Snowmachine Electrical Advice

[Bushwhack Jack]

This past year my friend and neighbor gave our family an old snow machine that was just sitting in his backyard. It is an old Arctic Cat Wildcat 700 EFI. This fall we also purchased a new Ski-doo Skandic to haul logs and lumber out to our remote property. One of the main reason why we chose to buy a 2-stroke instead of a 4-stroke is because the 2-stroke had a pull cord installed as well as an electric start and I have heard this is a good thing to have especially when traveling the backcountry. Well this past week I got the old Arctic Cat Wildcat running for my kids to drive around our neighborhood and for some reason the battery died even though I shut it down. Well, the problem is, I can't seem to get it started even though it has a pull start. I was assuming that the battery wasn't necessary to start the Wildcat but for some reason it won't start without the battery charged. I am also wondering if my thought process was all wrong in buying the 2-stroke instead of a 4-stroke. If the Skandic's battery dies will it really start without the battery? I confess I am not a mechanical genius. I can only do basic maintenance and repairs but I am not the best at working with a wrench. I'm better at building and working with wood. Can anybody help explain the electrical issues in basic layman's terms so that a regular guy like me can understand? I've rode snow machine's a lot with my friends and my family owned one when I was a kid, but this is the first time I have personally owned my own snow machines so please forgive my ignorance.

 

[MacGyver]

I don't know if this pertains to your AC or not. I can't remember what year it was some AC fuel injection, would not start with out a battery.

 

[Bushwhack Jack]

I don't know if this pertains to your AC or not. I can't remember what year it was some AC fuel injection, would not start with out a battery.

Interesting. Would be good to know. The Arctic Cat is a 1993.

 

[Big Bend]

Jack, I think the first thing that I would do is pull the battery out and charge it up and let it set a day or so then ck your voltage compared to just after charging that will tell you if the battery is loosing the charge on its own ,then if that is good you will want to chase down what is drawing current when all is turned off. Make sure that all terminals are clean that is both ends of the battery wires.Good Luck

 

[Bushwhack Jack]

Jack, I think the first thing that I would do is pull the battery out and charge it up and let it set a day or so then ck your voltage compared to just after charging that will tell you if the battery is loosing the charge on its own ,then if that is good you will want to chase down what is drawing current when all is turned off. Make sure that all terminals are clean that is both ends of the battery wires.Good Luck

Thanks Big Bend. Yeah I actually did pull the battery out and I am going to try to charge it up tonight. Thanks for the advice. Do you anything about if the machine should start up without the battery or not? I am curious why the machine doesn't start up without the battery. It is a 2-stroke electronic fuel injection. MacGyver said something about the old Arctic Cats not starting without a battery. Have you heard of that?

 

[SmokeRoss]

I think the early efi machines need a battery in order to run.

 

[Old John]

Thanks Big Bend. Yeah I actually did pull the battery out and I am going to try to charge it up tonight. Thanks for the advice. Do you anything about if the machine should start up without the battery or not? I am curious why the machine doesn't start up without the battery. It is a 2-stroke electronic fuel injection. MacGyver said something about the old Arctic Cats not starting without a battery. Have you heard of that?

Our experience with a 94 Polaris EFI was the EFI will not work unless the battery is charged. We used to have to replace the battery on that machine every 2 yrs. As far as the 2 stroke Skandic goes.. I can start and run mine with the recoil starter when the Battery is too low to use the elect start.

If our machines set idle for an extended period of time, I put a trickle charger on them before we plan to use them.

 

[SusitnaAk]

The key words here are efi.... Electronic fuel injection. No batt no fuel no start. I played with 95 Polaris EFI today it also has both pull start and elect... and without batt the fuel pump will not pump fuel,or hold pressure to the fuel rail/injectors. You can pull it over til your arm fall off, it will not start.The batt that was in it was dead, with dead cell would not even jump,start. pulled a batt from a 4wheeler.hooked it up and you will hear the purr of the pump. started the 2nd pull. Grab a batt and try it to see, if that works go out buy 3 new ones, the best you can afford, since you are running out on river long ways from nowhere, one for each machine, and one you can keep in the cabin for a spare.

 

[MTfisher]

The key words here are efi.... Electronic fuel injection. No batt no fuel no start. I played with 95 Polaris EFI today it also has both pull start and elect... and without batt the fuel pump will not pump fuel,or hold pressure to the fuel rail/injectors. You can pull it over til your arm fall off, it will not start.The batt that was in it was dead, with dead cell would not even jump,start. pulled a batt from a 4wheeler.hooked it up and you will hear the purr of the pump. started the 2nd pull. Grab a batt and try it to see, if that works go out buy 3 new ones, the best you can afford, since you are running out on river long ways from nowhere, one for each machine, and one you can keep in the cabin for a spare.

Electronic Fuel Ignition doesn't exactly mean it needs a battery to work. I have a 2002 AC mountain Cat, albeit it is newer, and I don't need a battery to run the EFI. A pull of the rope and the stator runs enough current to the fuel pump and injectors. I would make sure you have spark at the plug as well.

Recently on my machine, it had been sitting all summer and the fuel pump had seized up. I unplugged the connection and hot wired to 12v both ways (suck/pump). The pump became unstuck, I then tapped the fuel injectors lightly to make sure they weren't stuck as well. Run some seafoam though them and they work like a charm. Before I store it again I will run seafoam through it again.

 

[limon32]

I don't know that machine but it sounds like your charging system is not functioning.


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[standdup]

I used to own that same sled and it did need a good charged battery to run. Charge the battery and see if it wil run, even if only for a while. If it runs for a while and then dies your battery may be bad, or your voltage regulator, or the charging coil on your stator, or, or,.....

Good luck....

 

[keh]

Arctic Cat made two versions of the EFI. One was a battery less setup and one needed a battery to complete the circuit. i don't have the different models in front of me, but one of the Arctic Cat forums may help.....Many of the EFI systems need a good battery to run correctly. Same with some Polaris and others....many of the fuel injection systems need 12 volts to operate. The skidoo skandic on the other hand, will run fine with a dead battery. Unless it is an E-tec 2 stroke, just pull it and go...

 

[Bushwhack Jack]

The skidoo skandic on the other hand, will run fine with a dead battery. Unless it is an E-tec 2 stroke, just pull it and go...

Wait a minute. So are you saying that a 600 E-tec 2 stroke Skandic won't start with a dead battery? I thought the 2 strokes could be pull started with a dead battery.

 

[keh]

Wait a minute. So are you saying that a 600 E-tec 2 stroke Skandic won't start with a dead battery? I thought the 2 strokes could be pull started with a dead battery.

The e-tec will start and run, but several of the components need a good charge to operate correctly.

 

[Dupont Spinner]

The 700 wildcat needs the battery for sure to make it run........newer sleds, starting around 2000 ZR's (I can't remember when the battery-less EFI started but thats close) do not require a battery.