Ok so my buddy has been having some starting problems on his 550xp. It will start but only if you feather the gas while trying to start it and it runs rough / won't idle until its warmed up then it seems like everything is fine.

So far from searching the forums i have checked the following out:

Cdi plastic clip connectors are good
Coil is working perfect
Its getting fuel because you can smell it being dumped
tried two different spark plugs
Tried different gas
compression tested and its over 75 everytime
dielectic greased most of the connectors
checked for grounds being off with the starter


Anything else we should check? Its completely ripped apart right now so everything is pretty easy to check.

Heres a quick video of what its doing.

 

Try something simple like making sure you have 2mm(1/16"-1/8" )distance between the contact points of the etc switch located in the throttle housing. If touching or too close,could be retarding the spark on the ignition.Plus not a bad idea to check the thin wiring from the sensors especially from the tps going back into the harness. A small bare or internally broken wire is all it takes.

 

Thanks i will try that tonight as well as resetting the ecu and if none of it works we are going to check the valve clearance. Apparently its a big problem with the 550's.

 

My 2011 550 XP is doing the exact same thing, did you ever find the solution??

 

I have the same issue with my Polaris 550 touring. I have a 2012 and my wife has a 2013. What we found is that the intake valves are junk. I did take it into a dealer and they adjusted the valves and it worked for about 100 miles and the same thing happened that we had to use the throttle to start an EFI ATV. I am currently in the process of replacing the valves. We took out the old valves and one intake valve was damaged. It appears that the metal was soft on valve and the valve seat is being smashed. When we took out the bad valve there was a sharp edge all around the valve. Thank goodness the head was not damaged. I am replacing all of the valves. I called local dealers and they said this has been a common issue with Polaris. I called Polaris and of course they will not admit there is any issues. Kind of funny that the part number was changed and the intake valves were on back order for 6 weeks.

 

Starting to have other comments on this about valves. May be a few or even more than a few with soft heat treated valves. Possibly the same type problem as the cams were on the early 425 Magnums and 500 Sportsmans.Some would flatten the exhaust lobe,others are still running around ok. Unless it becomes a safety issue you probably wont see a tsb on this. Can't blame just Polaris on not issuing a recall unless they are forced to. ALL the different brands operate the same way. I heard plenty of horror stories from dealer techs around our area on different brands they carried and lack of response from the top brass while I was still working. They will make changes mid stream on parts if found to be defective as you've noticed on the valve part number change. No different than the auto industry either. Look how far back the GM ignition switch recalls went on all the models,plus they knew about it and weren't going to do anything until people started dying and the government stepped in.

 

I worked on mine this past weekend and found one of the intake valves had no lash. The rocker arm was holding the valve slightly open. I reset the valve lash and it works fine now. I suspect there is a problem with the intake valve. Called local dealer and asked them to contact Polaris regarding this issue, they called back and stated that Polaris has not seen any problems with the valves and that I should adjust the valve lash as part of normal maintenance. Dealer stated that there is no superceded part number for the valve. Think I'll pull the head this winter and check the valves.

 

my 2010 Polaris 550EPS has just started to do this exact same thing it has been very good to me but w/under 2k miles I can’t believe this is going on. Thought it might be fuel pump/injector problem but all these comments on the different forums are leading me to believe it’s it now a valve issue. Did you ever get this fixed properly? Should I fix and sell? My 2004 700 twin has never had issues besides the starter going out and had made it through many mud holes/creek crossings u name it.