Polaris 600 Triple Engine. How do I find the year? (and other questions) - Snowmobile Forum: Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

L.T. Grey · 01-20-2009, 11:44 AM

So, here's the story. My uncle bought an airboat. It came with a 600cc triple engine on it. It ran well, and had no issues, but my uncle didn't like the extra noise or that he had to premix the fuel. I had an '82 subaru with a horizantally opposed 4 cly engine. Apparently, these make good airboat engines. I had the misfortune of sliding off a road due to black ice and wrapping the car around a tree. I only paid $25 for the car, so I wasn't going to bother fixing it up.

My uncle wanted the engine for his airboat. I told him he could have it - provided he got rid of the rest of the car and gave me the engine that was on his boat.

So, now I have a 600 triple. He told me it ran when it came off the boat, but I've never actually seen it run. It's complete - it has all three carbs, the original exhaust and the primary clutch still attached. I've pulled it over and the engine is free and has spark. The only obvious problem I can see is that the recoil doesn't pull the rope back in very well - but that's not a tough fix.

So, questions:
1. Anyway to tell what year sled this engine came out of?
2. Assuming it runs, what's it worth? Or, would that mostly depend on the year?
3. Can I start it without hooking up a radiator or heat exchanger? I'm not worried about it overheating - I just want to run it for 10-20 secs to make sure it runs. I'm more worried about damaging the water pump. So, would it hurt the pump to run it while it's dry? Maybe I should fill the water jackets and pump with coolant, and attach the water outlet to the inlet with a short piece of hose just for a short run?
4. Is there a list of sleds that this engine would fit in? I'm thinking I'll either sell this engine outright, or find a sled with a non-running or blown engine and swap it in. But, I'd much rather do a straight swap then worry about fabricating engine mounts or lining up clutches.

Thumperdisney · 01-20-2009, 01:30 PM

If you check craigslist you can probably find some people who are selling either a wrecked sled with a good 600 triple or are looking for a 600 triple and that will give you a ballpark for pricing. Then, if you don't want to put it in a machine for your own enjoyment I think you'd be best off just selling it as is because you probably won't get enough extra by putting it in a sled to make up for what you pay (let alone your time). You can tell what year it is by writing down the serial number stamped on the block and calling a dealer but what you don't know is how many miles it has on it since it's been used for some time to turn a propeller.

As for starting it, you don't want to run that waterpump dry, Your idea of hooking the outlet to the inlet should work but you need to make sure you get the air out of the system so you'll want to get a fill tube and hook it between the outlet and inlet hoses. You can probably get one from any snowmobile salvage yard since every water-cooled machine has one and they never really go bad.

L.T. Grey · 01-21-2009, 01:23 PM

Yeah, I really wasn't planning on making any money off of it - unless I just sell it outright.

I found a '98 XCR with a blown cylinder dirt cheap. The sled looks to be in otherwise great shape. My plans were to buy the XCR, swap engines and just drive it. But, I'd really rather make sure that the engine I have runs before I commit to buying a sled for it.

Well, I didn't jump on the sled right away, and it got sold. But, I'm going to get the engine this weekend - it's currently at my dad's house 200 miles away, but I'm going home for a visit anyway, so I'll pick it up.

It should be easy to test - it's electric start. It'd be tough pulling a rope without the engine attached to a sled!

Even if I do end up selling it instead of putting it in a sled, I want to be able to fire it up for anyone looking to buy it. I don't think I'd buy an engine at running price without seeing it run.

L.T. Grey · 01-26-2009, 10:08 AM

I picked up the engine this weekend. And, as it turns out, it's a 650. I'm not going to mess with it til the temps come up a bit. When it's -5 F out, my garage only gets up in the 20's. It's supposed to get up in the high teens on Wed, so my garage will me a (more) comfortable 40 or so.

But, in the mean time, does anyone know where I can get my hands on a wiring diagram? I haven't really looked at it close, but the wire bundle coming off the CDI box has been hacked and spliced. I'm not sure what is what, and I'd like to get it sorted out.

The carbs are probably going to need work. The plungers are all stuck. They may just be frozen, but it's probably not a bad idea to pull them and go clean them up anyway. There was an airbox on the engine, but no air filter in it, so there could potentially dirt and junk in the carbs.

L.T. Grey · 09-21-2009, 07:39 AM

Update...
Better late than never, right?

She runs! And runs really well. I ended up attaching a garden hose to the coolant inlet (my FIL had a fitting just for that) and just ran water through it while it ran. All I had to do was clean out the carbs and put fresh plugs in her.

Now, the question of the day. What do I do with it? I've been watching craigslist and haven't seen anything that I can put it in - nor have I seen many engines for sale for a comparable price. I looked around on ebay and found that I could probably get much more money for it if I parted it out.

Best case scenario would be to find a Mid 90's Polaris with a blown engine. Then I could have a backup sled. From what I've read, they were prone to overheating if driven on hardpacked trails. But, I just haven't been seeing anything.

The easiest thing to do would be to just sell it outright. But, if I can't get more than a couple of hundred bucks for it, I'd rather just hold onto it.

The most profitable thing to do would be to part it out. From what I've seen on Ebay, I could likely get $500-$600 or more out of it, but it'd be alot more work, more hassle, and it'd be more likely that I'd be left with unsold parts.

Maybe, for now, I'll just put it up on CL for $500 OBO. See if anyone bites.This guy is selling what looks like my exact engine - minus the carbs, clutch, recoil, cooling pipes, etc.. - for $475 plus shipping.

650 on Ebay

**RJ Gleason** · 09-21-2009, 08:18 AM

Check here:
SledNutZ - Snowmobile Tech Lounge

Post this same thing there and see how fast a response you get, these guys just love triples.

:

L.T. Grey · 09-21-2009, 11:52 AM

Hey! Get back to the Arctic Cat section where you belong!

Thanks for the tip - I'll get some numbers off the motor and see if they do any good. I read over there that there might be a date designation on the recoil? I'll see what I can dig up.

Just what I need - another username and password to remember.

L.T. Grey · 09-23-2009, 08:06 AM

Well, SledNutz was the key. Turns out it's a '93 in case anyone was on the edge of their seats with anticipation! Now, I just gotta find a sled with a blown motor to drop it in.

L.T. Grey · 09-25-2009, 12:00 PM

Anyone know how the 580 block matches up with the 650? I've got a line on a '93 XLT 580 with a blown motor. If the 650 will bolt in, I'll make him an offer on it.

**RJ Gleason** · 09-25-2009, 02:05 PM

I think they're the same base.

YRR3 · 09-30-2009, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L.T. Grey

Anyone know how the 580 block matches up with the 650? I've got a line on a '93 XLT 580 with a blown motor. If the 650 will bolt in, I'll make him an offer on it.

The 650 and 580 are entirely different from the block up. THe 580 uses a monoblock cylinder (1 cylinder for all three) and the 650 has three individual cylinders. The ignition is different, etc....The waterpump may be the same...