All Wheel Drive (AWD) works with a BROKEN speedometer | Tricking a Polaris Sportsman

I'm getting my 2005 Polaris Sportsman back into working order after a mishap lead me to broken speedometer cluster. I tried to use my ATV as long as I could but not having the all-wheel drive (AWD) has turned out to be a real pain. After much searching and investigating, I found that a replacement speedometer cluster was far too expensive and so I ended up utilizing this simple trick. Today I'll show you exactly what I did for my Polaris Sportsman to allow the all-wheel-drive to engage even without the speedometer functioning. This sure makes things a lot easier around here as I can save a few bucks and get my ATV back into functional form. Just a disclaimer however; I am no mechanic and so whatever you see in this video should be taken for entertainment value only. Try what you see here at your own risk. Thanks for watching everyone, here we go!

[@bluethunder1951]

Like you I always look for other solutions to a problem, especially on things with electrical issues, my skid steer had an issue with the fuel shut off relay, it has a broken wire in the harness somewhere that’s almost impossible to find without removing the cab, big job, so I ran a new wire from the relay back to the key switch and it’s works again. You found a solution too, and that my friend is why we never stop learning on these things. I also have the wiring schematic that makes life easier. 👍🏻

[@sawingwithsandy]

Can imagine that would be a challenge with your skid steer but sounds like a good solution you came up with!

[@lumberjill6598]

Success!! Great job man! My wheeler is an important piece of equipment for retrieving logs off the property and it's just downright fun to buzz around. Take care and have a super duper day! 👍😁

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks Jill!

[@joeymcclure9463]

Wow great job Sandy. Happy it's finally fixed. It sure is frustrating when you depend on something like that to work and when your in a tight spot it doesn't good job. It is amazing sometimes what we can do out of necessity. Liking the new canoe by the way.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks Joey! That canoe has been around for years now but needs a bit of repair. Maybe on an upcoming episode

[@mechanicforlife9468]

Awesome. Fixed my problem with my awd and broken speedometer. Thank you so much!

[@sawingwithsandy]

Great to hear that!

[@fireboltjoel03]

this is a fantastic video. this worked perfectly for my 500HO Sportsman. and with the new ground the speedo came alive. thanks

[@sawingwithsandy]

I'm glad I could help. This fix is still going strong after several years on my Sportsman

[@mthangar]

Good enough fix is permanent. A barrel stove in the shop will help electrical tape stick on the next temporary fix. Enjoying the vids.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks!

[@refugioespino9579]

Man thank you very much, I just fixed my front wheel drive take me 15 minutes 🙏🏼 blessings

[@sawingwithsandy]

Glad I could help

[@CupcakeElliott]

Cheers buddy, that is the best explanation I have seen of this fix.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Glad I could help!

[@colbiecolbie6979]

McGiver strikes again! Time for that barrel stove,just saying. Great stuff.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Yeah I hear ya there.

[@jeffhuffman5433]

Great video Sandy! And you did the same that I would do in that situation just running around in the woods who cares if the speedometer works but the all-wheel-drive is a whole different situation or and if someone wanted to take that to the dealer they better have deep pockets. Thanks for the Information keep the good videos coming!

[@09FLTRMM77]

MM77 Approved 👍🏼👍🏼……………..good job!! Only difference between you and me is I would have soldered it, that’s due to years of riding Harleys!!! 👍🏼👍🏼

[@sawingwithsandy]

Yeah I think that would be a better fix for sure

[@billmason7676]

Great job Sandy. That is something I won't have thought of

[@sawingwithsandy]

Glad that helps!

[@Andrew_From_NB]

Good job on the fix Sandy! I know you’ve had a struggle for a bit with it and glad to hear you have a good bush fix for it! Hopefully it all works out for ya! Andrew from NB :)

[@bertjohnsonjohnson4142]

Awesome video, I used it to track my wires down and had my awd working again in 5 minutes, Thx bro!

[@seannb7861]

As soon as I saw the first words in the title, I knew it was a sportsman. I have the same issue with my 99 Polaris and did the same fix.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Great to hear it’s worked for others

[@bradh74]

Glad to see you got that fixed! It's stinks when something electronic ruins a vehicle or atv etc. It's not like you really need a speedo on a quad anyway. Why they do stuff like that I'll never know. That's kind of like the old Christmas lights if one burn out the whole string of lights didn't work! I want a quad or atv but we have no where to ride them but I wish they would make them like the old Yamaha Big Bear with a real transmission. Those things never had complaints. The cvt may be nice but I bet the people that bought a big bear keep them forever.

[@sawingwithsandy]

I'm with ya there Brad!

[@woodbutcher40]

Nice job. I hate electrical work. I am color blind so tracing wires sucks. Good for you for the great job and for having the patience.

[@sawingwithsandy]

I can understand how that would be challenging

[@sharpshorts]

Great easy & inexpensive but needed fix!

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks!

[@johnwoody4905]

nice fix i miss the old days of mechical linkages and cables. electonics are nothing but a pain in the butt and away fail first good video. take care ,be safe and well.

