Hot Throttle problem

[virgil]

My wheeler is not starting. I put a new battery in a few months ago. It started and ran great after installing the new battery. Tried to start it yesterday and the battery was dead. Jumped the battery and it started right up. Turned it off and tried to restart it. Dead. Then reattached the jumper cables and it wouldn’t turn over. While trying to get it to restart, I noticed the throttle was getting very hot. Put it on the battery tender and tried to start it today. Still won’t turn over and the throttle lever is still hot. Any ideas??

[suburbanfarmer]

You have a short somewhere.. no reason for the throttle to be hot at all..its just a cable to open the gas flow.

[Jeremy K]

I'm guessing it has a heated throttle? If so there must be a switch for it . You could even disconnect it at the connector .  If it doesn't have a heated throttle you may want to perform an exorcism or sell it.  

[suburbanfarmer]

Yr, make/model will help

and do you have an after market heater like this one

 

Edited April 14, 2022 by suburbanfarmer

[virgil]

8 hours ago, Jeremy K said:

I'm guessing it has a heated throttle? If so there must be a switch for it . You could even disconnect it at the connector .  If it doesn't have a heated throttle you may want to perform an exorcism or sell it.  

you might be right.  There may be a heater on it.  i'll look at it again tonight.  but, it's never happened before.  i'll look for the switch.  It's a Polaris Scrambler 500- a 2002, i think.

[Nomad]

9 hours ago, Jeremy K said:

If it doesn't have a heated throttle you may want to perform an exorcism or sell it.  

In the mean time it wouldn’t be parked in my garage or any structure near it or my home . First question I learned to  ask at vehicle fires, “ how’s it been running , or any work done lately ? “ 

[SportsmanNH]

Virgil , try this . To start with a known fully charged battery , make sure the key is off or disconnect the positive terminal and put your battery tender on it till its fully charged . Reconnect the battery and try to start it . It it doesn't start , shut the key off for a few seconds , then turn it back to the on position . Then kickstart or pull start it. If it starts right up , you have a dead spot on your starter .

You mentioned in your post that you had it running , then shut it off , then tried to start it again and it was dead after just having it running. To me all that points to the starter . If you dont have the kick start or pull start option , find the starter and tap on it with a wrench or small hammer . Dont bash it , but give it a few good taps. Do this while holding down your start button . Do you hear a click and then nothing when you try to start it ? Thats another sure sign that its the starter.

I have no idea why your throttle side is getting hot except what was mentioned about a heater . Throttle sides dont usually have any wires . If it was your ignition side I would take a wild guess and say it might be a solenoid switch stuck open. This would also drain your battery.

[virgil]

2 minutes ago, SportsmanNH said:

Virgil , try this . To start with a known fully charged battery , make sure the key is off or disconnect the positive terminal and put your battery tender on it till its fully charged . Reconnect the battery and try to start it . It it doesn't start , shut the key off for a few seconds , then turn it back to the on position . Then kickstart or pull start it. If it starts right up , you have a dead spot on your starter .

You mentioned in your post that you had it running , then shut it off , then tried to start it again and it was dead after just having it running. To me all that points to the starter . If you dont have the kick start or pull start option , find the starter and tap on it with a wrench or small hammer . Dont bash it , but give it a few good taps. Do this while holding down your start button . Do you hear a click and then nothing when you try to start it ? Thats another sure sign that its the starter.

I have no idea why your throttle side is getting hot except what was mentioned about a heater . Throttle sides dont usually have any wires . If it was your ignition side I would take a wild guess and say it might be a solenoid switch stuck open. This would also drain your battery.

When i push the start button, the engine cranks, but doesn't turn over.  Would that be the starter?

[SportsmanNH]

20 minutes ago, virgil said:

When i push the start button, the engine cranks, but doesn't turn over.  Would that be the starter?

If it cranks every time you hit the start button then its not the starter. Only if you hear the starter solenoid click but no cranking. I thought you said it was dead as in no power after you shut it off . Now you might be talking carburator gummed up . Did it smoke alot when first started it and had it running ? If it smokes at the beginning , it could be the choke flooding the carburator . 

Edited April 14, 2022 by SportsmanNH

[virgil]

7 minutes ago, SportsmanNH said:

If it cranks every time you hit the start button then its not the starter. Only if you hear the starter solenoid click but no cranking. I thought you said it was dead as in no power after you shut it off . Now you might be talking carburator gummed up . Did it smoke alot when first started it and had it running ? If it smokes at the beginning , it could be the choke flooding the carburator . 

Sorry for the poor description.  It was only dead after the initial jump.  While on the jumper cables, and then after being on the slow charger overnight, it's cranking well- but, not turning over.  No smoking at all when it first started and ran.  I thought maybe it was flooded, but still wouldn't turn over the next day.

[mowin]

1 hour ago, virgil said:

 it's cranking well- but, not turning over. 

I'm confused. Cranking and turning over, Both describe a engine that is trying to start.  Assuming the engine is cranking(turning over) but not starting?  Or is the starter cranking but the motor isn't?

