Sled repair

Irrigation Guy · 02-22-2009, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VitaBene

One of our 98 Polaris 500s is there now getting repaired. It went in with gearbox issues and some running issues on Thursday. They have done a great job in letting me know the status and costs. I should have it back before the weekend.

I am definitely not a dealership guy, I like small, independent shops. http://nhtoystore.com/

Good luck with your sled!

Great guys to deal with!

Seeker · 02-22-2009, 11:28 PM

In my experience any sled can be a winner or a loser. I've been up north when all the fan-cooleds had their hoods up do to overheating on 35 to 40 degree days and when there was just minimal loosepack on the trails the liquids had problems. If you have carbs they need to be jetted for the conditions - but most never touch them and just luck out. I know it's a pain but stop and check your plugs condition once in awhile if you suspect problems. It's like taking your kids temperature.
If I don't have enough snow to kick up for my sleds heat exchanger and lubricate the sliders I don't go out.
I don't know anything about HKS but just be glad those idiots that owned the Arctic Cat/Polaris dealership in Ossipee where Canoe King now is are history. I was in there one day to buy a belt and 2 ladies came in to buy a brand new 2-up machine. The owner was too busy bs-ing on the phone with a buddy to even talk to them. I sent them to Rochester Motor Sports where they bought a new Arctic Cat tourer.

jmen24 · 02-23-2009, 11:42 AM

2-strokes are very nervous dogs by design and need constant attention in certain areas, as mentioned in above posts. Not being a huge snowmobiler I am always facinated by how long you can go without having to rebuild the top end. Having 2-stoke bikes and quads in the entire range I have always rebuild the top end every winter on all rigs, not just the racers. I understand the work would not be fun on the big multi's, just has always puzzled me why it is not done more. As to particular makes, in the 2-stroke game the technology is all the same, it is very simple and not much can change from one manufacturer to the other, fit and finish tend to be the deciding factors, for me anyways, but they are all very picky and someone that says there brand is not, does not understand what a properly tuned 2-stroke sounds like. You can get bad years or designs in all models and makes in anything that is mass-produced. As mentioned above tune your carbs everyday to the conditions and you will have more fun more often and after doing this a few times you will start to hear and smell the right settings without spending to much time at it.

hazelnut · 02-23-2009, 07:55 PM

OHR,

Check this thread out on SledNH.com

http://www.slednh.com/forums/index.p...topic=3180&hl=

Looks like you are far from alone on this one

trfour · 02-23-2009, 09:38 PM

unfortunately or other, 2 strokes are as dependable as the owner of such, keeping them well tuned and "use their owners manual and or, Please, be a prudent consumer and purchase a repair manual", and study them, learn them so that you can ask questions at your dealership, about What does your tune up consist of.... spell it out to me!.... 1. Clean carb.... If you find a 10/4 inch of water in the carb bowl, do you drain the fuel tank, clean the fuel tank and fuel system so that my carbs do not fill right back up with water when you are done with your tune up??.... Dealer prep costs, depending on vehicle, lets say $200.00. I've been there too, got my $200.00 back, on more than one occasion after paying $20,000.00 for a new vehicle, bringing it home, putting on my coveralls and checking for myself, the oil level, almost two quarts low, transmission, 1 quart low, battery, 1/2 low.... After this, jacked the car up and checked differential, 3 pints low and then I really got POed, and I think that everyone knows howcome I like to take photos, and took them of the dry grease fittings along the way!.... Just one of the many reasons howcome I'm such a happy camper too this very day.

PS. Look Out FLL.

Old Hubbard Rd · 02-24-2009, 08:59 AM

Many thanks to your many comments. Sorry I have been away. This seems like a unfortunate consistant problem with these machines. I guess I'm not alone. I never realized how often this happened to people. I noticed that both times I blew something it was after Fishing Derby weekend and I had the family out on their 1 time a year sled ride. My family is pretty frightened of driving on the ice/lake. There are no trails from Meredith Neck to other trails without crossing the lake. When the famly drives they go rather slow and I really think these skeds need to be beat a tiny bit. I've never had problems on the trails because I think the continued throttling helps.

I'm sure Polaris and HK will do nothing about this even though I purchased these sleds there.

chipj29 · 02-24-2009, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Hubbard Rd

...I'm sure Polaris and HK will do nothing about this even though I purchased these sleds there.