[@sawingwithsandy]

I’m with ya there John

[@craignash4736]

Awesome !!! Doesn’t that make ya happy when your projects turn out that way. Nice job. Craig. Pa.

[@sawingwithsandy]

For sure! Keeps the wheels moving

[@contrafax]

Good for you! Thank you, I was really hoping you would do a video of the fix.

[@nUSEvEDE]

thanks man! You helped me allot with this fix . God bless you humble man !!!

[@sawingwithsandy]

Glad I could help

[@nUSEvEDE]

@@sawingwithsandy sorry i am asking u but y have a friend with the same machine and his problem its that him is always awd on . he cannot put in off the awd . You have anny ideea ? thanks allot!!

[@justincase5228]

I myself am replacing the entire speedometer functionality with an IoT invention. It will likely have an old iPad 2 where the current speedometer/odometer is. Basically, this will work in full-screen browser mode serving up a web application from a Raspberry Pi 3B computer there inside the console area itself. The Raspberry has a PiFace Digital 2 hat on top of it which includes a pair of relays. I'll bring in the output of the Hall Effect sensor that's there on the inside of the front wheel for the speedometer/odometer functionality as rendered in graphics. Note that when the speedometer is inoperative, you also lose Neutral/Reverse/Hot Engine indicators, the headlight, the Reverse Override feature, AWD (as you saw). So I'll be adding those to the design with later iterations. Do note that purchasing/installing a new speedometer from Polaris won't protect you. The problem is a manufacturer defect which desolders a power transistor from run-away heat inside the speedometer. So don't waste your money on a new speedometer, it will blow out like the last one did.

[@jeffpeters1014]

Gotta keep ‘em running!

[@sawingwithsandy]

Absolutely!

[@yunussuleman9690]

I call this , Jim will fix It, Well sandy you have some knowledge and you can do anything well done.

[@GraceEngineering]

Hi. I have been an ASE certified mechanic for many years working on things as small as a weed eater and as big as a twin engine Cat scraper. I have been researching this AWD work around for my 2008 Sportsman 500. I am attempting to wire in a DPDT switch so I can switch between the factory wiring arrangement and what I call snow plow mode. In plow mode, I have the brn and brn/wht wires (from the speedo) connected and the red/wht wire (from the speedo) connected with the grey wire from the AWD switch so in plow mode I don't have to mess with the yellow AWD backup button on the left handlebar. What I have not figured out yet is since I have 4 wires cut, I have 8 ends to fit up somewhere. A DPDT switch has only 6 terminals. I am considering keeping the grey wire connected to itself and the brn/wht wire connected to itself and run pigtails to the switch. Since the brown wires are just a ground loop think that will be okay, but I am not sure about the grey AWD switch wire. For this idea to work, do I need to sever the grey wire from itself or should this work while keeping it connected? Thank you for any help you can send my way.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks for coming along for the video. Unfortunately I"m not too sure in your case but I can tell you that this fix has continued to hold up well for me over the last several years.

[@saintaugustine1715]

at least you figure what was the problem and did a quick fix on it and i don't think you really need to see how fast you are going in the woods as long it is a safe speed to get you where you want to go it is fine and this way you got your 4 wheel drive makes it a lot easier in tight spots have a great day

[@genewileyopa]

Good you figured that out. Can you still go fast, or have you got to maintain a certain speed so you don't over RPM it? Thanks Sandy, be safe out there. Iowa loves your videos, my friend 🙂

[@sawingwithsandy]

I can still go fast

[@bwillan]

Good work around. Also there is nothing more permanent than a temporary solution that works. 😁

[@sawingwithsandy]

Hey I like the way you think !

[@LaurieBaxter-f2f]

Thanks. My husband and I did this to our 2004 atp 500 and it works fine. Now we need to decide on replacing the speedo or not...

[@sawingwithsandy]

I'm in the same situation Laurie. I'm debating whether to replace the speedo as well

[@wallacefrey6247]

Nice work around. You can use liquid electrical tape, or liquid rubber to weatherproof the connections.

[@sawingwithsandy]

I like that idea! Thanks for sharing

[@pjseiber2774]

Great info and a great fix. Stay warm

[@blake-802]

I think this is what I need to do with the wheeler I just picked up. I bought a 04 Polaris ATP 500ho runs good I noticed the speedo doesn't work. When you turn the awd switch on the little 4wheeler symbol shows on the dash it's not engaging the front end . The also have a car battery in the back bed that runs it instead of a normal 4wheeler battery I want to fix that put it back to the way it's supposed to be. And I also noticed the front boots on CV axles are gone and there's grease or oil leaking on the shaft I ordered new cv axles for it. I'm thinking I need to ground that wire you were talking about to get my 4wd working

[@seanquinlan7530]

Handy Dandy Sandy! I have an 06 Sportsman 500 EFI. What are the odds I will be looking up this video down the road?

