I need some advice on Polaris Sleds! - Snowmobile Forum: Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

tdonohue35 · 11-15-2009, 02:44 PM

Im pretty new to doing Maintence on snowmobiles. My uncle has 2 Polaris Sleds and one is a 1996 Polaris Storm 800 and the other is a 1995 Polaris XLT 600. I was just curoius to know what I have to do in order to Tune them up. Both of them run fine but I would just like to know if I have to change the plugs and oil. These sleds werent taken care of that well and when I drained the chain case oil, there was barely any in there and it came out in clumps. Is that because its old oil? What do I replace it with? Do both of these sleds take mixed gas? Thanks to whomever can help me out! Sorry I dont know much about this!...

-Tommy

**BC_Dan** · 11-15-2009, 04:44 PM

The chaincase uses "chaincase fluid", but automatic transmission fluid or even 30 wt. motor oil will work in a pinch. Some guys use synthetic gear oil, but that is pretty thick and may not penetrate into the chain very well, especially when it's really cold out.

It should take about 8-11 oz of fluid to refill the chaincase.

Unless the sleds have been modified to eliminate the oil injection system, there will be an oil tank reservoir under the hood. Use any good 2-stroke oil rated at TCW-3. It is sometimes not a good idea to mix oils of different companies, some of the additives do not mix well.

If they are running fine, you may not need to do more than refill the chaincase and change the plugs. I clean the carbs on mine yearly, but that's more of a "want to" than a "have to" thing. I would use some "Seafoam" in the first tank of fuel of the year to help keep the fuel system free of varnish. Use it according to the directions... too much can be worse than none.

You may also want to make sure the clutches are clean and the belt is in good shape, as well as doing a check of all the suspension bolts. Grease any fittings you find on the front end or in the suspension to keep things working properly.

It's easy to spend an afternoon getting a sled ready for the season, but well worth it if it keeps you from having to walk

tdonohue35 · 11-15-2009, 06:54 PM

Hey Thanks alot for the info. I just bought some seafoam and some chaincase oil. On the 600, the Oil Reservoir is full of oil, therefore should I just leave it or should I clean that out and put new stuff in there? The 800 looks like it doesnt have anything in there as far as I can see. I'll have to ask my uncle what type of oil he put in both of them so I dont have a mixing problem with 2 different oils. I'll take all the advice I can get because I really want to ride these things this winter! Thanks again...

**BC_Dan** · 11-15-2009, 07:51 PM

If it's full, you should be good to go

Oil doesn't really go bad unless it gets contamination or moisture in it. If it's milky, you may want to replace it. If it looks normal, you should be fine using it. If your uncle can tell you the brand he used, that is the simplest way to go. If you want to change brands, you can use what's in there until it's down a ways, then siphon the remainder out.. no sense in throwing away good oil!! A lot of oils won't have any problems at all in mixing with other oils, especially the less expensive ones.

Be sure to keep the oil level from going empty, if you suck in air, the oil pump may not pump any oil if you refill. It's always a good idea to top off the oil when you fill the gas. If you're doing that, you will never get the oil below 1/2 of a tank.

jamesu9165 · 11-15-2009, 08:45 PM

if you ever do run the injection oil empty be sure to bleed the pump via a screw on top of it... just top off the oil whenever you add gas and ull be fine. grease the driveshaft. most of those sleds should have a grease zerk below the secondary on the left sid of the machine (its the opposite end of the driven shaft in the bottom of the chaincase. ive seen to many sleds completely destroy that bearing and then the track locks up and u will have a long walk. as far as carbs i clean mine every year also, its not a must but id rather have that confidence that my sled wont leave me stranded

tdonohue35 · 11-16-2009, 08:51 PM

I fired up the 600 today and it had no problems. it did at first but once it ran for a bit it stayed idoling. The 800 fires up but shuts down right away. im wondering if there is no gas getting to the carbs?? it ran for a good minute but shut sown after that. Like i said, it fires when you use starting fluid. The oil resevoir was practically empty. I put a quart in there just to see if it would fire up and run for a bit. Does it make a big difference if its not full? Im wondering if the carbs are clogged or guncked up! What do you guys think?

