Viking wouldn't start

[WANN4STROKE]

We were out for a weeekend. Had an 07 Viking that wouldn't start. Turning over was weak. Thought low battery. Nope. So we pulled everything off the top to get at the battery to check connections. Seemed tight but when we fiddled with the connection point for the battery cables and a few other wires- maybe the leads to the outside- it turned over better. Still needed to warm the engine up to get it started but the "connection" point seemed to help.

Sled has been in the shop for 2 weeks and they are referring to some type of clutch.

Ideas?

Thxs.

David

 

[Tom Lee]

The kind of clutch the shop probably referred to is known as a sprag clutch, overrunning clutch, or one way clutch. When the key is turned to the start position the electric starter motor rotates. It turns the sprag clutch which grabs a gear and turns the engine crankshaft. It serves a similar function as a bendix drive. When the sprag clutch fails the starting motor will turn but the engine will not turn over. I am not sure but I dont think it will cause the engine to turn slower while cranking if it fails. If there is a poor electrical connection, or a weak or partly frozen battery the engine will crank slower and be more difficult to start. Have the battery checked and fully charged or replaced as necessary. Make sure that it isnt frozen before putting it on a charger or it wont charge and will most likely cause damage to the battery. Clean and tighten all connections on the battery, the starting solenoid, the engine and the chassis. This should improve your starting difficulties. There may also be other gremlins at work here that I am not aware of. Let us know how things work out. Good luck.