96 Sportsman help!!!!

[Bama Peddler]

Hi everyone!! This is my first post here, so yes I am the new guy. I love riding my atv, me and my son go trail riding all the time, but I know very little about how to work on these things. So that is where I need you guys.

Yesterday I was out with the guys riding trails and my sportsman wanted to give me some trouble. We were about 12 miles into the woods when my over heat light came on, so we stopped, and talked to let it cool down. After about 30 or 40 min. I got back on and hit the starter and it would not start, and I also noticed my cooling fan was not running. I thought I would try the pull start, and it fired right up, so we took a short cut back to the parking lot, about 3 miles. On the way back I did not over heat, but it was close. When I went to load the atv up, again it would not start, I had to pull start it again. After I got home I charged the battery, and it fired right up like there was nothing wrong.
What I am wanting to know is why do you think this happed? I know very little about working on atv's, so any info you have will be great!!! Also just let everyone know, I had the atv serviced just two days ago, and the battery I got last month. Also, my atv is a 96 sportsman 500 4x4 if this helps any one out. Thank you!!!!

[cerino2000]

Sounds like your charging system is bad. It would start when you pulled it because it still has enough juice to fire the ignition but not enough to fire the starter. Put a volt meter on the battery leads and see what it says while it iw running. Should be around 14 volts or so while running. If it only shows 12.5 or so, you have a charging issue.

[Wildhorse800]

Your fan could have taken a crapper. If the motor is shot, it could be trying to still run, drawing a load on the battery/alternator.

Make sure your battery is good(older than 3 years, just replace it), and replace the fan motor.
To make sure it is not the sending unit, you can trace the wires from the fan to sending unit and unplug, the attach to a 12 volt source. If the fan runs, replace the sensor(should be on the radiator somewhere)::If the fan does not run, replace the fan.

I rigged an aftermarket fan from the auto parts store. It was a better fan and it cost way less than a Polaris, however the Polaris one will bolt right on. Probabally pick one up cheap on Ebay.

Usually these fans made death noises before dying. They weren't a very waterproof design.