[Lambe]

Hello, I have a problem with my Bombardier Traxter Max 500.

This weekend, the engine stalling and Never restarted after. I tried the next day to start it. After a few tries he finally started but he was turning badly and stalling again. now when i try to start the starter makes a clicking noise and the starter does not engage(crank) ...

Anyone have an idea?

thank you in advance

 

[BombardierBomb]

Sounds suspiciously like either your stator or voltage regulator stopped replacing the juice taken out of the battery, to run the machine, and it eventually reached such a state of discharge that the bike shutoff. Sitting overnight allowed the battery to kinda "catch its breath", and it was briefly able to restart the bike, but again, without being recharged, it couldn't keep the engine going.

Have you tried a jump box or set of cables? Will it start with a boost? Do you have a multimeter to check system voltage?

 

[Lambe]

I charged the battery and tried again without success with the cables too no succes. now what should i do as a test?

- Battery Fully charged and test with another battery same result..no crank(only clicking noise)

yesterday when finaly start, at the beginning it didn't start and by dint of trying to start, she finaly start but engine turning sadly and after the same problem again clicking noise


thank you

 

[BombardierBomb]

I am going in boys! 2001 traxter tear down.

Okay the bike before my traxter has been finished so it is time to dig in to my 2001 traxter version 7423. The atv was diagnosed with a bad starter clutch and shows very low miles on the odometer. I have a downloaded manual and started last Saturday stripping it down for a engine removal. I...

www.can-amforum.com

Any chance you've encountered the same failure as the bike in that thread?

 

[Lambe]

This may be my problem. Knowing that I'm good at mechanics where I have to start.

Remove the starter and test it?

thank you so much

 

[BombardierBomb]

Yeah, make sure the starter is at least attempting to turn the motor over.

Then if it is, and the motor is still struggling to roll over, that may be the confirmation of similar failure as Duc's bike

 

[Ducvet]

I only have a quick moment but can help diagnose.

Step one is pull a spark plug and see if the motor turns over easily with the pull starter, you are looking for smooth action where the crank pulls over without getting stuck or odd noises.

If the motor turns freely with a spark plug removed then you can work to see if it is battery or charging system related.
DO NOT try and jump start it from a running vehicle or you risk blowing the brain.
If you have access to another battery that is a known good unit try swapping, it does not need to be the correct size but a 12 volt.
Flip side you can test your existing battery by putting it into something else and seeing if it starts that machine.

My motor was locked up and much of the damage was done by continuing to run it, do not force things and run it as little as possible until you know if you have a simple battery or rectifier issue or a stator/engine problem. There was NO copper in my oil as the metal was kept in the rear cover the only clues were a machine diagnosed as having a bad starter clutch (by dealer) and you could not pull the motor over even with no spark plugs in the motor so it was locked up. When I removed the pull starter (easy) I was able to put a wrench on the crank and could easily feel something internal was locking things up.

 

[Lambe]

after checking, you are right my engine is blocked .. the pull starter does not move.

what is the first step in this case?

 

[Ducvet]

So I would start by watching videos of starter clutch changes on youtube, there are a couple. Depending on how much of a project you want you can pull the engine as I did or simply remove the rear end and lift the engine enough to remove the engine cover facing the rear. I wanted to go inside mine to see how it worked so i pulled the motor which is a decent amount of work but then gives you a clear view of everything as you are not working in a cramped space. If I needed to swap a starter clutch next time I would likely just remove the rear and leave the engine in.

Before you go too far do one more test.
Take a ohm meter and check the stator connections for resistance , measure the 3 yellows to each other as well as each to ground. Any grounded wire is bad and you should see about 0.6ohms between each leg of the yellow to the other. If you have a damaged stator like i did you will see OL (open line) or much higher resistance. The 3 yellows on mine are the 3 pins in the top of the connector. If you get bad readings it is another indication the stator is damaged and may be why it locked up.

Clean a drain pan and drop the oil looking for metal, in my case there was little to none in the oil but a lot of copper from my stator under the rear cover. When I dug into the motor I did NOT find the metal had migrated around much at all so you might get away with fixing t and then do a flush oil change to try and get any other bits you may have missed.

Step one check the resistance on the stator

step 2 start digging your way into the back end or make the decision to pull the motor, you have to pull the back end to remove the motor anyway so start there and decide if you want to go deeper. The gasket is no longer available from canam but they are available aftermarket as part of the complete engine set. msrp is about $140 and it is all the gaskets minus the seals which is a different kit. There is one in the Indiana warehouse right now but more on order so you should be okay not rushing to order it. Find the problem first and then start finding parts if you decide to go forward.

Go slow and methodical to see if you spot anything else along the way if you need help let me know and I will try my best to answer your questions.

 

[Lambe]

Update

First of all, I wanted to thank you for your help, it is very much appreciated !!
Indeed, I have already watched some video, I follow the steps and take my time to be sure to make the correct repair.

