Dead ATV due to cold weather

[Rebelss]

Thanks Rebelss, for batteries I have been buying the Vmax Tank AGM batteries for quite a few years now and swear by them. They sell a great little charger to go with them that is also a maintainer and in 10 years I have never had a battery go bad yet. I was lucky to get 3 years with a Walmart deep cycle for my trolling motor but the Vmax tank is still going strong after 8 full seasons. Buddies have tried the Gel ones, Yellow top or blue top versions with good results also. I am not sure if any of the Lithium Ion makers are tooled up for ATV and other ORVs yet but those would also be a consideration. Lead/Acid batteries are old school these days IMO.

I'm surprised Interstates aren't ranked high for ATV's...the Yuasa's and ThrottleX (which I have no experience with)and Chrome brand are consistently rated the top three. I've seen a whale of a lot of batteries when I was wrenching at the Ford dealership, and sold a lot, and I don't see how ya could go wrong with an Interstate. If I haven't been there and done it I don't offer an opinion. But, maybe I'states ATV's aren't as good as their others...that I don't know. Look close at the warranty/pro-rated replacement on a batt, too. That's makes a big diff.

[michianafisherman]

2015? clean your slow circuits on the carb.
Remove the bowl and see if any sediment is in the bottom?
If so, pull the slow jets and clean em out.
Most of the time an engine won't start when it's cold because the fuel won't vaporize. Too much fuel per air with no vapor.
Also check spark quality? Is the spark weak?
No mice in air filter?
Once it starts when it's cold outside do you have to leave the choke on? Leaving the choke on means the slow circuits are clogged.

[DR.SPECKLER]

I will add that atvs from factory are tuned on the lean side so if it gets really cold the engine will be leaned out even more.basically starving for fuel in really cold temps.a tweak on the fuel screw for more fuel may work,i had a honda 200s that would start first pull all year until winter or i heated up the engine with a heater.i ended up jetting it with bigger jets to run in winter.i also had a minibike that i converted into a ice racer that had to be jetted for winter.idk just a suggestion.my little suzuki lt125 quad is a winter runner it has a choke and a primer.the primer is great for winter starts.

[Gamalot]

All great advice except the 2015 Polaris Sportsman 850 is fuel injected so you will have a very difficult time locating a carb!

[Rebelss]

All great advice except the 2015 Polaris Sportsman 850 is fuel injected so you will have a very difficult time locating a carb!

Is that kinda like the VW bug radiator?   

[Rippin_Lips7]

All great advice except the 2015 Polaris Sportsman 850 is fuel injected so you will have a very difficult time locating a carb!

HAHAHA yeah....i was letting that slide. Just so people know, I do not have a choke either.

I am going to purchase a Yausa battery and I mistakenly typed trickle charger when I do own a battery tender (i own 2 actually).

I am also debating on purchasing a power pack to jump it if I need to. My only worry is the power pack could loose energy from it being out in the cold as well. Thinking about buying a small enough one to put underneath my Elite Ti Fish Finder (where the 2 utility boxes are), that way it's in the shack with me and it's with me when I am charging the fish finder.

[Rippin_Lips7]

And for more of a backstory of Tuesday night....

At first, I could not get the engine to even try to turn over.

After a few tries, I started having that try and I could see on my display that I had low voltage on my battery.

After putting it under the shack, I could tell that my battery had more juice, and then it started.

I figured it was just a bad battery and I need to purchase a better one. I did learn that a cold relay could cause the same problem so thank you for that.

[DR.SPECKLER]

All great advice except the 2015 Polaris Sportsman 850 is fuel injected so you will have a very difficult time locating a carb!

oops didnt read that part.lol all my crap is old.

[DR.SPECKLER]

Is that kinda like the VW bug radiator?   

hey chong had one on his vw in the movie up in smoke.that wasnt factoree?

[Gamalot]

HAHAHA yeah....i was letting that slide. Just so people know, I do not have a choke either.

I am going to purchase a Yausa battery and I mistakenly typed trickle charger when I do own a battery tender (i own 2 actually).

I am also debating on purchasing a power pack to jump it if I need to. My only worry is the power pack could loose energy from it being out in the cold as well. Thinking about buying a small enough one to put underneath my Elite Ti Fish Finder (where the 2 utility boxes are), that way it's in the shack with me and it's with me when I am charging the fish finder.

If you buy an AGM battery just make sure your battery tender chargers are rated for AGM service or get one that is recommended by the battery manufacturer. If Polaris makes a snowmobile with an 850 motor I would bet it is the same or very close motor to yours. Find the part numbers for your starter relay and see if the snowmobile one is at all different, like designed for extreme cold weather.
I had a Polaris 800 RZR and it never had these issues but when it did become hard starting in the cold I traced the issue to faulty connectors that had some corrosion inside the plastic and unsealed plugs. Just a quick cleaning with contact spray cleaner and a toothbrush did the trick and I slathered them with electrical connector grease.

