As I have been uber-busy lately, I haven’t started up my 4-wheeler this past year.  In light of recent snowfall, I thought it would be good to get it running and hook up the plow so I can clear sidewalks and also have a little fun.  This turned out to be more of an adventure than planned.

To get the 4-wheeler running, I opted to charge up the battery using my truck.  The pull start with a cold engine would have been a nightmare.

After I got the 4-wheeler started, I decided to let the battery charge up a bit.  It’s been a while and last year I had issues with a dead battery after sitting a long time.  The battery wouldn’t hold a charge this time but the engine would run on the alternator.  I only have 240 miles on the machine and just over 100 hours (had the 100-hour service) but have been too busy to “play” for some time.

I decided to drive the 4-wheeler to the battery store and install a new battery.  On the way, the “Belt” light started flashing and the engine kept dying on me.  I used the pull starter to get it running and every 100-200 feet it would die.  I thought it could be bad fuel so had Jamie bring me a gas can and added fuel - same issue.

I “limped” it very slowly to the gas station and filled up, hoping that would cycle in fresh fuel.  It did stay running better but still had no power and died a couple times.  This was scary as I was crossing some larger 4-lane roads to get to the battery store.

We replaced the battery and I also bought a charger unit.  The same power issue existed but I “limped” it back home at 8 miles per hour tops in 2WD.  After thawing out I started searching online for the cause of that flashing “Belt” light and learned there is a safety mechanism that triggers “Limp mode” which prevents 4WD and rev-limits the engine until you can take in in for service.

After scouring the forums, I found some tips on how to reset that “Belt” light and it worked.  I assumed if there is a major issue, it would trip again so I wasn’t risking too much.  Also, given a dead battery and bad fuel, there were many reasons it could have tripped.  I followed the steps below and they successfully reset my Belt light and disabled the “Limp mode” so I again had power.  I ran it very slow around the block a few times and then gradually gave more throttle - all seems okay and tomorrow we hook up the plow and make our neighbors happy! 

HOW TO RESET BELT LIGHT (SOLID = service soon; FLASHING = something bad and trips ‘Limp Mode’)
1. Turn the ignition switch OFF.

2. Disconnect both sets of 5 pin connectors located above the CVT cover. Note: These connectors are located just beneath the shift handle on the right side of the 650; one is black and one is grey.

3. Connect these 5 pin connectors to their opposite pairs (grey to black and black to grey).

4. Turn the ignition switch ON.

5. Disconnect the belt failure switch at the 2-pin connector above the CVT cover. (Note: Just follow the wires coming from the rectangular black box on the CVT Cover to locate this connector.)

6. Observe the belt-warning lamp. It should be flashing at a 0.4 second interval for a few seconds then start to flash slower. Let the lamp flash for at least seven seconds.

7. After seven seconds or more, turn the ignition switch off.

8. Reconnect 5 pin connectors to their proper location (black to black, grey to grey).

9. Connect the belt failure switch 2-pin connector (wires from CVT cover).

10. Turn the ignition switch on to confirm that the belt warning light is not flashing. Retry this procedure if needed. As far as I have heard it always works if the belt switch isn’t tripped and there are no electrical problems.

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