500 Sportsman/ No Power

[vanmedic]

Hello;
I have a 1997 polaris 500 sportsman that has lost all power as well as backfiring, it idles ok but does not even throttle up in neutral without backfiring and bogging, this all occurred shortly after having in deep water, gas has been replaced along with stabilizer added and all filters have been replaced, it will barely even pull itself, does anyone have any suggestions i'm at a loss !!!
thank's
adam

You have yourself a tough one there bud, and a lot of the things to check depend on if and how long it may have run when submerged etc.

Sounds like you covered the simple stuff (air filter too right) and as long as there isnt any water in the oil which would require changing until its gone its time to move on to the tougher stuff.

First thing I would look into is if there was any damage to the cylinder, piston, rings, rod or valves since an engine that gets enough water into the cylinder can see all kinds of damage (remember water doesnt compress like air does) so a compression check would be a quick and simple way to rule this out.

If the compression is still good then I would be checking out all the electrical stuff to be sure nothing is messing up there (this is a good probability from the description on how its not running).

This would be the same for most any model and hopefully some one with more experience on the sportsman will chime in with any info directly related to this model.

And do let us know what you find etc.

[Snafoow]

Put a new spark plug in it. I know I always say that but it is a great start and 1 more thing to rule out as a problem. :smiliethumbup:

Also drain the fuel bowl on the bottom of the carb. There should be a screw or plug of some kind near the bottom of the bowl to open. I am not familiar with polaris, but wonder if it is possible for water to be in the magneto case causing a partial short in the spark system. You may want to look in to that. I have a Honda that does that when the drain in the bottom of the case plugs and the water cant get out

My guess is something electrical is wet :rider:

[YZMOTO]

Sounds to me like it is electrical. Most likely an ETC problem. Check the connection at the throttle. Take the cover off of the throttle housing and ensure it moves freely and is not corroded. Another way to eliminate the "safety" electrical system is to disconnect the black wire that comes out of the cdi.

Also, older 500's had problems with camshaft lobes. Not the worst job, but you will need a service manual.

Hope that help you out.

[kevin941]

I had the same exact problem with my 2001 500ho. It was just all of a sudden it had no power, sluggish and also back firing. It had low compression. I had it bored .020 over, new piston, new valve job and put it back together and it still had the same problem. (Service Manual Key here)
I tried everything from carb to electrical and It turns out the camshaft center lobe was worn out! The polaris dealer diagnozed the problem, after I beat myself over the head a million times.
I believe it was 270.00 for the parts and the dealer only charge another 200 for the repair.
NOw it is even better with the larger piston and new valves that I did on my own, I would have fixed it myself but they had it all torn apart already.

Awesome machine now!!! :rider:
Kevin