Need quick answer. Broke down on lake ice fishing.

[ARGOJIM]

I'd say with your extended winching the battery is not the problem, I see in another post you got one click.
Here is my guess, the starter may be getting weak, more than likely your engine probably stopped on the compression stroke, with a semi weak starter on the compression stroke the starter may actually have been softly moaning attempting to go over the compression cycle but in the cold weather with a quick turn of the key and release it may not have had the initial torque the starter needed to turn the engine past top dead center. When you got the machine home the engine may have slightly turned enough to easily start along with the warmer temperature of the garage.

I'd imagine had you held the key on for a second or two it may have turned past the compression and started though most people don't do this. My Vanguard has been this way for a few years and I wait for it to turn if it acts up even though it usually is running before I finish turning the key most times, Tecumseh engines were notorious for this pause also due to the bore of the engines and were I first started doing so.

[Canadian_Zuk]

Definately a power issue if it fired right up after the full charge. Remove and clean all the electrical connections between the battery and the starter, grounds too. I like dialectric grease on all electrical connections.

A tip, if you get stuck like this again take your belt off (Your pants not your clutch) and wrap it tightly around your primary counter clockwise. If you have some duct tape use a small piece on the end of your belt to hold it in place while you get the 1st wrap around. Then simply yank your belt off to pull start it (diy pull cord). This can be done with rope too but its easier with a leather belt on our narrow lip primarys. I have saved myself a few walks over the years with this trick.

[dirtdobber]

Mjbuck the previous posts are good advice. I would also consider replacing the solenoid, as they are cheap. The internal connections of a solenoid can become burned over time and fail to make good connection internally. It will still click, but not make the connection to engage the starter. The only way to know if yours is getting bad is to take it apart, which destroys it's seal. I dealt with a zero turn mower once upon a time that would go through a solenoid every 2 years or so. It was burning them up internally.

[Cannibal]

Times like that, are when I'm really happy my engine still has a working pull-start.

[ARGOJIM]

I drove it around my property several times and turned it off, started it and turned it off and started several times over and it started fine each time.What I don't understand (and my knowledge in this subject is limited), is why did the winch work and the lights work, but the battery not have enough juice to start it?

I would think a winch would use as much power as the starter when cranked over. I used the winch once I got to shore to get my Max onto my trailer.

Again, my knowledge is limited, so I'm sure the answer has to do with cranking amps or something of that sort. My battery is a year old and is one of the better batteries made for an ATV such as a Max.

Read the center sentence fellas and riddle me this, as I believe this is the question he's asking.

[dirtdobber]

I don't believe a winch, working a light load, will draw nearly as much amperage as a starter when cranking a healthy engine. Of course, we don't know how hard Mj's winch was having to work. I think the likely answer as to why the winch would work but not the starter lies in what we have already said - starter going bad, bad connections, faulty solenoid, etc. It only makes sense because the winch has to be on a different circuit.

I had a crazy situation once with a John Deere 4 wheeler (Bombardier) where the electric shift wouldn't up shift. Despite reading 12 volts at the shift motor. Turns out is was a corroded connection inside the wiring harness. It had enough connection to deliver 12 volts, but was corroded enough it couldn't deliver amps to do the work.

[mjbuck]

I do not have easy access to the pull start option. With all the extra racks and gear I have on my Max, I would have to spend an hour taking off stuff to get to the pull starter. Wasn't practical on the ice with 16 degree temps and 20 mph winds. Easier to pull to shore and fix in my heated garage.

[dwdog51]

It will probably happen again. Could be a bad relay or the starter sol. was hanging up. Always carry a jumper wire (10 gauge wire) so you can turn on the key then jump directly from the positive post (the big post on the starter sol.) to the exciter terminal on the same sol. and it should crank and if the key is on, you can work the throttle from under the hood, it should start or atleast crank if the starter & start sol. are ok. If your engine has a recoil starter, turn the key switch on, give er a little throttle and choke and pull the rope.