**BC_Dan** · 11-16-2009, 09:51 PM

The oil level doesn't have any effect on the ignition. I would start with cleaning the carbs, then maybe take a look at the throttle safety switches. Sometimes if the throttle cable is too tight or too loose, it can cause ignition problems...

tdonohue35 · 11-17-2009, 08:12 AM

Should I pull the carbs of the sled and clean them? And will I have to buy a repair kit or anything? How do I adjust the throttle switches if they are too tight or too loose?

**RJ Gleason** · 11-17-2009, 08:42 AM

Unless you break a part, no repair kit needed, just disassemble and clean them.

tdonohue35 · 11-17-2009, 08:14 PM

Where is the oil pump? is it the same thing as the resevoir? i found a screw on top of the resevoir and i was wondering if thats where you bleed it from? How do you bleed it if theres air in there? What do you do? Plus i took the carbs off and i will be cleaning them tomorrow.

tdonohue35 · 11-19-2009, 09:59 PM

hey guys, i tried firing up the 800 today and it only starts for a split second then dies! i took apart the carbs, clean them really good, hooked everything back up and still the same result. im clueless on whats wrong with it. i really dont want to take it to a shop but if thats what i have to do i guess i will. do you guys have any suggestions?

SubarusRmyThing · 11-19-2009, 10:27 PM

Do you know how to propperly adjust and jet the needles? Sounds more like a tuning issue now if everything is clean.

tdonohue35 · 11-19-2009, 10:40 PM

I've never done that before. is it something I can learn just from you telling me or would it be best just to take it in? and if i take it in to a shop, do you know how much that would cost?

SubarusRmyThing · 11-19-2009, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdonohue35

I've never done that before. is it something I can learn just from you telling me or would it be best just to take it in? and if i take it in to a shop, do you know how much that would cost?

dont take it to a shop, thats 77+ bucks an hour. Sure its only an hour labors worth of work. But you might as well try to learn it your self. Its going to be a very common thing to do on any 2 stroke. and its not terribly hard by any means. I've never worked on a snowmobile yet, so im not even going to attempt to tell you how to jet it on a machine ive never seen before. But someone where will chime in soon im sure.

**RJ Gleason** · 11-20-2009, 12:00 PM

The $30 for a shop manual would be the best investment you can make.
It will tell you everything you need to know.

jamesu9165 · 11-21-2009, 06:43 PM

i agree with the purchase of a shop manual... if u take it to the shop you will be short alot of money and you wont have gained the knowedge by doing it yourself. when you repair it you will ride it alot more confidently knowing that you know wha makes it work and how to fix it if anything happens.

as far as throttle switches polaris has a switch that if there isnt enough tension on the cable the sled shuts off. this is a type of "dead man switch" if you fall off and the carb slides dont close (throttle sticks open) the sled will theoretically shut off. these things are more of a pain in my eyes but im sure they have been a few peoples saviors. if the sled fires it will probly not be this switch.

oil injection pump will be underneath the carbs attached to the crankcase. should be a screw on top right next to where a cable goes to it from the throttle. It will not make a difference to the sled starting if there is a little or alot of oil in the reservior just if it runs out the motor will be shot.

all this stuff is explained in greater detail in the shop manual and it has specifications that i dont have the knowledge to rattle off as the newest motor ive done work on for polaris's is my 94 motor, but not much changes.

lastly after the sled dies pull the plugs. see if they feel the same warmness (if only one cylinder is going that one will be hot) and look if they are wet or dry after it dies. dry plugs are a lean condition wet plugs indicate rich..... sorry for the novel, didnt know how indepth i should go