I removed the pull starter I had never used it, it is normal that the engine did not turn with it (see photo)

I had the engine turned manually. I can turn on either side but ended up blocking. No weird noise, apart from the fact that the engine ended up stuck on each side.

So with this info is it a starter clutch problem. I will wait for your answer to proceed to the next step

Thank you so much!!

 

[Ducvet]

Okay reality check time
I am not familiar with all models of traxters and if you have the 650 it is a different motor than mine so my help may be limited, my experience is with the 500 motor NOT the 650. Can you post a picture of your motor?

If I am following you correctly SOMETHING is most likely loose or broken in the motor.

Just to double,triple check before you take it apart.

1. spark plugs out
2. motor will not turn 360 degrees in the direction of rotation.

There are a few people who have had this issue so it is likely though not guaranteed to be under the starter clutch cover.
If yes to both then start with pulling the rear engine cover, you need to decide how to access it (engine out or not).
Once the cover is off you will see the stator in the cover and the rotor (magnets) flywheel held onto the crankshaft.

 

[Lambe]

This is a traxter max 500, I can send you a picture of the engine later. it looks identical to the one in your photos i saw on the other post.

The motor should not block in the direction of rotation? it would be suggested to turn to infinity without blocking normally as long as I turn?

 

[Ducvet]

When you say block do you mean stop?

with the plugs out and in neutral you should be able to turn the motor over with only resistance when the valve springs are being compressed but yes it should rotate 360 by hand with a wrench on the crank nut (where the pull starter was). Resistance only happens from the springs and compression when the plugs are in.

 

[Lambe]

Yes, stop

Yes exactly I Will do the test again with the 2 Spark Plug remove and on neutral position and give you update

 

[Lambe]

Update:

With 2 spark plug remove and on neutral position same thing I can rotate with wrench where is pull starter but at some point it's block (stop) same thing happen on other Side (logical).

Picture of engine
I Will Wait for you answer for next step

 

[Ducvet]

Yes so it sounds as something is broken or come loose inside, you need to start taking it apart so start by draining the oil and coolant.

Watch the videos on removing the rear cover but as soon as you can get a ohm meter on the stator wires measure them. At this point we do not know what has locked it up but again due to a couple of us having the same issue I would start there. You can find the shop manual available for download between $10-20 it will help with assembly and other hints, it is NOT a great manual as it jumps around too much but it will allow you to print the pages you need.

You will remove the entire rear end and it is tight getting the bolt out of the drive shaft , I have mine supported on jack stands. You will want any skid plates removed even if you plan on not taking it out of the frame you still need to lift the motor a bit. Be sure to have something soft to jack on if lifting from below try not to put too much load on any protruding parts on the bottom. if possible lifting from above may be preferred I do not remember how it was done in the video by the guy who did it in his frame. Mine is NOT a max so I am not sure if the added length will give you difficulties or make it easier.

Hard part is getting access to the cover, once you get it open it gets easier. Engine is probably 150lbs so don't hurt yourself lifting. IIRC
rear body
battery
airbox
carb
exhaust
starter
motor mounts
rear end
lift about 25mm and the cover comes off, sounds easy but takes a bit of time. Extra care with the sensors as they may not be available if in doubt get them away and safe. rear shift sensor above the drive shaft looks fragile and although the switch is slotted for adjustment mine was not really adjustable so no issues . Take tons of pictures along the way to remind you of routing of any hoses and wires.

 

[Lambe]

Perfect, I'll start the job.

For the starter, what is the point of testing now knowing that the engine is blocked. If engine being blocked I imagine that it is normal that the starter did not want to crank ?? I wonder??

Can the starter block the engine?

If so, I have an ohmmeter I can test it with the tests you told me to do.

once the starter remove the engine could turn completely ??

 

[Ducvet]

you can easily pull the starter out of the motor and both bench test the starter and also turn the motor over by hand to see if it is still stuck. put the positive battery lead to the starter motor and the ground to the starter motor battery. be aware it will both spark when you make the connection and likely jump so do it on the floor and hold on tight to the motor.

 

[Lambe]

Update

I removed the starter and tested it works great. When removing the starter there is oil flowing through the hole, is that normal? I believe so because there is a seal on the starter.

I have noticed that it has a doorbell noise sometimes as I turn the engine manually before it stop(block).

I am waiting for some news from you. In the meantime I will start to disassemble to get to the cover.

I removed the oil and on the plugthere is chews irons see photo

 

[Ducvet]

Yes the starter gears run in oil so that's normal, Even after you do expect to find some under the covers.

The metal on the drain plug looks excessive to me when was it changed and checked last?

Try reaching in the starter hole with a screw driver and see if the starter gear can be rotated in either direction. There is a sprag clutch on the gear that should allow it to freewheel in one direction only.

Doorbell noise? like bells ringing ?