[virgil]

6 minutes ago, mowin said:

I'm confused. Cranking and turning over, Both describe a engine that is trying to start.  Assuming the engine is cranking(turning over) but not starting?  Or is the starter cranking but the motor isn't?

Sorry.  The engine cranks, but doesn't start.  It seems that it's not getting fuel.

[rob-c]

2 hours ago, virgil said:

Sorry for the poor description.  It was only dead after the initial jump.  While on the jumper cables, and then after being on the slow charger overnight, it's cranking well- but, not turning over.  No smoking at all when it first started and ran.  I thought maybe it was flooded, but still wouldn't turn over the next day.

Ok it rolls  over but no start, so it’s fuel or spark . Since you said it was running but now wont I’m guessing fuel.  How old is the gas ? Was the fuel shut off/ on valve turned on ? 

[virgil]

Just now, rob-c said:

Ok it rolls  over but no start, so it’s fuel or spark . Since you said it was running but now wont I’m guessing fuel.  How old is the gas ? Was the fuel shut off/ on valve turned on ? 

Yes.  The last time i put gas in it was November- there's very little in the tank.  The fuel valve is on.

[mowin]

If there's very little in the tank, add some. Could be fuel to low and under the pickup line.

[rob-c]

Just now, virgil said:

Yes.  The last time i put gas in it was November- there's very little in the tank.  The fuel valve is on.

Ok when you say very little is it low enough that you to have turn the fuel valve  to reserve for it to run ? Poor some gas in and try to start it . If it still doesn’t run  unhook the fuel line from the carb , run it into a jug and turn on your fuel shut off to see if you’ve got flow to the carb . If you do then it’s the carb and probably needs to be disassembled and cleaned . 

[virgil]

2 minutes ago, rob-c said:

Ok when you say very little is it low enough that you to have turn the fuel valve  to reserve for it to run ? Poor some gas in and try to start it . If it still doesn’t run  unhook the fuel line from the carb , run it into a jug and turn on your fuel shut off to see if you’ve got flow to the carb . If you do then it’s the carb and probably needs to be disassembled and cleaned . 

OK, i'll try that tonight.  Thanks very much- wish i had taken auto shop in high school.

[rob-c]

19 minutes ago, virgil said:

OK, i'll try that tonight.  Thanks very much- wish i had taken auto shop in high school.

I just looked and your  Polaris has a vacuum operated  diaphragm fuel pump. I had a 01 Suzuki that had a vacuum fuel pump and the vacuum  line that ran from the engine to the pump dry rotted and it wouldn’t create enough vacuum for the diaphragm to work. Or your diaphragm could have dry rotted also . So while your in there looking check out your vacuum line for dry rot . It will be the single line going to the front of your pump . If the line looks good and you have gas in the tank your going  to have to crank the engine to get the pump to pump fuel . 

Edited April 14, 2022 by rob-c

[SportsmanNH]

By all means add some gas to the tank like Mowin suggested . This alone could be " Problem Solved ". So do this 1st.  Rob-C checked off the fuel shut off valve. And Rob-C just beat me to the possible vent line . 

Here are a couple other easy things to check .  The kill switch to make sure it didn't get moved by accident. On my Honda its right above the start button . I looked for a picture of yours and it looks like its in the same place near the start button. It easily can get switched and go unnoticed

Take the spark plug wire off and check it for spark by holding it next to the plug or other metal. If there is spark put it back on and spray some starter fluid on the  air filter in the intake valve . If it fires up with the spray then its in the gas line. Might want to check the gas filter on the gas line too. It could be clogged up .

Hope one of the suggestions everyone made works out for you . They are all easy fixes except the carb being gummed up . But they do make some good additives that you mix in with the gas in the tank that work great too without taking it apart

 

Edited April 14, 2022 by SportsmanNH

[suburbanfarmer]

And since you have old guessing ethanol gas sitting since november, add some seafoam additive when adding fuel.

[BigRed44]

I didn't see this mentioned yet.  While checking for spark, put a new plug in it.  Even if the old plug looks fine, it could still be at fault.  I had this happen recently that the plug looked okay and had spark but it just wasn't hot enough to start a cold engine.  And please, do not put a champion plug in it.  Go to a powersports shop and get the right NGK plug.  Good luck.

[virgil]

I added new fuel and still no luck. The fuel switch is definitely in the ‘on’ position. I don’t see a kill switch. Am I missing it or could there not be one?

[rob-c]

8 minutes ago, virgil said:

I added new fuel and still no luck. The fuel switch is definitely in the ‘on’ position. I don’t see a kill switch. Am I missing it or could there not be one?

Does your switch look like this one ? If so this is your kill switch start button . 

[virgil]

Yes, that’s it. 

[rob-c]

11 minutes ago, virgil said:

Yes, that’s it. 

So  inspect the vacuum hose on your fuel pump and if it looks good, pull the gas line of the carb and crank the engine to see if it’s pumping gas .