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Oil leaks normal?

17K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  BC_Dan 
#1 ·
This is probably a dumb question but I'm going to ask anyway as my knowledge of snowmobiles is not great. I have 2 Arctic Cats, a 97 ZRT and a 00 ZR. Both sleds leak oil, not a lot but over a couple weeks of sitting it is noticable. My question is, dumb as it may be, is this normal? :confused: I would think not but they run fine and don't seem to use an excessive amount of oil.
 
#2 ·
If there is oil coming from the pipe, that is pretty normal for a 2-stroke. Oil in the fuel does not burn completely, and ends up in the exhaust/pipe and eventually works it's way out the exhaust. The more you run the sled at low RPM or at idle, the less heat is in the pipe to keep the oil from condensing, so during periods of occasional idling (like summer) the pipe gets pretty oily inside. Most sleds will leak at the exhaust y pipe connection, sometimes sealing that surface or buying a new "donut" will make it less. If it's leaking from elsewhere, any seal wears out over time, and leaks happen. Usually tracking down the leaking area and replacing fittings or hoses solves most of them.
 
#3 ·
Thanks BC Dan. I've had a tough time trying to track down the leaks but it makes sense that they are leaking from the pipes. I'll give them both a good inspection as cleaning out the engine compartments is on the summer agenda.
 
#5 ·
I don't believe the chaincase is leaking. When I inspect the engine compartment its very difficult to determine where it is leaking from. The leak seems to be from the pipe but the amount of the oil leaking is beyond what I would think is normal from the exhaust. I do run them for about 10 minutes once a week but its mostly at idle as they aren't being moved.
 
#7 ·
This makes sense and it sounds like what is happening. Is there a danger in running the sled for about 10-15 minutes once per week? I can deal with the oil leaks on the garage floor but want to make sure I'm not going to cause damage to the engine.
 
#9 ·
Like RJ said. Run it until there is heat in the heat exchangers, you should be good to go. You don't want to run long enough to have the temp light come on. I find 15-20 minutes at idle will warm up the engine without overheating on my sleds.

The option would be fogging the engine with fogging oil and draining the gas; I'm about 50/50 running the engine monthly vs. fogging oil over the summer. It's kind of nice to get out and take a look at the sleds once in a while, but fogging does give you protection when you forget during the busy summer months...
 
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