Tether Install Step-by-Step With Pics

[SaberKitty]

Here's an improvement on the confusing factory installation instructions for the Arctic Cat 5639-859 Kit, Tether '12+ 800

Package

Contents

Step 1. Remove both side panels
Step 2. Disconnect the hood harness
Step 3. Remove the four torx screws holding the upper hood
Step 4. Remove the hood
Step 5. Remove the torx screw at the rear of the seat (toss it in the steel recycle bin)
Step 6. Remove the seat
Step 7. With the seat removed, turn the quarter-turn fasterner on either side of the cowl panel and remove it
Step 8. Remove the belt (either by hand turning the helix to open the sheaves or by threading in the secondary bolt with the big washer in the 2012 toolkit)

Step 9. With the belt removed, unthread the bolt on the secondary and remove the clutch.

Step 10. This is the handlebar harness connector that we're after

Step 11. Cut the two tie-wraps securing the harness to the aluminum tube and separate the connector by pressing on the tab (smaller circle in pic)

Step 12. Connector unplugged

Step 13. Using a small flatblade screwdriver, insert it into the small slot on the white part of the connector and gently pry the white portion out about an 1/8" (3-mm) past the outer black housing.

Step 14. Next tool we'll make from a large 1.75" (47-mm) paper clip

Step 15. Bend the outer leg out to ninety degrees and with a Sharpie, mark off 9/16" (14-mm) on the paperclip (not necessary but good for reference on the following steps)

Step 16. With the connector position as shown (smooth edge on top, protrusion pointing down) start to insert the paperclip into the upper left pin location. Seating the paperclip to a depth of 9/16" (14-mm) while gently tugging on the black wire with the blue stripe will release the wire.

Step 17. Move over one spot to the right in the connector and insert the paperclip.

Step 18. Push the paperclip in 9/16" (14-mm) and pull on the purple wire with red stripe and remove the wire from the connector

Step 19. On the harness connector that came in the tether kit, press the tab down and unplug the connector

Step 20. Similar to the handlebar harness, use the same small screwdriver, insert the blade into the small slot on the white part of the connector and gently pry the white portion out part way

Step 21. Insert the new connector's (shown in step above) purple/red wire into the handlebar harness connector where the original factory purple/red wire was removed. Note: On the new wire, make sure the locking tab on the silver metal female socket is positioned on the same side as the flat side of the big plastic handlebar connector. Push the wire in until it audibly clicks

Step 22. Close-up of locking tab in previous step

Step 23. Next, repeat the above steps by inserting the black wire with blue stripe from the new connector into the last open spot on the factory handlebar harness connector. Ensure the locking tab is in the same orientation as mentioned in the previous step

Step 24. Now that the new connector is plugged into the original factory handlebar harness connector, insert the original purple/red wire into the open spot on the new connector (refer to yellow squiggly arrows)

Step 25. Note - Exactly the same locking tab orientation rule applies - little tab out towards the flat side of the connector (purple/red shown). Push purple/red wire in until it audibly clicks

Step 26. Repeat for the black/blue wire

Step 27. Now that all the wires are seated, press in and seat the white part of both connectors (handlebar harness shown pressed in and new connector shown out and needing to be pressed in)

Step 28. Both connectors with white portions pressed in

Step 29. Ready for the next step

Step 30. Remove the two torx screws retaining the plastic console surround

Step 31. Remove the gas cap and unthread the retaining ring nut

Step 32. On the left underside of the console, unplug the reverse beeper. Note: The red/blue wire is (+) and the purple/black wire is (-)

Step 33. Console on the work bench

''

Step 34. Draw a line parallel to the edge that is offset 7/8" (22-mm). Next, measure from the center of the torx screw hole out 1-3/4" (44.5-mm) and mark where it intersects the 7/8" (22-mm) offset line.

Step 35. Close-up

Step 36. Use a 1/2" (13-mm) drill bit to drill the hole for the tether switch

Step 37. Drilled hole

Step 38. Remove the masking tape

Step 39. Unthread the cover from the tether switch

Step 40. Thread the switch into the backside of the console

Step 41. Point the wiring out towards the outside of the sled

Step 42. Place a 7/8" (22-mm) wrench on the switch

Step 43. Thread the black switch cover on by hand

Step 44. Tighten switch cover with a 3/4" (19-mm) socket

Installed

Step 45. Place console back into position on the sled, screw in the two torx screws and the fuel tank filler retaining ring and fuel cap.

Step 46. Next, from the switch in the console, route the wiring down past the radiator cap and plug it in to the mating 2-wire connector that was installed off the handlebar harness

Not sure if I did something wrong or didn't route the wires properly but my wiring was too short to plug in the 2-wire connector. Instead of troubleshooting the wire routing, I simply used a 2-wire extension (found at auto-parts stores) that I had on the shelf.

