If an engine has high miles and was rebuilt, thats great. high mileage would be 7-8K or higher. If it was rebuilt sooner thats fine to, aslong as it has good compression (anywhere between 110-135 psi).

Things to look for:

- The track - Look for tears, rips, ect.! A new track is costly and could very well be a good reason not to buy a sled.

- The Clutch - Put both hands on the clutch and push down and pull up and see if there is any "slop" or movement. Clutch work also gets costly, and a bad clutch could be dangerous if it lets loose while riding.

- The frontend (steering) - Inspect the front steering system to make sure nothing is bent or broken ( radius rods, trailing arms, ect. )


Hope I helped. If I think of anything else I will be sure to let you know. Good luck and welcome aboard

 

grab a compression tester from your local auto parts store (cheapest on is fine) and check the compression before you buy (110 - 135 is where you want to be)

Look at the fuel lines for cracks, old age, tears that have been fixed with electric tape, of course a good track, if studded, inspect to ensure ALL studs are still on, if any missing, you will also throw studs and need a new trac!

When you go look at a sled, and the guy says it starts first pull, he is usually wrong, unless its a newer sled. Before you start it, pop the cowling, and feel the engine and exhaust, if hot or warm, then you know he had the sled running prior to your comming. And thats why it starts first pull.

You will never know how it starts from cold, until you try for first time. maybe 3-4 puls or 15-20, but as long as it runs, there isnt much to go wrong with an older 2 stroke. manule primer too is nice!!!

I just got a second sled a 92 mach 1 617cc, it has 4k on it, good trac, good seat, good lines, good clutch, mint sled and i paid 1300 CAD$$.

Remember a newer used sled could have more things on it to go wrong, like electric start, reverse, fuel injection, etc. all things to go wrong, unless sled is very new, i would stay away from that. (depends on how much you spend)

 

Welcome to the4 forum! To guide you a bit better, what kind of riding do you want to do? Trails? Ditches? Powder & mountains? You can waste a lot of money buying the wrong type of sled! What's your budget? The price ranges from a couple hundred bucks for a fixer upper to over 12,000 for the newest bad boy turbo 4-stroke.

If you're not sure what you like in a sled, it may be worth the money for you to rent a couple different sleds to see what the differences are. It can be spendy, but you get a really good idea about what you like and don't like to narrow down your purchase.

Good luck and have fun!!

 

Thanks for all the pointers just one last question, are directions on the compression tester because I've never used one

 

Find a local sled mechanic and shoot him a couple bucks to go with you and look at it ... I do it all the time for people with cars and trucks. It can save some serious cash down the road.

 

ya the compression tester is very easy, just un screw the spark plug, screw in the tester, and pull away, the gauge will read the PSI it is easy but read the instructions first

 

Please don't take this the wrong way but ... I wouldn't let anybody who is not experienced around snowmobile engines to dick around under my hood and I'm quite sure I'm not alone on this one. Finding out that some clown has cross threaded a spark plug would result in a serious ass whooping.

 

i think a trained monkey can screw in a spark plug, besides have the ownder screw it in!!!!

there, problem solved!!

 

Or ask the owner to do it in your presence. It's a normal thing to want to know. I like pulling both plugs so you can pull faster. Ignition off, throttle wide open, pull the rope until the needle on the gauge stops rising, usually 3-5 pulls. I don't know if I would want someone that has never taken a compression reading doing it on a sled of mine, either.