1) Will not start with the key
Problem – Will not start, engine will not turn over at all-no noise when starting: when you try to start it with the key, there is no noise at all. The engine will not even try to start. You get nothing when you turn the key.
- Make sure the fuse is installed under the seat?
- Make sure the battery is connected.
- Make sure you are pushing the red button (20% of problems with starting) in on the left handle grip at the same time that you are pulling back on the left handle lever while trying to start it.
- Check left handle grip to make sure that there are no loose wires (show picture) going into the left handle grip. Loose wires here will not allow you to start the mini atv.
- Maybe rear kill switch is bad or the plastic cap cover is not pushing the sensor in. Unplug the kill switch in the back and see if the unit will start (kill switch stops the electricity from going to the spark plug).
- Dead battery may be your problem. Take your battery to your local AutoZone. They will test and recharge it for you. IF you leave your mini ATV parked and unused for over 3-4 days, then you could have a dead battery. You must always disconnect the fuse after turning off your atv ignition switch to prevent dead battery problems. To charge the battery, it is best to only use a 2-5mAmp trickle charger. The battery is 12 volts on the mini atv.
- We have found a few units that the wiring harness wire is not plugged into the coil. Make sure this wire is connected. This problem is very rare though.
- Replace the spark plug with a better one such as an Champion 808, 889 or Autolite 9194 available at your local auto part store. Many customers say that this better spark plug makes a big difference much of the time. Sometimes if you flood the engine with too much gas, you will foul the spark plug. Some dealers replace all 4stroke engine spark plugs with the two brands above and they say it saves them a lot of problems later on. It is a good idea that you do this also, even if you are not experiencing any starting problems.
- Change CDI
- Change Coil
- Change control box
- Change stator
- Change wiring harness (big group of wires connecting everything)
- Are you getting spark? Pull the spark plug wire off the spark plug. Hold the wire about . inch away from the spark plug. When you try to start it now, do you get a spark between the spark plug and the wire? If not, your problem is no spark.
NOTE: Checking to see if you have spark should be the first thing you do if steps 1-7 do not solve the problem. If you are not getting spark check/change plug, if that is not it then check to see if there is power coming from the coil. If there is not, keep tracing back until you find the source of the problem, which you have probably figured out is electrical.
2) Will not start with the key but the engine turns over
- Check to see if there is gas in the gas tank?
- Is the gas line kinked – not allowing gas to the carburetor (show picture). Make sure the gas line going between the carburetor and gas tank is not bent at a sharp angle, thus not allowing gas to flow freely to the carburetor.
- Is your unit flooded with gasoline. Did you give it too much gasoline by pumping the throttle. If so, you will need to wait 20 minutes before restarting.
- For handle bar choke units only : On units with the choke on the handle bar there is a petcock, which is a gas shutoff valve on the bottom of the carburetor. Make sure this Petcock is in the position of straight up and down which is open and allows the gas to get into the carburetor and engine.. Some units we receive with the Petcock in a position of off which is horizontal.
- Use a can of STARTER FLUID (available everywhere) to squirt some gas into the air filter. Of course the air filter is the black or silver piece that allows air into the carburetor. The air filter is mounted on the side of the carburetor. Other people remove the spark plug and squirt starter fluid into the spark plug hole. Use only one spray= If you spray too much you can damage the rings in the piston = no compression and you must change the rings in the piston= BIG PROBLEM.