2005 Arctic Cat 400 4x4 Automatic

Ive had mine since 2009 (bought it used with 800 mi.) and irs been great; FOR HOW I HAVE USED IT.

Is it a piwerhouse? No. Is it a trail ripper? No.

FOR WJAT IT IS, it works.

IT IS a budget machibe with a few xtra goodies. Power is good for A 400 and sincr its ... heavier than most other 400s, its a great machine for plowing or working. Its also bery heavy duty so it dan take a good beating and it does well here in the mountains.

With agood set og six ply radials handling ride and stability are great.

With non ethanol gas this machibe is just plain stupid reliable. Easy to start and carb requires no maintenance. It just starts and goes.

4wd is great. Steering is heavy but who cares? With this machine being easy on the wallet a few thinhs can be forgiven.

The motor is peppy and runs well: transmission is reliable. Simply put, everything works abd gives no fuss.

Great machine for the class and for the money.

About a month ago my atv started making a terrible noise in reverse,so I changed the oil in both differentials. It has never had a leak of any kind and when I drained the front differential and it might have had a teaspoon full of oil in it. I feel like the company and the dealer failed there responsibility. ... Now I'm sure any repair will be out of my pocket. My next atv will be a honda.

I've had a great deal of respect for both Arctic Cat and their products since my parents purchased a brand spanking new Arctic Cat Panther back in 1969.

Since that time I've owned several used Arctic Cat snowmobiles and found them to be reliable and a very sound investment.

... Based on that experience, there was no doubt what my choice would be when I decided to purchase my first ATV. I knew it would be an Arctic Cat from the very get-go.I ended up with a 2005 Arctic Cat 400 automatic.It was an incredable machine to say the least, that is until just recently.

One day it just up and quit on me. It was running fine, I shut it off, and it wouldn't start again. There was no spark whatsoever. After several knowledgable friends tried to find the problem but failed I ended up taking it to an ATV repair shop. It took the guy two days before he managed to find the problem. The glue holding the magnets failed. Suzuki used GLUE of all things to hold the magnets in place????? Why not rivets or a cage of some type to hold them in place but GLUE??

Surely there must have been a recall. WRONG!!!! Let the consumer bite the bullet. Arctic Cat was far too bust making money than to worry about a consumer.

Why make a statement like that. The answer 's simple. The dealer acted as though it was the first time they'd heard about it and Arctic Cat's answering service has failed to return my call. They don't give a rip!!!!

To add insult to injury, when I went to order the replacement part I was told it was considerably cheaper to buy the part from SUZUKI than to get it through ARCTIC CAT. It certainly was.

Someway, somehow, the part from SUZUKI is $100.00 cheaper than the EXACT SAME PART IS FROM ARCTIC CAT!!!!!! $369.00 vs $469.00. Not only does ARCTIC CAT lack the gonads to do a recall on their failed products, they rip off the unfortunates to the tune of an additional $100.00!!! Not the best move on their part to heal over customer relationships.

Oh, I for got to mention. The parts dealer informed me I was the 10th customer who suffered the same problem with the 2005 ARCTIC CAT 400 AUTOMATICS this year!!! They told me they've averaged close to that number for the past several years.

Will I ever purchase any form of product produced by ARCTIC CAT again. I doubt it.

If your looking to buy an arctic cat 4x4 and just dont know what size to go with listen to this. I bought this machine for less than 3k in perfect condition and only 500 miles now at first I was a little uneasy about the 400 its not water cooled and its the 650's red- headed step child. But after ... testing this atv in many different conditions mud bogging with the new itp's i slapped on it has not disapointed me yet now i did stay with the stock size of tire just mud grips and it does what you want you smash the throttle you get wheel spin even when deep in mud. Its all about how you upgrade it for your personal situation i have a guy i ride with he has the same model as me but he lifted it and throw big tires on and all he complained about is low power in high gear well no crap and he chewed up 1 set of wheel bearings so far my atv outperformes him in every aspect becasue he put the wrong mods on the atv if it would have been a 650 he probably would not of had a problem and would kick my butt getting through obstacles. And as far as overheating without being coolant cooled this is not a problem what so ever climbing steep hills for hours or slamming the throttle in a mud hole you couldnt make, the only thing i can tell you and this goes for coolant cooled guys too if your in the mud alot make sure to clean your fan if it gets caked either oil cooler or a radiator will cause you too overheat if the fan cant turn.

