Finally back in the seat

[hipowerone]

Hi guys,
After an extended hiatus, I am finally "back in the seat". I had a starter and power problem, and after several inquiries here, and hours trying to do the job myself, I finally gave up, and looked for help. My local "B&S" service shop turned out to be a great help. I only wish that I had contacted him a year ago....it would have saved me hours of aggravation, bloody knuckles, and much less swearing. Turns out he used to work on the "former" local MAX dealers machines. He said it had been a while, but he knew my problems, and once he got it on the job rotation, it was done in just about 2 hours. I only needed the starter drive replaced, but the darn thing is nearly impossible to reach for a older, heavy set guy with big hands. Even he said that he was standing on his head for an hour. Long story short, the starter is back in business. The power issue was solved by shrink tube on the plug wire...he figured it got hot/burned at some point and was shorting out...he put some shrink tube on the wire and that seemed to fix the problem. He then gave it a quick once over, and cleaned some crud from the carb bowl that I had either missed or showed up later. I have since had it back for a few days and managed to fix a couple wiring issues. The grand-kids had broken a wire off the heated throttle cable switch. Another wire for that had broke on the plug back by the engine. I have repaired both of those issues. I had another wire for the winch that kept coming off. I put on a new connector and that is now fixed.While I was at it, I replaced the 6 year old battery. Now the MAX II is running and I am back having fun again. The grand kids are happy as well.

[john swenson]

highpower...that's what we like to hear !! sometimes someone else is the best solution and sounds as if you found the right guy. have fun with the kids ..... johnboy va.

[ARGOJIM]

Great to hear you're back at it.

[hipowerone]

Hi there Johnboy...thanks....just got back from a trail ride with the oldest grandchild....he gets off the school bus here, so I met him with the 6x6, and we did a 1/2 mile round trip through the woods to a neighbor's house...we headed back and got home just as it started to sprinkle again. He was thrilled that the "gator", as he calls it, is back on the road. I find that I have one more issue that I need to address...the ammeter shows erratic charge rate...and when it does "bounce around" the headlights flicker....hopefully it is something simple, but want to solve electrical issues before winter
It was a great time just the same...he is almost to the age where I will think to start him learning to drive the thing.

[hipowerone]

Had machine in a small engine shop back in Sept and he replaced the starter. He also installed new plugs, though the other were not that old. When the weather was still warm, all was well. So, after several weeks, things were going better.

But I still have an ammeter/lights flickering issue....when idling, the lights flicker, and when running well above idle, they seem to be okay, but I still notice the ammeter bouncing all over the place from literally no charge up to 10A or more. It is almost like a loose connection, but I have not been able to locate it.

And, while running somewhat better, it is still a cold blooded beast, taking 12-25 seconds of cranking before it will start at temps 25-55F. I am afraid to think what it will act like when it really gets cold. As I do not profess to be either an electrician or mechanic, I am at a loss, other than hauling into the guy that I had work on it before, and pay his fees.

Any hints before I load and drag it????

[2xmax]

I would think flickering lights and bouncing ammeter would be a poor connection somewhere. There is not that much wire/electrical in these things so maybe check and actually reconnect everything you can?Igniton /start switch.
as for long crank time might have an air leak at intake or fuel draining back thru line and not being at the intake when first cranking it.? Might try taking air cleaner of and just giving it little "spritz" of fuel then hit the key and see if fires quicker???Is the long crank time a new symptom?
wish I could be more help.

[hipowerone]

2xmax...

Thanks for the input. As for wiring, you are right...there is something either loose, broken, or disconnected. I think that I will leave that for warmer weather, where I can pop the upper body and maybe begin to "rewire" the beast....I am sure that the 'several' other previous owners have done some unruly things along with time. As for the hard start, this has been an ongoing issue since I purchased this thing used back in 2015. I am now convinced that it is the choke not closing completely due to a buggered fix by a previous owner (clamped and soldered choke cable attachment). I would have to do something drastic just to remove the choke cable if I wanted to replace the cable alone. Again another warm weather project. I have found that by adding a bit of "warm air" in and around the engine prior to starting, it will start better. Once the engine is started and warm, it will fire up every time on first try all day long. As I am now retired, and I have more 'free time' on my hands, I am finding that I want the beast to be there on my beck and call, so I can see me doing something soon to remedy that cold start issue.

Today it was a bit warmer, 38F, and I went out early and took the beast for a ride. It fired up after about 10 seconds of cranking. It was still quite dark and very foggy, trees dripping, and the little snow that is left on the ground was soft and slippery. It made for a quiet but fun ride through the woods and fields. I scared up 2 fairly large doe over on a neighbor's field. As it got lighter, on the way back, the slippery snow gave a few moments of fun with some crazy 360's, 720's, and crazy 8's.