Both sleds are 2000 models? If that is the case, then I highly doubt any dealer or manufacturer would do anything.
That being said, someone else mentioned it above, but there has been a prob with the Polaris 550's. I read about it on slednh.com

Smitty1 · 03-03-2009, 09:30 AM

I have a 2006 Ski Doo MXZ 550 Fan that blew a piston which then tore up more of the motor. I have a quote for about $2000 to repair.

This happened after I got gas in Holderness. It seems that ethanol gas/water is the problem.

FYI Here are 2 products I have heard of that may help with these issues:

http://www.k100fueltreatment.com/

http://mystarbrite.com/startron/

A friend of mine uses K100 in all his sleds and in his boat during the Summer.

Smitty1

Old Hubbard Rd · 03-03-2009, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smitty1

I have a 2006 Ski Doo MXZ 550 Fan that blew a piston which then tore up more of the motor. I have a quote for about $2000 to repair.

This happened after I got gas in Holderness. It seems that ethanol gas/water is the problem.

FYI Here are 2 products I have heard of that may help with these issues:

http://www.k100fueltreatment.com/

http://mystarbrite.com/startron/

A friend of mine uses K100 in all his sleds and in his boat during the Summer.

Smitty1

My last fuel up was at the Irving Station across from the Plymouth State/University field. Where did you fuel up??

I think that the new fuel with ethenol plays a part in this. HK said the inexpensive oil I'm using is not the issue. These sleds do tend to heat up I guess being fan cooled. Plus HK said that these fan cooled motors are not designed for speed so when I'm trying to keep up with others on wide open lake ride my sled is working harder than others. He also said something about running lower octane fuel as it burns cooler than high octane. Blowing a motor on our toys STINKS!!!!!!

dan · 03-03-2009, 01:21 PM

I'm not positive but I don't think the octane rating of the fuel has anything to do with it. (Octane rating does not relate to the energy content of the fuel (see heating value). It is only a measure of the fuel's tendency to burn rather than explode.) This is the definition of octane that I have seen many times. When buying gas we used to say, "if it don't knock burn it." I had a friend who was an aircraft mechanic during WWll who told me they used to water inject the radial engines when they were in a dog fight. Claimed it gave them more power but raised hell with the pistons. If this is true maybe moisture in the tank is causing it to run hotter.

Smitty1 · 03-03-2009, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Hubbard Rd

My last fuel up was at the Irving Station across from the Plymouth State/University field. Where did you fuel up??

I think that the new fuel with ethenol plays a part in this. HK said the inexpensive oil I'm using is not the issue. These sleds do tend to heat up I guess being fan cooled. Plus HK said that these fan cooled motors are not designed for speed so when I'm trying to keep up with others on wide open lake ride my sled is working harder than others. He also said something about running lower octane fuel as it burns cooler than high octane. Blowing a motor on our toys STINKS!!!!!!

When you come down the hill out of Plymouth there is a Mobil and an Irving on the left. I wish I had gone to the Mobil!

02-23-2009, 11:42 AM	#3
jmen24 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 1,139 Thanks: 223 Thanked 319 Times in 181 Posts	2-strokes 2-strokes are very nervous dogs by design and need constant attention in certain areas, as mentioned in above posts. Not being a huge snowmobiler I am always facinated by how long you can go without having to rebuild the top end. Having 2-stoke bikes and quads in the entire range I have always rebuild the top end every winter on all rigs, not just the racers. I understand the work would not be fun on the big multi's, just has always puzzled me why it is not done more. As to particular makes, in the 2-stroke game the technology is all the same, it is very simple and not much can change from one manufacturer to the other, fit and finish tend to be the deciding factors, for me anyways, but they are all very picky and someone that says there brand is not, does not understand what a properly tuned 2-stroke sounds like. You can get bad years or designs in all models and makes in anything that is mass-produced. As mentioned above tune your carbs everyday to the conditions and you will have more fun more often and after doing this a few times you will start to hear and smell the right settings without spending to much time at it.

