Would someone please tell me how to remove the Warn or Arctic Cat winch solenoid on my 2004 400? The A2500 instruction manual suggests that you must remove the tool box / storage box located beside the exhaust in the rear or the bike. I have removed the two torque screws, which mount the box to the bike. This made the box loose, but it still will not come out. I don't see how I can remove the solenoid without first removing the tool box. Has anyone else had this problem? Your help and suggestions would truly be appreciated.

 

Looking at the parts pics on arctic cat it shows the box with two mounting screws on the bottom as all that bolts it in, but the front looks like a lip that could be hooked by something under the battery as it shows the battery removed in the same pic. If you remove battery you can then see if its held in front somehow.

 

Thanks for the input. I will check for a clip this evening. Take care.

 

The storage box is tough to easily remove on the AC400. Here is the best way I have found on my 2003 AC 400.

1)remove the seat and battery

2) Losten the rear fender plastic by unbolting it from the foot pegs and unbolting the rear rack from the frame. This allows you to lift up on the rear fender giving you enough room to move the storage box around more.

3) Remove the 2 screws securing the storage box AND remove the door to the storage box by removing the two screws that secure it.

4) Lift up and prop up the rear plastic fender so that the batter box is out of the way. This allows you to slide the storage box towards the front of the bike. Then slide the storage box out between the frame supports on the left side of the bike. (the side away from the muffler)

You will need to puch some of the battery wires out of the battery box and might even need to losen the fuse block to get slack in the wiring harness to lift the rear fender. If you want to totally remove the rear fender then you have to remove the fuse block wires and that can get tricky when you go to hook it back up if you do not mark the wires or take lots of pictures of it first.

Once you have the storage box removed you can get at the winch selenoid better. THe first time I did this I also removed the air box but I do not remember if that was needed or not to get the rear fender loose or if I did it because I was removing the engine.

You might also try taking the back fender loose and lifting it up to see if you can get better access to the little bolts on the selenoid, which should be bolted to the back of the battery box.

There are no clips holding the storage box in place just the two screws and a lip on the frame.

Hope this helps.

On a side note, if your senenoid is not working (it just clicks) and its the older style with 8 bolts on it. DO NOT try to take it apart and clean it. It is not servicible only replaceable. The newer ones are servicable. I had the issue of my winch not working a while back and I thought it was the selenoid, turned out to be a bunch of mud and junk binding the winch motor up. Once I took the winch motor apart and cleaned it out it worked great. That is, after I replaced the selinoid because I took it apart and broke it! ($90 lesson learned).

Hope this helps.

SJ

 

SJ,

I can't thank you enough for level of detail that you went into regarding the removal of the storage box to gain access to the solenoid. I managed to get the 8-post solenoid off and wouldn't you know that it was not a Warn model solenoid. It is some off-brand unit that Arctic Cat installed. I was hoping that it would one of the Warn units, which got recalled and I could get a replacement. Oh well, I guess I will just have to replace it out of pocket.

Thanks again for your help and the level of detail that you went into. I never would have gotten this far without your help. Have a good weekend.

gizmoinva

 

Gizmoinva,

You are welcome for the detail. I have had that box out of mine on 3 separate times now. It is not hard just time consuming. Glad to hear it helped.

When you go to replace you selenoid if you have a warn winch go to a warn dealer. (might have to go to a custom truck accessory place) You should be able to find one in the phone book. Ask them and take your old one with you. It should run about $90 plus tax.

Also, when you fo to wire it back in the new style only has 4 bolts to attach wires to and the plug that connects it to your wiring harness only has 2 wores not 3 on your old one. I think the new one has a blue and a green wire coming out of it. No black (ground) as it grounds internally through your battery. I don't remember which wire (blue or green) goes where but one is spool in and the other is spool out.

I accidently switched the wires around and my spool in button went out instead to I cheated and switched the wires on the winch so I did not have to remove that storage box again.

When you do wire inthe new selenoid make sure you goop up the bolt cennectors with dielectric grease real good and seal any wiring you open up with silicone so water won't get in and short it out.

Hope your weekend goes well too. Mine will as I have new snow to play in or is that plow in (they are so similar you know).

SJ

 

SJ,

Thanks again for the data dump on your experience with this hassle. It sounds like you have been through this rigmarole more than once.

Earlier today, I dropped the bad solenoid off at the local Arctic Cat dealer. They had a deer in headlights look as I shared with them the Warn recall information. They told me they would call me once they got word if it was covered or not.

I am not going to hold my breath. According to the description on the Warn website, this solenoid was purchased by Arctic Cat from someone other than Warn. I don't understand this bonehead decision. Everything else on the system seems to be Warn. Oh well, like you said (a $90 lesson).

I have one additional question regarding the 4-post solenoid that you mentioned in your most recent reply. Is the 4-post to which you are referring a Warn solenoid or an off-brand? Thanks again for all of your help.

P.S. Send some snow to VA. It's almost Christmas and my cat wants to go make some tracks. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Take care,
Allen

 

The 4 post selenoid I purchased was from an off-road truck accessory place that sells warn winches. It is a Warn selenoid, has their logo molded right into its metal case. I call it a 4 post selenoid because it only has 4 color coded poles. (red, yellow, blue and green I think)

The only trick I would suggest is if you replace it with one from Warn would be to cut the plug off your old selenoid, making the wires as long as possible, so it can be used to wire in the new selenoid. You should have Blue and green on the new selenoid and blue, green black wires on the wiring harness plug. I am pretty sure the black on the plug is a ground.

Not much to mess up though. If it gets wired wrong your out switch becomes an in switch.

After you mentioned it I went and checked the one I took off (not sure why I still have it) and it doesn't say Warn on it any place. Probably, not theirs as you have discovered. But, mine was broken by my fault and I do not believe that is covered under any warranty.

Right now I don't have much snow myself, if I find that I end up getting too much here I will tell it to come your way.

Sorry for the long posts, but good to know some one else can learn from my misfortune. I did pick up a few tricks this past summer when I had to rebuild the top end of my 400. Which of course was caused by me not checking for water in my oil when it got cold last winter. Live and learn right.

Have a good one.

Swampy