Honda ATV 2000 Foreman Starting Problem Electric shift

If you've done things like clean and inspect terminals, you might try jump starting it with a vehicle battery. I'd leave the vehicle turned off and just use the battery power for the jump.

It takes awhile to charge a battery with a charger, especially if it's only putting out a few amps.

Good luck!

Charger I used was a standup on wheels, with boost, fast and slow charge, put on slow for 2 hours. Atv battery is not very big 2 hours should have been enough. I did not check the voltage read out on the battery. Will check with meter. Could have a dead cell not allowing it to charge. Will do that tomorrow.

if the battery voltage on the atv is very low the charger will not work,

what you can do is using jump leads connect the atv battery to another battery ie a car if voltages are the same and use the cars charging system to boost charge the atv battery

See comment to 1st response. Thanks for your help. Oh, by the way would a direct 12v car battery to 12v Atv battery be any better than a charger. Just wondering.

Jim

Jumping from another battery will substitute the second battery's energy to start your ATV. A charger will use it's energy to store energy in your ATV battery to use.

If you have a voltmeter, use it. Connect the jumpers to the two batteries. Try to start. If it turns over, your battery is dead, and needs recharging, or your battery has gone bad, and will not recharge. Or you have bad connections on battery cables somewhere. Or your starter is bad, and needs additional power to turn over the engine.

If the ATV will still not turn over as it should, Check voltage at the battery while trying to start. If the voltage is above 10 volts, check at each connection between battery and starter.. Also check the ground strap between battery and starter. Is there any chance the engine is seized? I chased a bad battery/starter one day after a customer's son had taken dad's car out the night before and had been a little hard on it. Good luck.

Just because you hear the solenoid click does not mean that it is making the connection needed to power the starter with 'hot voltage" from the battery. I used to have these problems with older cars. The solenoids were riveted closed. I simply drilled out the rivets and turned the brass washer inside over and cleaned up the carbon deposit from all burned areas. I bolted them back together and they worked like new. The solenoid is just a switch that is activated by the current provided through the ignition switch. The heavy current flows through the more robust contact through the internal components.

Likely your problem is the solenoid. However it may also be the heavy battery cables. Sometimes they will corrode inside the cable ends just enough to restrict sufficient energy passing from the battery to the starter. You likely will note be able to see this problem.

TMF

Good advice ! Have seen this work with in tank fuel pumps when they decided to retire also. Just have to make sure you rap the gas tank and not the starter. Boy this is going to be some day !!

h

Guest, I did as you suggested and tapped on the starter. It engaged immeditely an started. I will be on the lookout for a new starter.

Thanks,

Jim

And, till then, don't leave home without a hammer.

Since you have solved the problem, GA to ya.

Checked battery voltage. 12.35. Will try hitting starter next. I know that a car will get stuck on a bad winding and you can jolt it and get it to start.

Thanks for the suggestions,'

Jim

Jim, You will have continuous problems with this starter until you replace. Easy to do. Disconnect the battery ground, 2 bolts in the back of the starter, ground wire under 1, disconnect the starter lead, remove the little gear cover from in front of the starter (M8 socket) and remove the idler gear. Slide starter out the back. Install is reverse. I purchase starters here http://stores.ebay.com/EMS-Global-Direct Good price and delivery.

Your info is very helpful, thanks. It is no wonder this starter is going. I have over 4600 miles on it, all on my 86 acre's. So it is start, stop all the time.