[@sawingwithsandy]

Glad I could help Sean

[@markholmes1346]

Nice job Sandy 👏

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks Mark!

[@78pinkus]

Try Bent Toys by North Bay for replacement speedo hear great things about them love the fix though

[@sawingwithsandy]

Bit more than I was looking to spend

[@ceselb]

Great fix. Though I'm pretty sure you voided your warranty now. LOL.

[@sawingwithsandy]

haha yeah you're probably right although I'm sure the warranty ran out years ago. Now it's operation "keeper running"

[@keegantimber8571]

Good job. There is also a mod to the wiring that will allow full RPM in reverse. I did it to my sportsman. Nicer when using a front plow. Maybe your mod also did that👍

[@sawingwithsandy]

Right on appreciate that

[@ryanchaloux360]

Thanks Sandy.

[@exotictones1054]

Stay warm ,good fix.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks appreciate it

[@AnthonyAntTony]

Hey Sandy, do you have the option of uploading higher resolution videos? Put me down for a subscriber who would love to see more than 1080p if so. Not that you're asking..

[@sawingwithsandy]

Hi Anthony, the videos should be 1080p compatible if you goto the settings at the bottom of the video you can adjust them.

[@AnthonyAntTony]

@@sawingwithsandy yeah, I know. Would be great if you uploaded 2k, 4K or 5k though. Many, many of KZbin viewers have these screens now and 1080 is bottom line. Some makers don’t have the gear to film in higher than 1080, and for some it’s not practical to upload the higher res footage. I just mentioned that if you were thinking about going higher, many of us would appreciate it!

[@buddyreed2623]

What an odd fix, but it works and that is all that matters. How did you come up with that fix? Have good days!

[@sawingwithsandy]

Did a bunch of internet and forum reading

[@00whynot]

What’s the trick to get it back out of 4wd. Seems mine stays engaged until I restart my bike. Or do some funky put in reverse and try to disengage dance. Then go back to forward. And not be sure if it’s on or off.

[@bigcampnewyork3586]

Good fix, tell me about the moose antlers on the wall.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Moose antlers are not from a moose I harvested

[@joelima3756]

Awesome in the end it works/ 👍

[@davidmartin5179]

That’s how we fix stuff. Great job. I alway fix and “Jimmy Rig” my own stuff. That way I know what has and hasn’t been dealt with. Great job, wiring can be a B#%ch, especially with mice and Tree Rats chewing on our stuff.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks David

[@koningbolo4700]

Hacking with Sandy.... LOVE IT

[@sawingwithsandy]

Haha that’s pretty accurate

[@MrSprintcat]

Thank you for the video. I'm having a similar problem with my 1996 explorer. If i apply slight pressure to the hi,lo, Rev, Shifter. the front hubs will engage I was thinking of putting a spring on the shift handle to keep slight pressure on the engagement switch. Any thoughts?

[@kevincreamer5778]

Did you cut the brown wire completely or did you just tie into it and leave the brown wire whole and just add the ground to it the video isn't real clear on that little bit

[@sawingwithsandy]

I just tied into it and the wire I attached I then ground on my frame

[@ThePioneer00]

My AWD works but my Speedo doesn’t, I plugged in a new hall sensor and still nothing, Anyone any ideas/advice

[@larrykluckoutdoors8227]

ATV parts are way over price, a new speedometer for my cat is over $400.00. Mine is full time 4x4 . I had problems with mine shutting down when I was driving it, found it was a wire inside the key switch replace that and now it good

[@donhuffenberger9471]

Can u just keep it 4x4 mode all the time? Or can the front differential not handle it?

[@sawingwithsandy]

Unfortunately the switch doesn’t work with the speedo broken

[@davidestelter1092]

good evening sandy! if it works you fixed it! now dont break it ...

[@sawingwithsandy]

Isn’t that the truth haha

[@marcraymond8345]

does it work on polaris 350 4x4 1993

[@sawingwithsandy]

I’m not too sure Marc

[@Gerrit-Max]

Put a switch in that so you can turn it on and off if needed.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Good idea

[@wallaceloper637]

Good fix. just saying

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks Wallace! Did the trick

[@skillmanspost247]

Can't you just replace speedo?

[@sawingwithsandy]

You could do that but it’s pricey at over $400 cdn last time I checked

[@skillmanspost247]

@sawingwithsandy I just saw one on Amazon for around $100 bucks. I totally understand as far as a "cost," reduction but I personally like to keep things looking as clean and functional as possible. I recently acquired a 2005 Polaris with this same issue. I just want to know if I buy a new cluster and plug it in will my 4 wheel drive start working again?

[@sawingwithsandy]

I agree there. If I saw one for $100 I’d go for it as well. I’m not too sure about whether a new cluster would allow it to work again but I’d assume it would

[@edwardallen8933]

🙋 Promo'SM!!!

[@thefall3551]

Step one....sell the polaris Step two....buy a Honda or Yamaha Step three....never worry about it again

[@sawingwithsandy]

Haha step 4 make payments