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Tech Tips
DO YOU HAVE ANY TECH TIPS ?
LET ME KNOW WHAT THEY ARE AND WE CAN PUT THEM ON THIS SITE FOR EVERYONE TO
VIEW.
EMAIL THEM TO MIKE PIERUNEK
Tuneup Front Suspension
Tip 1 – Keep an eye on the leading edge of the carbide
runner. Every ski mounts the runners differently, and one major area of concern
is the leading edge of the runner. Just think about the edges of trailers,
crossing railroad tracks, and any other edge that your runner could catch
on and the importance of having the leading edge of your runner well up into
the ski should become very clear. People fly over the handlebars when their
skis catch things unexpectedly, and many times it could be avoided.
Tip 2 – Grease all front suspension zerks every few
hundred miles. Not because the grease is gone, but more so to push out any
moisture that has entered the area.
Tip 3 – Pay special attention to the ski leg bushing;
the one the ski bolt runs through. This bushing should fit tightly into the
spindle without any slop or extra clearance, and should be lubricated so it
can pivot.
Tip 4 – Make sure your ski runners are straight. This
may sound stupid, but you’d be surprised at the riders we’ve seen
monkeying around with front spring tension, limiter strap length and other
adjustments because their sled is not handling right and they “just
put new runners on, so that’s not the problem”. Anytime your sled
doesn’t seem to be handling right, the FIRST thing you check is the
runners; are they straight, are there any chunks of carbide chipped or missing,
are the studs tight (do not over-tighten, they break off real easy).
Tip 5 - When you perform ski alignment, place a elastic tie-strap
between the ski tips to pull in on them slightly to remove any slop or extra
clearance. This way, you will be sure your final alignment will not possibly
induce any toe-in. Any amount of toe-in is a bad deal; you’d far rather
have a half-inch of toe-out than any amount of toe-in. Most sleds should be
set to 1/8” to 1/4” of toe-out; the more there is, the more “relaxed”
the steering response will tend to be.
Tip 6 – Keep all ball joints and steering linkage clean
and lubricated. What good is a precision ski alignment if all of the steering
linkage lets the skis flop around a half-inch (or more)? Ball joints should
all rotate freely once broke in. Keep them lubricated with a quick shot of
penetrating lube, especially after trailering.
Tip 7 – Make sure your front suspension springs are
not too loose. Most riders make their adjustments to the front ski suspension
springs with the skis on the ground. Problem is that when the front end is
unloaded, they could have adjusted the springs so loose (with the skis on
the ground) that the springs do not have enough tension to stay seated when
the suspension is unloaded. Spring retainers and collars can fall off if the
spring is too loose. With the skis in the air, make sure there is at least
some amount of pre-tension to keep the springs seated.
Tip 8 – Try to keep both front suspension springs at
the same setting. Either count the number of turns or measure the distance
or count the threads, whatever works to keep both springs the same. This adjustment
affects ski pressure during steady-throttle conditions, and can account for
a sled darting one way or the other consistently. Better yet, get a set of
matching bathroom scales and place one under each ski leg, paying special
attention to exact placement of each. See how many pounds each ski shows,
then swap the scales to make sure your data is correct. If they’re not
the same, even though the springs measure or count out to the same setting,
you can adjust one spring or the other so both skis “see” the
same amount of pressure. It would surprise you how far off (dissimilar) springs
can really be.
Tip 9 - Ski selection is a very personal choice. What one person likes in a ski character is about as different as our choices in a girlfriend (or boyfriend for you gals). Just because one person likes a ski type doesn’t make it right for you.
Tip 10 - Wider skis provide more flotation and stability.
More ribs (or runners) make the ski less prone to tracking in previous ruts,
thus reducing darting. If you’re looking for a balance between easy
steering and cornering accuracy, try a set of skis with a “keel”
curvature to the bottom profile.
Tip 11 – If your skis have down-turned outside edges,
you will want to rotate your skis to even out the wear on the outside edges,
as they will wear out faster than the inside edges. Some riders with 2001
RMKs reported excellent stability by swapping around their offset skis and
running them with the wide part to the outside for trail riding, then swapping
them back so the wide portion is on the inside for off-trail deep snow operation.
(The new Ski-Doo offset skis only have a runner on the outside edge so this
won’t work with the new Summit skis.)
Tip 12 – If you’re really into slot-car flat
cornering or think your front end is a bit soft, you may want to investigate
installing a heavier sway bar (actually an anti-sway bar). Sled makers have
pretty much gone to smaller diameter sway bars in an attempt to provide increased
ride comfort and bump compliance, with the side affect being body roll and
ski lift. Many riders find the balance they personally want once they install
a larger diameter sway bar.
Store your sled
for the summer:
1. Remove the drive belt and wash the the whole sled down
with warm water and soap, this includes the engine compartment and engine.
2. After the sled is dried off. Remove the air box assembly
as per manufacturers procedure.
3. Start the engine and let warmup.
4. Turn fuel off and as engine is running a little off idle
spray ENGINE FOG into the carburetors. This will cause the engine to want
to stall so you have to regulate the amount of fog you use. This is done right
up untill the carburetors are empty. When the engine starts to bog (its out
of fuel) Start to really spray the fog into the carbs. This will flood the
engine with Fog and help protect the inner parts.
5. Remove the spark plugs and spray fog inside the cylinders
and then replace the plugs.
6. Reistall air box assembly in reverse to step 2.
7. Loosen the track off as per manufactures procedure.
8. Grease all fittings as per manufactures maintenance procedure.
9. Wax the sled cowl and spray the whole sled this includes
the seat, tunnel, engine, under carriage, everything but what was waxed with
ARMOURALL (vinyl protectant). This will help stop the aluminum from discoloring
and turning white.
10. Push steel wool into the exhaust pipe. Just enough to
stop anything from entering (ie MICE, CHIPMONKS etc)
11. Place moth balls on the air intake part of the air box,
along the running boards and around the under carriage. This also helps prevent
those harry critters from living with your pride and joy.
12. Before you close the hood its always a good idea to leave
a note under the hood reminding you in the fall to readjust the track as per
manufacturers specs and to wipe the primary and secondary clutch with alcohol
or thinner to clean off any armourall before reinstalling the drive belt.
13. Cover your sled and store in a dry area.
14. After this procedure is complete do not start the engine
this will only defeat the purpose of all the work you just performed.
15. Additional things that could be done but these were not
steps I took.
A) Raise the sled as to let both front and rear suspension
hang in a relaxed position.
B) Add a good brand name fuel stabilizer into the fuel tank.
NOTE: This will also work for your lawnmower, motorcycle,atv
etc.
Disclaimer:
The Hanover Neustadt Snowmobile Club will not be held responsible for any
malfuction due to errors
Check your manual for specifications and procedures or Contact your Dealer
Design By Mike Pierunek