cliffyk

I agree, after 3 starters it's beginning to look like some other problem. With a machine of the vintage of yours I would disconnect, clean and inspect every wiring connection in both the low and high current starter circuitry--and while doing so also test each and every electro-mechanical component (switches, relays, etc.) of same. Clean the connectors 'til they shine and reassemble with dielectric grease to prevent (or more correctly slow down) future corrosion. Closely examine every crimped terminal/connector making certain they are tight and corrosion free--when in doubt replace the terminal/connector. Run each wire end-to-end though your hands felling for bumps in the insulation and other irregularities that might indicate internal corrosion. It is not at all unusual for even the tiniest nicks in insulation to allow moisture to enter and corrode the wire from within . Also don't stop because you find one obviously bad connection/wire/???--even if it's so obviously bad "this has to be it"; there may be more (I can't tell you how many times over the years that one has"got me"). Above all; "Work the problem--don't just throw parts at it." (another of my grandfather's admonitions).

I think that's a pretty silly generalized conclusion for anyone to make--it could very well be the starter solenoid (relay) however it could just as possibly be any of a number of other issues--bad brushes or shorted amature in the starter, poor connection(s) anywhere in the starter low or high current power or ground, a weak cell in the battery, or a small gnome with indigestion living in the crankcase. "The last time any machine starts and runs properly may have been the last time it will start and run properly" -George Monroe- a Scottish Stationary Steam Engineer and my maternal grandfather.

NAPA also has some higher quality cube relays--they can get a bit pricey though...

Cool.. I have used that NTE 90 A relay for over 5 years with an onboard 2 HP compressor (that pulls over 120 A at startup) on my Tacoma. Never a problem of any sort.

Never mind--I thought this was as photo of the cable connector--I see now that it is the bottom of the relay. I next thought that to connect the standard automotive "cube" relay you'd need some short patch cables with female terminations at each end. I see now that is not the case, though you will still likely need some configuration of patch cords as the configuration of the terminals is different--unless the female terminations in the vehicle cable can be removed from the connector body to plug directly to the generic relay.

iT appears to be just a plain ol' SPST-NO (Single Pole Single Throw Normally Open) relay. The only issue I see is that the typical 4-pin "ice-cub e" automotive relay has male spade connectors same ass the OEM "socket" on your beast--but four short wires with female terminal at each end would remedy that. A really good 90A SPST relay by NTE is $8 or so.

There is no risk--if there is no pinging or other signs of preignition or detonation.

There are only a handful of manufacturers that actually make the parts for these things. My "Coleman" Outfitter 400 is a re-branded Hisun HS400 , actually made by the Vietnam New Century Industrial Company Limited; I have mixed emotions about that a I spent 13 months in Vietnam in 1967--it sucked...

I agree with Travis. "Hybrid" to me means "two" primary systems to fail--not just one. If electric vehicles made sense Baker Electric would not have failed in 1916 The only fundamental difference between a Baker and a Telsa is battery technology. "The last time a machine started and ran properly may well have been the last time it will start and run properly". -George Monroe- (a Scottish Stationary Steam Engineer and my maternal grandfather).

Why would they be better--just because they have a Yamaha label? They are in all liklihood made by the same Asian manufacturer--so it's "sic of one and a half-dozen of the other". Are you sure it's the rings? Could be the head gasket or valve guides--have you done both dry and wet compression tests?

The one you have is used... What does it look like--is it a plan ol' 4-pin DIN type cube relay, like this? Does it have a connection diagram printed on it? If so let us see it and we can perhaps offer alternatives.

You do know what they call 20,000 lawyers at the bottom of the sea? -- A good start...

That's one of my daily chuckles too, along with the list of possible side effects ( sometimes including death, which I have a hard time classifying as a "side effect") that are worse than the ailment the drug is supposed to help.

Ditto! I have nothing to offer re: those machines--way out of my "retired and living longer than I thought" budget...

That^^^ would have perhaps made some sense--the dipshit used it because she ran out of hairspray.

My wife says I am often "bad"--several years ago we were at one of the various "zoo-like" attractions Florida offers (I do not remember which one in particular, they are pretty much interchangeable). In the gift shop they offered at one end of an aisle a basket of mini-baseball bats bearing their logo, and at the end cap of the opposite aisle a basket of stuffed baby seals under a "Today's Special" sign. Seeing this a an opportunity too good to miss I pulled the basket of bats over next to the basket of seals so as to orchestrate a theme for the display--this was but one of the times my wife called me "bad".

