1995 XLT Touring Rebuild - Snowmobile Forum: Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

Mjolnir · 01-06-2013, 11:29 PM

Hi guys,

I picked up an XLT touring a week or so ago. Brought it home, looked it over quick and things seemed good. I took it out for a ride and it was running fine, then I gunned it a bit to see what it could do, hit 80 mph and *POW*, kicked the machine right off. I was able to start the sled a few minutes later and limp it home with greatly reduced power. When i put any throttle on it past 30 mph it would bog and make backfiring sounds.

Long story short, my mag side piston is smoked, and the corresponding head is pitted also. I've read it is more common to blow the pto side on this model so I'm assuming it failed due to a lean situation caused by incorrect carb setting or perhaps the mag seal failing. (Carb boot is fine). The cylinder is not damaged and as far as I can tell most if not all of the aluminum blew out the exhaust port. Everything still moves freely.

Anyways I have a few questions I was hoping you guys would be kind enough to help me out with, as I am new to rebuilding.

Firstly, when I pulled the block off, the base gasket was pretty much toast, it just ripped apart. Is that a part that Polaris still manufactures?

Second, Considering the age of this machine I figure I should replace the pto and mag seals. Does this require considerable disassembly of the crankshaft, flywheel etc?

Lastly, if the mag side head is pitted, will that need to be replaced or can I clean it up with acid and not worry about it?

I'm sure I'll have some other questions as I get further into this rebuild.
Any comments and suggestions are a help and greatly appreciated.

Thanks

**RJ Gleason** · 01-06-2013, 11:32 PM

The answer to most of your questions is yes.
You also should consider that the carb might be the culprit with a plugged jet.

Skid · 01-07-2013, 06:39 AM

I would suggest honing all 3 cylinders, cleaning up the good pistons and replacing the bad ones along with all 3 sets of rings. It is very important to check the clearances between the cylinders and pistons.
It would be a good time to replace the crank seals too which involves pulling the engine from the sled and quite a bit more disassembly but worth the peace of mind in the long run. As for the pitting, it depends on how bad. You can find used parts on ebay for cheap so you may want to be on the safe side and replace it.