'94 polaris 400 2x4 any good?

[bigtallguy75]

I am thinking about getting a 1994 2-stroke polaris 400, anyone have any experience with these? pros cons? Thanks.

[Honda#4]

i dont mean to hurt your feeling but dont buy a polaris 2-stroke there unrelyable buy a 400ex instead you will be more happy with a 400ex u can mod it out like crazy and there really releyable but ive never had a 2-stroke so dont really take my advice personally.

[ltz400rider118]

It might be better than walking. :(

[bigtallguy75]

Too late, bought it already and guess what...... yep, won't start. It ran fine for a while but after about 2 hours it acted like it wasn't getting gas and died and won't re-start. I am going to check the plugs etc later so hopefully it will be something simple like that (fingers are crossed). I ordered the clymer manual today so at least I will know what I am looking at. If anyone has any ideas that could help me figure out what's wrong I would appreciate it.

[ltz400rider118]

do a compression check.

[Quadboy350]

Dont mean to hurt ur fellings or be a D*** but thats what u get for buying a Polaris.

[bigtallguy75]

How do you do a compression check?

[cds]

Let me preface this by saying that I am not a Polaris expert, but...

The 2-stroke Polaris 400 can be built to make big power. In my neck of the woods, the 2-stroke Polaris 400 Scrambler 4x4 is a very sought after used quad because of this. There is at least one aftermarket company that has considerable expertise in building Polaris ATV 2-strokes.

Polaris ATV's have supposedly come a long way in reliability in the past 10 years or so. A 1994 Polaris probably won't have Honda-like reliability, but there's no reason bigtallguy can't have some fun with his.

Your clymer manual should outline the troubleshooting process.

Basically, your engine needs spark, compression, and fuel (the carb not plugged or otherwise malfunctioning) to run.

Make sure that you've got the right fuel-oil mix and enough fuel in the tank. You may need to switch the fuel petcock to the 'reserve' position if the fuel level is low.

HTH,

cd

[bigtallguy75]

I finally got some time to troubleshoot today and found that it is getting fuel but the spark plug has no spark. I tried a new plug and it sparked once but wouldn't ever spark again after that. That was as far as I got to go today but what would be the next most likely problem? I'm still a newbe when it comes to atvs so break it down real simple if you can. Thanks.

[cds]

First things first:

Make sure that both the key switch is on and the engine "kill" switch is in the 'run' position while you are performing your spark test. Even experienced riders sometime forget to turn the "kill" switch on.

Also, make sure that the threaded part of the spark plug is electrically connected to your engine. This happens automatically when the spark plug is threaded into the engine. During a spark test (with the spark plug removed), you either need to hold the spark plug against the engine head (don't shock yourself) or put a piece of wire between the spark plug and the engine.

The spark can be hard to see if you are in daylight. You'll definitely see it in the dark. If you have good ears, you'll hear it, too.

If you still don't get spark, you'll need to troubleshoot the ignition system.

Keep us posted.

[bigtallguy75]

Well, from your instructions I saw that I was doing the spark test wrong (didn't connect plug to engine), so I went and changed the plug and it fired right up! Now another question, the old plug had a black oily residue on it and I found another plug in the storage compartment on the 4-wheeler that looked the same, so I am guessing this has happened before. I looked up the spark plug number and they had one with a slightly different number (supposed to be NGK BR8ES and they used NGK B8ES), so maybe there is a difference. I went to Walmart and got the champion equivalent to the NGK one so we'll see how it goes. Do you think that will fix it or is there something else that could be causing it to foul?

Another problem, the starter doesn't work. When I hit the button all I get is a single "click", then nothing. Where should I start for that? The clymer didn't have much on this that I could see. Thanks for all the help.

There is nothing wrong with polaris, We have had a 1984 trailboss and we just barley had to redo the topend(2004). That aint no bull **** either. Polaris are very reliable. We have had three. Not one has ever broken down on us on the trail.

[cds]

Your reasoning that the spark plug had oil fouled before seems to be good. Using the wrong spark plug shouldn't cause it to oil foul.

I've never had this experience on a quad, but some 2-strokes (like a boat motor I had) tend to foul the spark plugs if you run the engine at low RPM for a long time.

My advice would be to ride your quad and see how long it takes for the plug to foul again. If it fouls after one or two rides, something is wrong. If it takes 6 months before it fouls, I would call that normal.

Don't try cutting back on the amount of oil in the fuel unless you are absolutely certain that the fuel-oil mix is too rich. It is possible to accidentally get too much oil by putting fuel-oil mix into an engine with a working oil injection system. Burning up an engine (too little oil) will spoil your day! Too much oil in the mix won't do any permanent harm to your engine.


A discharged or weak (worn out) battery would be the most likely cause for your starting problem. If you ride your quad for awhile, so that the battery charges, you might be okay.

If you have a battery charger, charge the battery. Make sure that the battery terminals are clean (not corroded). I like to put a dab of grease on the terminals. The terminal connections need to be secure, but you can easily break them if you overtighten them.

Don't replace any electrical part that you can't 'prove' is bad. It is too easy to waste a bunch of money replacing parts that are good.


Get out and ride that quad! You've earned it.

Again, let us know what happens.

[bigtallguy75]

Well, seeing as I have a lack of free time and expertise, I took it to the local mechanic. He said that the needle in the carb was all the way up and was making it run rich, therefore fouling plugs, so he fixed her up and she runs great now. As far as the starter, he said that a lot of starters on polaris machines get messed up due to the fact that they are mounted on the bottom of the engine, next to the mud and water, and mine was no exception. I elected to save the $250 for now and just use the recoil starter. Hopefully that will be the last repairs other than regular maintenance for a while. The guy did say that it was in good shape, expecially for a '94, so that made me feel better. Thanks again for the help.

[cds]

Glad to hear that you got things "ironed out."