2000 Arctic Cat Powder Special 700 - Snowmobile Forum: Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

seth25 · 11-07-2007, 12:43 AM

I am new to snowmobiling and just picked up a 2000 Arctic Cat Powder Special 700 with 1200 miles. The previous owner had an oil injection problem that scared the pistons and cylinders. He already purchased one new cylinder and a new weisco piston. He also purchased a set of used heads, as the other were damaged. I need to get one new piston and either get a new cylinder or have the damaged one resleved.

I have a few questions:

1. What is the best route to go with the cylinder? Buy a new one or resleve the old one?
2. The previous owner said that the new piston is a Weico. How do I confirm this? Can I use an oem piston in one cylinder and a Weisco in the other? I am wanting to go the most economical route.
3. What do I need to check out to make sure the oil injection is working correctly? Clogged tubes, etc?
4. What type of break-in period is required for new pistons and cylinders?
5. What else do I need to check out to make sure the sled is ready to go. The previous owner said that he replaced the clutch as this year was know for problems.
6. What other problems is this sled known for that I need to watch out for?

I live in Colorado and will be doing trail and light mountain riding.

Thank You.

kccats · 11-07-2007, 08:05 AM

1 recrome old cyl. US Chrome in Wi!
2 Wisco will have a pxxxx on the top, I wouldn't use it, I would buy a pair of aftermarket oems, they aren't that much likly 75 ea?
3 Replace the pump!
4 Premix the first tank or 5 gal of fuel.
5 I would have the crank looked over and the seals replaced.
OH and welcome to the snow show! Goog luck!

**smallengineguy** · 11-07-2007, 03:42 PM

Go OEM! What was the "trouble" with the oil pump?

seth25 · 11-07-2007, 04:44 PM

Go OEM with both pistons? What about the cylinder? The sled had sat for over a year, then the guy took it out to ride. He fired it right up and rode for a while and then it quit. He couldn't get it back started, and had to get towed back. He pulled off the heads and found the pistons and cylinder gouged up. Could an oil line be clogged from sitting for a year not in use? How can I check the oil pump and lines before buying a new one or putting everything back together and having the pistons burn up again?

Thanks

**RJ Gleason** · 11-08-2007, 12:15 AM

Do you have any pics of it?
(piston top and cylinder wall and possibly wrist pin bearing)
That always helps with diagnosis.

seth25 · 11-08-2007, 01:10 AM

ok, here are pictures of the cylinder, wrist pin bearing, and the head. I do not have the old damaged piston, but I beleive the previous owner had pictures of it. I will send them over as well if he has them. Thank you for the help!!

JheLrey · 11-08-2007, 06:06 AM

Ouch... I will let someone else answer... SEG?

seth25 · 11-08-2007, 08:55 AM

ok, here are pictures of the piston....

thanks

**RJ Gleason** · 11-08-2007, 01:50 PM

Ouch!!

After looking at the head and piston, you definitely had a bearing come apart.

The damage indicates the the rollers have passed up the cyl walls and bounced on top of the piston for a while.
The wrist pin bearing looks OK, check the lower rod bearing for excessive freeplay. There is a normal amount of side to side, but there should be no up and down movement if the crank is held stationary.

seth25 · 11-08-2007, 05:22 PM

There is a little play from side to side, but no movement up or down.

Thanks

IndianRvrShiver · 11-08-2007, 05:42 PM

Gotta' agree with RJ!! You definitely had a bearing come apart somewhere or sucked something in the cylinder. Look for bluing on the lower end of the connecting rod or it could be a crank bearing. Time to take it all the way down!!

seth25 · 11-08-2007, 09:23 PM

I took the carbs apart and cleaned, everything looks good. I took the airbox cover off, all clean in there. There is no bluing at the bottom of the connecting rod. I did take off the oil tank to check for sludge or blockage in the bottom. I found a 1" x .5" barcode sticker in the oil tank. This is definately big enough to block the oil supply from the tank. The crank or block do not show any damage that you might think if a bearing came apart. Thoughts?

Thanks

seth25 · 11-09-2007, 12:22 AM

What all is involved with tearing it all the way down? I held both rods and spun the crank. I didn't notice any slop, everything seemed smooth. I didn't see any peices or metal shavings in the bottom of the crank. Should I go ahead and take it apart just to make sure?

thanks

**RJ Gleason** · 11-09-2007, 01:02 AM

You will need to remove the clutch and flywheel and stator so that you can split the lower case.

Here is a link to an online microfiche with exploded views;

' + objMainFrame.arrApplicationTitle['EN'] + ' -- EMPARTweb*Version 5.2.2* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Arctic Cat E-Parts Catalogs -- EMPARTweb Version 5.2.2

seth25 · 11-09-2007, 01:46 AM

wow, great website, that will help out a lot.

thanks

JL Club · 11-09-2007, 07:42 AM

your piston and head looks exactly the same as the one i took out of my zr, and i am in full agreement with RJ on this one. mine threw the lower rod bearing just the same as yours did. it sounds like your pretty sold on the oil problem, but oil will not scar the top of your piston and head in that manner. its from metal physically doing the damage. a rebuilt or used motor might be cheaper than doing the rebuild on your current 700. it depends how much time and money you want to spend.

seth25 · 11-09-2007, 09:38 AM

Ok, I am going to take it all the way down. I already have one new piston and cylinder that came with the sled. I have another on order. Any tips along the way? I have the parts diagram that RJ sent, anyone have a step by step process that will simplify things a little?

Another question. Will the bearing do damage to both pistons or just one?

Thanks

JL Club · 11-09-2007, 06:18 PM

if your replacing both pistons, youll probably have both cylinders honed as well. it might not have wrecked the other, but youll be able to tell the best. just make sure that when you have the case split apart (if you do) that theres nothing left in there to cause this problem again. its gotta be clean (no junk, debris). youll obviously want to clean the oil tank if there was something in there. but again, the pictures of the damage dont look like seizure, it looks like a blown connecting rod bearing and the results of the needle bearings bouncing around on the top of the piston. hope we can all be of some help

JL Club · 11-09-2007, 06:21 PM

i was just looking at the pictures again, and it looks like that baby ran for a bit before she got smoked. Ouch. just look at the amount of scoring on the head.

seth25 · 11-09-2007, 06:43 PM

As I mentioned before, I don't see any damage around the crank or in the crankcase. Is it possible that the bearing failed throwing the pieces straight up into both cylinders without noticable damage to the crank. Just wondering before I start the teardown.

Thanks