Maintenance

This machine is easy to maintain they have the oil filter where you can reach it easily front and rear differentials are a peice of cake all you need to do both diffs and engine oil is

small filter wrench

21mm socket with 3in ext-oil drain plug

17mm socket with 6in ext-rear and front diff fill plug

8mm wrench for =front diff drain plug

8mm socket with 3in ext or 8mm wrench- rear diff drain plug

8mm short socket for -front diff oil level plug

I use royal purple engine oil thicker in the summer and thinner in the winter

80-90wt royal purple gear oil.

I didnt see an oil level plug for rear diff just fill her up till it runs out. and you will need an o-ring kit at least for the small drain plugs and oil level plug for front diff they only last once stick a new one on and your good to go. stick a new air filter in and spark plug and your ready to ride again

One more thing the arctic cat dealer told me these models do not have a fuel filter I thought he was full of it but i havent found one i cut the fuel line between the tank and carb and installed a small inline filter just a throw away. and i havent had to clean carb once

Hello,

I own an 05 Arctic Cat 400cc 4x4. This machine is great for the beginner, or intermediate rider. The reason I say this is, you can easily pack this machine up for a long trip, plow heavy amounts of snow, pull small boats, or trailers around a large property, or work site, ... and the list keeps growing!

I have personally put my Cat through the ringer( with no repairs!) in the 6 years I have owned the machine. Either ripping down the trails, pulling trailers, towing friends cars down the street, ripping out evergreen bushes that have a super human grip in the dirt,or just being confident I will get out of a muck pit that off road trucks go through. Oh yeah, I also live in Marquette Michigan, where we get over 200 inches of snow per year, so you better believe that I use this machine to plow the snow most people only read about or see on T.V.

This machine has nice torque for a 400cc motor, and steers easily for most any situation. This changes a little when you switch into 4 wheel drive, and really change when you lock the differential. I can also say this is a comfortable machine for long trips. Having a herniated disc in my lower back (L5-S1), and tendon damage in both elbows, I can still go on long trips and be no worse for wear!

The other nice areas of the machine are easy access to performance parts (for those people whom have to make their machine faster or a torque monster), and ease of repairs. If you can read and comprehend a repair manual, this ATV is for you!

As far as modifications,you can do anything from clutch kits (to give you more low end grunt), to lift kits and larger tires for muddin', to almost anything you can imagine on this machine!!

The down side to this machine is that it is air cooled, and that can change your mind about some mods, and does reduce gas mileage, but it's a 4x4 ATV so gas mileage probably isn't a priority.... After a while of owning the machine, you will want more grunt, period! Thank god for clutch kits!

So in conclusion, this is a great durable machine to buy used as a starter ATV! Unless you are a gear head, and just love to build machines up for fun, you should jump into a liquid cooled 500cc or larger machine in a year or 2. Most people will love this machine for it's versatile personality, and reliability! I would recommend to anyone looking at an ATV for the first time to give the 05 Arctic Cat considerable thought.

The specs on this machine are

Engine Type Single-Cylinder

Cylinders 1

Engine Stroke 4-Stroke

Valve Configuration SOHC

Displacement (cc/ci) 376 / 22.9

Carburetion Type Carburetor

Transmission Type Continuously Variable (CVT)

Primary Drive (Front Wheel) Shaft

Reverse Yes

Front Tire (Full Spec) AT 25 X 8-12

Rear Tire (Full Spec) AT 25 X 10-12

Front Brake Type Hydraulic Disc

Rear Brake Type Hydraulic Disc

Wheelbase (in/mm) 50 / 1270

Dry Weight (lbs/kg) 649 / 294.4

Fuel Capacity (gal/l) 4.8 / 18.1

Driveline Type Selectable 4X2 / 4X4

Number Of Driveline Modes 2

Differential Lock Standard

Rear Rack Standard

Front Rack Standard

Halogen Headlight (s) Standard