02-23-2009, 09:38 PM	#5
trfour Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: The Lakes, Central NH. and Dallas/Fort Worth TX. Posts: 3,694 Blog Entries: 3 Thanks: 3,069 Thanked 472 Times in 236 Posts	OHR And hazelnut.... unfortunately or other, 2 strokes are as dependable as the owner of such, keeping them well tuned and "use their owners manual and or, Please, be a prudent consumer and purchase a repair manual", and study them, learn them so that you can ask questions at your dealership, about What does your tune up consist of.... spell it out to me!.... 1. Clean carb.... If you find a 10/4 inch of water in the carb bowl, do you drain the fuel tank, clean the fuel tank and fuel system so that my carbs do not fill right back up with water when you are done with your tune up??.... Dealer prep costs, depending on vehicle, lets say $200.00. I've been there too, got my $200.00 back, on more than one occasion after paying $20,000.00 for a new vehicle, bringing it home, putting on my coveralls and checking for myself, the oil level, almost two quarts low, transmission, 1 quart low, battery, 1/2 low.... After this, jacked the car up and checked differential, 3 pints low and then I really got POed, and I think that everyone knows howcome I like to take photos, and took them of the dry grease fittings along the way!.... Just one of the many reasons howcome I'm such a happy camper too this very day. PS. Look Out FLL. __________________ *trfour* Always Remember, The Best Safety Device In The Boat, or on a PWC Snowmobile etc., Is YOU! Safe sledding tips and much more; http://www.snowmobile.org/snowmobiling-safety.html

02-24-2009, 08:59 AM	#6
Old Hubbard Rd Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 462 Thanks: 141 Thanked 54 Times in 33 Posts	Thanks Many thanks to your many comments. Sorry I have been away. This seems like a unfortunate consistant problem with these machines. I guess I'm not alone. I never realized how often this happened to people. I noticed that both times I blew something it was after Fishing Derby weekend and I had the family out on their 1 time a year sled ride. My family is pretty frightened of driving on the ice/lake. There are no trails from Meredith Neck to other trails without crossing the lake. When the famly drives they go rather slow and I really think these skeds need to be beat a tiny bit. I've never had problems on the trails because I think the continued throttling helps. I'm sure Polaris and HK will do nothing about this even though I purchased these sleds there.

02-22-2009, 11:28 PM	#2
Seeker Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Effingham Posts: 408 Thanks: 37 Thanked 19 Times in 15 Posts	In my experience any sled can be a winner or a loser. I've been up north when all the fan-cooleds had their hoods up do to overheating on 35 to 40 degree days and when there was just minimal loosepack on the trails the liquids had problems. If you have carbs they need to be jetted for the conditions - but most never touch them and just luck out. I know it's a pain but stop and check your plugs condition once in awhile if you suspect problems. It's like taking your kids temperature. If I don't have enough snow to kick up for my sleds heat exchanger and lubricate the sliders I don't go out. I don't know anything about HKS but just be glad those idiots that owned the Arctic Cat/Polaris dealership in Ossipee where Canoe King now is are history. I was in there one day to buy a belt and 2 ladies came in to buy a brand new 2-up machine. The owner was too busy bs-ing on the phone with a buddy to even talk to them. I sent them to Rochester Motor Sports where they bought a new Arctic Cat tourer.

02-23-2009, 07:55 PM	#4
hazelnut Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 1,348 Blog Entries: 3 Thanks: 508 Thanked 462 Times in 162 Posts	OHR, Check this thread out on SledNH.com http://www.slednh.com/forums/index.p...topic=3180&hl= Looks like you are far from alone on this one

03-03-2009, 09:30 AM	#8
Smitty1 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Moultonborough, NH Posts: 142 Thanks: 44 Thanked 14 Times in 5 Posts	I have a 2006 Ski Doo MXZ 550 Fan that blew a piston which then tore up more of the motor. I have a quote for about $2000 to repair. This happened after I got gas in Holderness. It seems that ethanol gas/water is the problem. FYI Here are 2 products I have heard of that may help with these issues: http://www.k100fueltreatment.com/ http://mystarbrite.com/startron/ A friend of mine uses K100 in all his sleds and in his boat during the Summer. Smitty1

03-03-2009, 01:21 PM	#10
dan Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: moultonborough/billerica Posts: 42 Thanks: 21 Thanked 7 Times in 4 Posts	I'm not positive but I don't think the octane rating of the fuel has anything to do with it. (Octane rating does not relate to the energy content of the fuel (see heating value). It is only a measure of the fuel's tendency to burn rather than explode.) This is the definition of octane that I have seen many times. When buying gas we used to say, "if it don't knock burn it." I had a friend who was an aircraft mechanic during WWll who told me they used to water inject the radial engines when they were in a dog fight. Claimed it gave them more power but raised hell with the pistons. If this is true maybe moisture in the tank is causing it to run hotter.