And the personalized finishing touch - Remove the clip from the tether

And install an Arctic Cat green carabiner for easier and quicker hook up to one's jacket ring

The carabiner nicely hooks on the brake lever for warming up the sled in the morning

Note: The photos are from my 2012 M800 Sno Pro with a December 2011 build date.

 

[SaberKitty]

For those with an aftermarket tether, splice into the black/blue wire and purple/red wire. Note: Handlebar Harness Connector shown above in Step 10.

 

[Bear North]

2010 Install

Are the wires on the 2010 M8 the same color as the 2012 wiring harness? looking to install on the 2010 and this was a great threah. Thanks for the info here.

 

[WaBackcountry]

Really nice write up and pics. Appreciate you taking the time.

 

[CatRpillar]

Nice write ups guys! My favourite colour of Vette btw!

 

[rbanan]

NICE! Write up, would had gone this route if you put it up earlier

Just put in à universal tether and just spliced into the wire to the key because I put my tether on the hood and can then lift the hood of without pulling of any connectors

When are you guys gonna go metric? Stupid inches

 

[polemite.productions]

had something funny happen the other day... i installed my tether, started up my sled, but was in a hurry and didn't check if it actually killed the motor when pulled.

went for a ride, and for the most part of the day, my handlebar kill switch was working fine... but for the last hour or so, the kill switch was not killing so good. it would run on, but if i smacked it, or wiggled the bars back and forth it seemed to make contact (or break??). but then back at home when i unloaded, neither the kill switch or the tether would kill the motor. had to use the key switch, which did work.

i haven't had time to look into it, but an interesting symptom. dangerous one too.

 

[SaberKitty]

Is the main hood harness connector fully seated?

 

[killerrf]

had something funny happen the other day... i installed my tether, started up my sled, but was in a hurry and didn't check if it actually killed the motor when pulled.

went for a ride, and for the most part of the day, my handlebar kill switch was working fine... but for the last hour or so, the kill switch was not killing so good. it would run on, but if i smacked it, or wiggled the bars back and forth it seemed to make contact (or break??). but then back at home when i unloaded, neither the kill switch or the tether would kill the motor. had to use the key switch, which did work.

i haven't had time to look into it, but an interesting symptom. dangerous one too.

my kill switch and tether wouldnt work either when i first installed the tether kit. i took the connector from the tether kit side and bent the 4 pins slightly and now they make good connection and both switches work fine.

 

[Bacon]

NICE! Write up, would had gone this route if you put it up earlier

Just put in à universal tether and just spliced into the wire to the key because I put my tether on the hood and can then lift the hood of without pulling of any connectors

When are you guys gonna go metric? Stupid inches

That is where I put my tether and the wires were long enough. If you follow the instructions, the wires are real tight and I don't know if they are even long enough to work. I swear they print up these instructions and don't check if they even work.

 

[Chris6060]

I had to get an extension for mine, too. I mounted it according to instructions though, not on the lower part of the console, but up by the intake like the OP did.

 

[polemite.productions]

i found lots of extra cable length by cutting more tyraps and pulling up the main harness. it looped back towards the tank.

thanks for the suggestions guys. i'll check that hood harness, and the new connector pins as soon as i get a chance.

 

[Chris6060]

i found lots of extra cable length by cutting more tyraps and pulling up the main harness. it looped back towards the tank.

thanks for the suggestions guys. i'll check that hood harness, and the new connector pins as soon as i get a chance.

Be careful pulling up that harness. When I did it, one of the connectors for the spark plug coils disconnected from the harness. Started my sled up and it was idling at 1000 RPMs throwing me a ECU code and a wrench on the speedo. Found the problem quickly, plugged it back in, ran like new.

 

[1BIGCAT]

My dealer installed my tether and it wasn't working,so I decided to take a look at what they did wrong and they didn't plug in the other two wires back into the tether harness. So it works now,but it's throwing a ecu-12 code,I took everything back apart and all the connections look O.K. so can anybody tell me what this code means or what the problem might be?

 

[SaberKitty]

ECU 12 is ignition coil - Suspect one of the coil wires in the harness isn't happy.

 

[1BIGCAT]

O.K. ya I pulled the white part of the main harness connector to far out,so maybe I need to re-check those wires. thanks!

 

[1BIGCAT]

So I ended up taking it back to my dealer and they found that one of the blue connectors to the coil was bad,I also showed them how the teather should be wired by taking a copy of the picture on here,they told me that was not what the directions say to do,so they called the factory and they did not know about wiring the teather that way either,said they would look into it,pretty crazy they designed this sled and don't know how to wire this teather!

 

[SaberKitty]

What puzzles me is the added complexity to the tether wiring. The old M was silly simple. An intern must have got this project.

 

[SaberKitty]

Updated the original post with metric equivalents for our foreign friends.

Two oxymorons in one sentence.

 

[SaberKitty]

Installed another tether kit today and initially struggled a bit getting the wires to release and with that, highly recommend the Sharpie trick in Step 15.