[DR.SPECKLER]

Ok heck you need a good fully charged battery for the electronic fuel injection to even work properly.

[ice dawg]

HAHAHA yeah....i was letting that slide. Just so people know, I do not have a choke either.

I am going to purchase a Yausa battery and I mistakenly typed trickle charger when I do own a battery tender (i own 2 actually).

I am also debating on purchasing a power pack to jump it if I need to. My only worry is the power pack could loose energy from it being out in the cold as well. Thinking about buying a small enough one to put underneath my Elite Ti Fish Finder (where the 2 utility boxes are), that way it's in the shack with me and it's with me when I am charging the fish finder.

My jump pac is about the size of a smart phone and will fit in an inside pocket of my coat. 

[Gamalot]

Ok heck you need a good fully charged battery for the electronic fuel injection to even work properly.

Quite right Doc! When the key is turned to start the first place the battery juice goes to is the EFI pump and then to the actual starter motor. If the pump is not flowing hard enough to atomize the fuel then good luck getting it fired up. I do believe the dealer has the ECU plug in tester that would easily tell the EFI is not getting full or enough juice which would tell the mechanic to check the connections like I just did. Think about this. We have the technology to send manned flights to the moon and further but when you attach your trailer to your truck we have a stupid little Flat 4 wire plug connector that is almost always faulty or filled with dirt, bugs or has some other corrosion and your trailer lights or blinkers won't work. I know for sure that Polaris and probably most other makers use the cheapest garbage plug connectors they can find. The plug connectors on my Kubota tractor are worlds apart and have rubber waterproof seals like our ATVs and snowmobiles should have

[bigstorm]

I went out fishing on Super Bowl Sunday with my 2018 Kodiak 700 (fuel injected), I go to the lake access at 10AM, it was -10F (after a 45 drive trailering it behind the truck. It started without issue, although maybe cranked a bit slow. by the time I got unloaded and loaded up my fishing gear and got to my spot, it has been running for a good 30min. I fished for 2hrs, started the machine and it cranked a bit slow again but did fire up, let it run for about 10min. Fished for another 2.5hrs and went to start packing up and the machine would crank over but noticeably slower and wouldnt fire and every so often while trying to start it, I think the relay was having an issue, it would make almost a buzzing noise. The temp never got above 0 and there was a breezy that the machine was sitting in while out on the ice.

Luckliy for me, someone was within a 1/4mile with jumper cables with his ATV. as soon as he connected them to my machine, fired right up

the following day, I ordered 1 of the small mini jump packs (size a cell phone) that is able to give a boost. I went out this past weekend and temps were very similar, never had an issue starting this time, although I did make it a point to start it every 90 minutes and let if run 10minutes while I was out and also parked it behind the flipover shack to block the wind



 

[Snitch#8]

Exactly....Gamalot nailed it. DON'T be dumping HEET in there! Yer trying to keep alcohol OUT of yer system, that's why ya buy the non-oxy! I'd also stay away from the Wally world Neverstart batts; ask any boat or mechanic about those. And ya, I went thru 3 in my boat in 2 years...junk. I won't post on anything I haven't used or done, either. Get a good AGM one like an Interstate or Yuasa (which are rated #1 for ATV's) Plus, a glass mat batt is better with all the bouncin' and jouncin' around. A gel too, but they get pretty pricey. BUT, ya really get what ya pay for in a battery. Even though Johnson Controls makes 2/3 of the batts out there, including the Neverstarts, they make them to the suppliers specs. (ie cheaper) Top brands are made better in batts, simple fact. I've seen a lot of batt issues in my years working on engines/cars. My brand-new F-150 had two clunkers right in a row...their best big Motorcraft big ones. It happens.  Get one with the most Ah, followed by the highest CCA, and you should be good to go. I'd suggest a battery tender too, to keep it healthy.

My comment above stated that I put a "new" battery in my quad this fall and had never used it.  Upon trying the yesterday, the quad the engine wouldn't turn over.  I took the quad back to where they had fixed it in the fall and they checked the battery.  Upon going in there I asked if I could get a good Interstate AMG battery.  The response, that is all we sell!  He checked the battery and said, this battery is junk.  I replied, you guys put it in the quad in the fall and that I had never used it until trying it yesterday.  He said, well its a good thing Interstate has a year warranty!  He grabbed another off the shelf and promptly put it in my quad, No charge of course.  While there I also bought a battery tender so that I hopefully I don't have any problems in the future.  Moral of the story, first, buy a battery from a good company, second, even new batteries can be bad, third, buy a battery tender and use it!