The only way to be sure is to run some and listen for signs (detonation predominately) of its not having sufficient anti-knock properties for your engine/l location and the weight of your right foot. Here's a good, "more than you probably want to know", Octane 101" document. Your Pro FX is only 9.5:1 compression, that's no where near requiring premium grade fuel. Apparently one or more "automotive engineer" bureaucrats decided that 85 octane would be OK for "regular" grade fuel in the "mountain states". Oddly, fora bureaucratic action, there is actually some science behind that--air at higher altitudes has less oxygen content, making it less likely to fuel detonation l (no pun intended). So 85 octane may be OK. FWIW the owner's manual for my Coleman Outfitter 400 says this about octane--It is incorrect. Gasoline of Research Octane Number (RON) 91 is the same as an [R+M]/2 "[(Research + Motor] average, aka "USA pump rating") of 87. Its compression ratio is only 9.3:1 for Christ's sake! Just run some, drive normally and listen to what the engine tries to tell you. My 2012 Infinity M37 (11:1 compression ratio ) has a "Premium" (91 [R+M]/2) octane recommendation--however I have been running 89 octane for 8+ years and 112k miles with no problems, even at WOT at 165 MPH...

I heard that too--it was just a whiie back on one of those "I can't believe people can possibly get any stupider." days--kind of like November 4, 2020. Though in this one I'm not sure to whom the coveted "Moron of the Year" award (the "Dummies") should go--the nitwit that sprayed her hair with contact cement, or the idiots in the hospital that doused her head in acetone...

Looks a lot better--the boots should do much better now; they were twisted up tighter than my ex-wife's panties. I suspected there might be something you could remove or reconfigure--just out of curiosity, do you have a photo of the lift bars?

I have been pleased with this dual USB @ 3.0 A with a voltmeter... Just $13 from Amazon. I just had to hog out an existing hol in the dash where the light switch was on earlier models (one of the sensible ways they save production $$--remaking or re configuring the mould for the dash could cost big bucks--or just slap a 1¢ plug in it). The hole was 25 mm or so I opened it up to 28 mm with a 1/2" sanding drum in a Dremel tool. The outlet draws next to no power with no load, you can leave it on all the time id you like though it has a soft-touch capacitive on/off switch--it has proven quite accurate...

The MSU500 uses the same front differential as the MSU400, the Hisun HS400/500, the Bennche BH400/500, and the Coleman Outfitter 400/500. (see diagram below): It is part #17, the Servo Motor, that engage/disengages 4WD and the differential locker. It is activated by the push button switches on the dash panel powered by a 3 or 5 A fuse in the fuse block. It would seem one of those components is not functioning properly. Here is the procedure for checking the servo motor--NOTE that two 1.5 V batteries are used--do NOT use more than 5 V to test the servo.

There is no transfer case per se, thetransmission output is routed to a short lateral shaft parallel to the crankshaft . That shaft sports a beveled pinion on the inboard end that drives a ring gear on what is variously called a "middle drive gear shaft" or "output shaft" that runs fore & aft in the crankcase. This shaft drives the front differential and rear final drive--it is powered when the centrifugal clutch on the crankshaft locks up (I.e. in both 2WD and 4WD), it is lubricated by the engine oil.. There is quite little in the front differential to "bind"--when was the gear oil last changed? First thing I'd do would be to drain the diff fluid and see what it looks like (metal particles, sludge, etc.) and give it a good sniff to "see" if it smells burnt. MSU500 - Middle Drive Gear shaft: MSU500 - Front Differential:

It is the coupling/decoupling mechanism between the engine and transmission (typically a clutch in UTVs and the like, torque converters in real automatic tranny vehicles) that determines the extent to which "engine braking" is available--not the transmission type (CVT or other) My Coleman (Hisun) Outfitter 400 (HS400) has a a locked rear end (independent suspension but no differential), a locking front differential, and engine braking to an extent--the "extent" being that if engine speed is over 1800 rpm or so the centrifugal clutch will be locked and there will b e some braking effect. So, if you are driving along with the centrifugal clutch is locked up (rpm > 1800), and close the throttle, and the vehicle's inertia is sufficient to keep the engine speed above 1800 rpm there will be engine braking. When vehicle inertia falls below that necessary to keep the engine speed above idle the clutch will drop out and the only inherent braking effect is friction of the drive-train and the CVT (which with a "rubber-band" CVT can be considerable. For example, my driveway has about a 1-1/2 to 2 in./ ft. slope; I can park my UTV on that slope without the parking brake on and it does not roll downhill without a bit of a shove. This will be true of any vehicle with a centrifugal clutch--for true engine braking you'll need manual or electric clutch.

That "sounds" about right!