I am working on a 2002 arctic cat 400 oil cooled automatic with 766 miles. I was brought this rig with a dead battery and a blown 30amp fuse on right side. I replaced battery and fuse, ran fine changed oil then it died, no spark, what do I check for? Thanks Les.....

I have a 400i that would not run this winter and it was just a plug.??
Also I have replaced the relay for the starter twice.

I have replaced the plug, still nothing. I was told by dealer the magnets let loose on flywheel sometimes or stator. It is a 03 and not a 02 like owner first told me.

Sounds like you need an Ohm meter and a service manual. Then run all the electrical test related to the ignition. If your curious enough, pull the flywheel and look for loose magnets or a stator coil that became unbolted or broken. In a few rare cases I have seen where all the electrical test came back good but hidden under the flywheel/stator cover was a trigger coil that had broken away from the mounting bracket. They came unglued or broke the plastic housing.

Steve

I got all the spec's and tore apart the left side of motor, everything checks out good except the coil, I cannot get the numbers they call for. Does a coil go completely dead, no spark?

Yes, a coil can go dead. If you have no continuity, somtimes called open line (OL) or infinite resistence, through a coil then it's a goner. If your resistence readinig is close to what they call for then it should be good, but if it is way off I would question it. Which coil is it? If you are checking the external (non stator) coil, make sure you test it with the spark plug cap removed. Also check the plug cap itself from end to end. Most plug caps should aproximately have either 1000 ohms or 5000 ohms, and they are labeled right on the cap usualy with a 1K or 5K respectively.

Steve

I replaced the external coil today, still dead. Checked the plug cap, stotor, cdi, key switch, magnets, all are within spec. I'm confused on what is wrong with this rig, any more suggestions?

If everything tested good then start looking for bare or broken wires rubbing on the frame or somewhere else. Also look for a loose connection or a corroded ground wire. It might also have a safety switch in the shifter mechanism to make sure it is in nuetral before it will start, and sometimes there will be a safety switch tied to the parking/hand brake or the front brake.

Steve

The way I understand the brake safety switch is, if the tail light comes on it should be making a contact circuit.
I wish the plastic was easier to remove to get full detail of wiring.
Thanks for you help, Les....

I'm guessing you checked the ignition fuse under the seat by the battery? Should be a 15 amp fuse I think.

Yes, if I pull this it loses the dash lights.

The safety switch is usually a separate switch, so look around for another. Also your welcome, I like to fix stuff. Even if it's over the net.

Steve

Super 8, I have a 2002 400I that I bought new and the same thing happened to me after about 100 miles. The problem was the wiring harness running down the handlebars. When the bars are turned the wires pull out of the plug.

Thanks for your help everyone.
I broke down and went to the dealer yesterday, all checked out but no spark. They ran jumper wires from another 400 and it would run.
They opened up the motor thinking it was the stator and noticed a loose magnet, which I thought was fine, must have to pry on these to check for loose glue. Changed flywheel and finally it ran, what a pain. Les....

Glad to here it's fixed. I hope the dealer didn't rip you off with the bill. Usually when the magnets come loose it is very obvious. I guess this time it was not. Good luck in the future, and don't be afraid to pm me or make another post in this forum if you have any other questions, and I'll try to help as much as possible.

Steve