[mcperch]

In at owners manual it says to run non-ethanol gas as it gums everything up, it's been cold 0-15 degrees in Perry and my Yamaha Grizzly starts every time and it's a 11 years old .

[Rippin_Lips7]

In at owners manual it says to run non-ethanol gas as it gums everything up, it's been cold 0-15 degrees in Perry and my Yamaha Grizzly starts every time and it's a 11 years old .

I only run non-ethanol in my toys.

[esox_xtm]

In at owners manual it says to run non-ethanol gas as it gums everything up, it's been cold 0-15 degrees in Perry and my Yamaha Grizzly starts every time and it's a 11 years old .

You must have a different manual...

Actual quote from 2015 Polaris 850 Sportsman owners manual:

"Do not use fuel with ethanol content greater than 10%, such as E-85 fuel."

Says the same thing in my 2016 (135 E-Tec HO) Evinrude manual. Also specifies 87 octane, not premium, for that motor.

[Roccus]

 Those machines dont like certain weather conditions, the Polaris forums are full of stories just like this...

No one that I have seen has mentioned( that I saw, if they did I apologize) engine oil.. 0-W40 synthetic goes a long way towards making those things crank over in sub zero weather..

why Polaris put the battery down in the snow and ice ( or mud and water) low on the frame is a mystery, that alone contributes to many battery related issues... Yuasa is a motorcycle standard battery... Nothing wrong with interstates.. an onboard battery maintainer is a very useful tool. just plug in your machine at the end of the day..

one of the most common problem with those Polaris ATV's is the fuel pump and main power  relays dont  like cold weather, windy conditions and single numbers seem to be it's nemesis,carry a spare,  they are a pain to get at, but even if you remove the relay, put it ion your pocket to warm it up and then plug it in, the machine will usually fire right up.

[Gamalot]

You must have a different manual...

Actual quote from 2015 Polaris 850 Sportsman owners manual:

"Do not use fuel with ethanol content greater than 10%, such as E-85 fuel."

Says the same thing in my 2016 (135 E-Tec HO) Evinrude manual. Also specifies 87 octane, not premium for that motor.

All of the more recent manuals say what yours says. With Non E fuel being rather scarce in most places it makes sense. Truth be known though, most engine manufacturers would be happy to say stay as far away from ethanol fuels as you can. All of the 2 cycle small engine MFrs sell their own brand of pre mixed Non E and highly recommend you only use their fuel in Stihl and Husky saws and other lawn equipment. My 11,000 KWH home generator had a starting problem while under warranty. The shop repaired it by cleaning the crap out of the carb that was left by the garbage fuel and told me to run only Non E in it if I want it to be ready when needed. 6 years now with only Non E fuel and fires right up even after sitting for 6 months untouched.

[Rebelss]

All of the more recent manuals say what yours says. With Non E fuel being rather scarce in most places it makes sense. Truth be known though, most engine manufacturers would be happy to say stay as far away from ethanol fuels as you can. All of the 2 cycle small engine MFrs sell their own brand of pre mixed Non E and highly recommend you only use their fuel in Stihl and Husky saws and other lawn equipment. My 11,000 KWH home generator had a starting problem while under warranty. The shop repaired it by cleaning the crap out of the carb that was left by the garbage fuel and told me to run only Non E in it if I want it to be ready when needed. 6 years now with only Non E fuel and fires right up even after sitting for 6 months untouched.

Just like stuff did in the "old days" before bunny pi$$ gas. 

[rundrave]

I did learn that a cold relay could cause the same problem so thank you for that.

I think the efi models start in a rich mode that doesn't shut off till engine warms up and computer shuts it off. When you start it cold, let it run for a minute or two and then give it a little more throttle or ride it until it warms up then let it sit. Don't let it sit and idle long or idle a little then shut it off.

Also EFI machines don't like ANY throttle prior to starting. You can also foul a plug if they get too much gas. I know its common nature to give it a little gas to get it to start but you can't do that with EFI machines as they will flood super easy. They take a little bit longer to fire/start compared to a carb, but the EFI machines should always start.

[mcperch]

My mistake I ment non-ethanol gas , sorry my wording was wrong I guess that's why you preview.  Sorry again

[Chris Raymond]

Here are some tricks that have helped me in the cold:

1)  AGM or lithium battery
2)  Fresh non-corn/eth premium fuel that has been treated with Sea Form or some other "drying" agent
3)  Battery maintained with a trickle charger when the machine is not in use
4)  Periodic start and run of the machine in really cold weather
5)  Not parking into the wind on cold windy days

Hope this helps.