97 XLT rebuild - Snowmobile Forum: Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

cliffhanger · 10-30-2009, 11:32 PM

Well I have this 97 XLT Limited. At least thats what the stickers that the last guy put on it says. Not sure if it's a Limited Special or not. Any ideas on how to find out?? Anyway I was told by several so called sled knowledgeable people that the crank was out of true on it because it ran fine and then I went to start it and all it would do is backfire. Anyway, past that I decided to rebuild the engine bottom up. Whats the worst I could do, it's already junk. But I'm sure it will be a learning experience, and boy do I have a lot to learn. There seems to be an oiler problem with some of these sleds that is causing them to go out of phase. I have read alot on the net but it just gets more confusing. Some have external oil pumps, some needed to be drilled because the oiler holes are to small. Some have four oil lines. blah blah blah. I have a remanufactured crank on order. Anyone know what I have to do with this lower end to have a successful rebuild? I want to do this right. It's to expensive to screw up.

Ultrafrozen · 10-31-2009, 05:09 AM

You could have the crank inspected before buying a new one. There are other reasons why a sled would backfire.

Dbl R · 10-31-2009, 11:35 AM

If its a 97 it would have an updated bottom end with the bigger pto bearing and four oil lines i think which if thats the case that engine would be one of the ones that didnt have the crank problem. Id do some research on what you actually got and look a little deeper into the problem before you go spending that much money on a sled that old. Worst case scenerio you cld part it out, you might have to sit on the parts a bit but you'd get about twice as much as the sled would be worth running... Most salvage yards in my area are asking $300 for a primary clutch! That right there is half of what that sled is worth running in my eyes. Hell if the plugs are fouled it cld backfire have you checked that. If the plug is fouled it cld somtime fire and somtimes not and when it did the raw fuel wld already b in the exhaust and when id does intermittenly fire you get a backfire, idk i dont want to see anybody spend a couple g's on a sled thats not worth that. you wld never get your money back unless you kept it, and it lasted twenty years..

Polaris87 · 10-31-2009, 04:00 PM

thats true....97 motors were a way better motor then the 580's and 600s up to 96...My crank went in my 95 last year and I got one second hand for 100 bucks...Put it in a couple of evenings, drilled the pto oil journal out and its still going. I dont have much faith in it so I cant justify spending the money on a new crank or getting mine rebuilt and welded....Face it, its a 95 and pretty much junk. I'm going to grass drag it in 3 weeks and thats about all it will see. I bought a 500 indy thats twice the machine of my 600. Gotta love the tripples just not the amount of work and tuning that goes with them...

Crazy k · 10-31-2009, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Polaris87

thats true....97 motors were a way better motor then the 580's and 600s up to 96...My crank went in my 95 last year and I got one second hand for 100 bucks...Put it in a couple of evenings, drilled the pto oil journal out and its still going. I dont have much faith in it so I cant justify spending the money on a new crank or getting mine rebuilt and welded....Face it, its a 95 and pretty much junk. I'm going to grass drag it in 3 weeks and thats about all it will see. I bought a 500 indy thats twice the machine of my 600. Gotta love the tripples just not the amount of work and tuning that goes with them...

Ive been following with not much help but I do have one question. What is involved in drilling out the pto oil journal And why? Thanks 96 600 owner.

Polaris87 · 10-31-2009, 10:56 PM

The PTO oil journal was a smaller diameter in the ealier 580-600 XLT's for some reason than then thr XCR's. In order to drill out the hole you need to split the base and have it in your hands....That means a complete tear down...Just drill out the PTO hole the same size as the middle and mag oil jounals. Ive even saw tapering the case towards the clutch to get the oil onto the bearings. I just drilled the hole out. I didn't taper the case...I also turned the oil pump up a lot. The more oil the better as far as i can see....especially for the tripples....nothing sounds like a tripple and I really do like them...They work great in tight wood trails that require low rpms and scream on open lakes and rivers. Just dont like when you never know when that PTO bearings going to give out....

cliffhanger · 11-01-2009, 11:39 AM

thanks for asking questions Crazy K and answers Polaris 87

cliffhanger · 11-01-2009, 11:41 AM

To nice of a machine to part out or junk. Even if I do sink more into it than I could sell it for I will still get some good schooling and the satisfaction of knowing I brought this thing back to life

Polaris87 · 11-01-2009, 04:41 PM

they're well worth the money to fix them up. They are for the most part a great machine. Just mine is so worn out I couldnt justify putting a brand new crank or rebuilding mine for what I was putting the motor back into a body that has more cracks and bangs and bruises...I still like the sound of the tripple compared to my 500 twin. And the horsepower to boot....Talking 25+ horses between the 5 and 600...