiggle the keyswitch? I had the same problem on my 1986 Bayou 300 (almost same machine owned since new), would cut out at high RPM from the load. We just shorted the switch terminals with a wire and connector and problem went away. Check out my 3 posts at this other topic, I show my (Complicated) Wiring Diagram and my Dad's (Simplified) Schematic, same thing. You can see it's not that complex, power comes from the battery, thru a fuse, to the ignition switch, to the Neutral and Reverse bulbs, then to ground thru the Transmission range switch (reverse or neutral). No bulb is simply a fault in one of these items. If it's intermittent I'd check the Neutral/Reverse switch in the tranny (which you say you've done), or more likely the Ignition switch. The ignition switch turns on Everything, so all the load goes thru it and the contacts wear out over time. Quick check: Turn on the ignition, If the neutral light is not on, turn on the headlights. If the headlights turn on, then it's either not in Neutral or the Tranny switch is faulty / out of adjustment. I can tell you how to bypass that very easily if necessary. If the headlights DON'T come on, then bad ignition switch / wiring / fuse from battery. Hope this helps Mark, let me know if I can further assist! Bellarmine

You're welcome Danno, glad to help. And thanks for the wishes. You are right, we had a LOT of good problem-solving together, we both spoke the same language on everything, he taught me all I know in electrical and mechanical, standing me in good stead now. Miss him every day but life moves on, so I'm moving on, one day at a time, best I can do..........:o) Hope you find your power issue, as you can see it's not all that complicated, they just make it look so....:o) Anything else drop me a line Danno. Cheers!~ Bellarmine

P.S., Correction, the wire that taps off after the fuse, is actually the main battery charging feed wire from the alternator / regulator. So if you run a new wire from the battery to the ignition switch, you will also have to connect that wire to the regulator, otherwise no charging...:o)

.............Here is the SAME diagram re-drawn and simplified by my late Dad, as a tribute to him (lost him in May....:o), we're both electrical engineers. It's a LOT simpler isn't it? It's amazing, same parts same connections same logic. Now that is a "Schematic". The OEM one is a "Wiring Diagram" (pet beef)...:o) As you can see, the power comes from the battery, thru a fuse and straight to the ignition switch. There's a tap off the wire for the regulator sense, doesn't matter for diagnosis purposes. So you should ALWAYS have power on one side of the ignition switch. If not, bad fuse or bad wire. Simply short the ignition switch out and the ATV should come alive. We actually did that for a while with ours. Our ignition switch kept opening and stalling the engine when we at high RPM trying to climb a hill, so for a while we just soldered a wire onto each solder nub on the bottom of the switch, and connected them together with fast-on terminals. Instant hotwire. We were too cheap to spend $50 on a switch, and never had a problem with theft. After several years the switch magically 'cleaned' itself, so all fine now....:o) Hope this helps, anything else let me know Dan. Cheers!~ Bellarmine

No problem Dan, here is the wiring diagram from my OEM Kawasaki 1986 Bayou 300 shop manual. Complicated looking isn't it? See next post............

My Dad bought our Bayou 300 new in 1986, first model year, had it my whole life I'm just a bit older than it is lol. There's a white wire coming from the positive battery post, and I believe goes directly to the ignition switch, that's the main electrical feed. There should be an inline fuse close to the positive battery terminal, mine is about 4 inches down the wire. It tends to blow occasionally due to overloads, winch etc, and you'll end up with a dead ATV no power anywhere. I can check my schematic later if you wish.

Glad my post was slightly helpful, glad to help, and thanks for the good words Mech. I didn't know you had a belt in there, assumed it was similar to my Bayou 300 shaft drive (yes I assumed, bad idea!...:o) Yes it could very well be your belt, worn out, dirty from your missing hose, slipping, maybe the primary and driven pulley sheaves halves not moving or sticking with engine speed. Because before I knew you had a belt, I was going to suggest checking the clutch adjustment, as on my Bayou 300 if I use the wrong oil, dirty oil, or clutch out of adjustment, the engine will slip in top 5th gear when I'm going full speed, and almost sound like revving in neutral until I back off the throttle a little. Like you no problem in 1st gear, I believe roaring down the road in 5th gear is almost harder on the clutch than pulling 600lbs in 1st. Doesn't sound to me like timing is an issue, if as you say the engine revs up normally and tops out, sounds more like a slipping clutch / belt issue. If you had shaft drive I could give you some tips on the clutches, but I know very little about ATV belts..:o) Finally, about your starter, from what you say I think you have figured out your problem. I also had the same problem with my Bayou, starter would engage then skip and grind and not turn over the engine. Yes, drain the oil (or tilt it up 45 degrees on a block), take off the cover and pull the flywheel. Was not too bad, done lots of outboards before, though I did have to buy a special Kawasaki type flywheel puller bolt on eBay for $30 (not sure if you'd need it). It's called a sprag clutch, spins one way but grips the other. Turns out I didn't even replace the clutch, was still like new, just the tiny circular spring that went around the whole mess had stretched over the years and wasn't making the sprags grip properly. Just changed the spring and been good ever since. Here is a exploded view for your ATV, I just love to pour over these so I can figure out what goes on inside a machine, might as well figure what's in there before you take it apart lol: https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/kawasaki/atv/1997/prairie-400-4x4-kvf400-a1/starter-motor You need the One Way clutch, 13194-1094. This is what you need: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/196386773534 Or this, cheaper from China just use the spring: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/395916084250 Reply to this post and you can get your manual.....:o) Bellarmine

Is there any way to check your max RPM when you're going full speed? Does the engine itself audibly sound like it's going as fast as it used to, or it's not getting up there in hi gear, no power? Shudder the thought, the transfer case is not in Low gear is it (lol!)..........:o) I'm sure they have the service manual here on Quadcrazy, well worth the download. Not sure if it's a similar machine, but regarding your (EXPENSIVE) starter motor quote, check out my starter motor video for my own '86 Bayou 300, family owned since new. Brand new starter on the 'bay is $100, and change it out in 15 minutes, no oil draining or side cover gasket removal required. Finally, yes check your valves, I've left mine go for a few years at times, and sometimes after adjusting them WOW it takes off! Once it went from bogging in the snow in 2nd gear to accelerating in 3rd gear, clearance closed up. Though the shop SHOULD have done that!.....:o) Cut exhaust mount and missing screws for $1000, 'Sloppy' isn't the word I'd use......... Bellarmine

Good news you got it fixed! It is amazing how it tends to be the more obvious stuff that normally you take for granted and don't think to check at first, stuff that normally never goes (until it does..:o) Thanks for the reply Mech. I'm working on a friends 1989 Yamaha Exciter sled and it as a throttle protection system in it, just 2 switches on each end of the cable that tell the CDI if the throttle cable is operating properly and not sticking. I don't know what year Timothy's 250 is (I thought I heard 2000?), but I was feeling pretty sure it has something like that, unless you know better than me then no argument I stand corrected......:o). Feels so good when you actually find something wrong and turns out to the the problem. Cheers!~ Bellarmine