Hello, I am the most new of new to having a snowmobile. I just moved from sunny Arizona to Oregon. My first purchase when I got here was a 1995 Indy XLT SKS . I know it's old, but it looks brand new. I got a deal I couldn't pass up. My question is related to maintenance. As far as I can tell, the bike has been in storage for several years and up to this point I am afraid to fire it up without knowing much about these machines. I know atv engines inside and out and look forward to getting to know snowmobiles. Where can I go for maintenance info, as far as fluids and so on that should be replaced and any other things someone should do for a machine that has been sitting for several years. I ordered a clymer manual but I want to get to work on it immediatly. Any help is much appreciated and I am sorry for being so wordy on my first post. I look forward to getting to know the regulars on this forum. :celebrating:
---Andre in Portland
Full Version: Intro and a newbie who needs help....
Hello Andre !
Welcome To This Forum And To The Great Sport Of Snowmobiling !!!
The XLT Will Be A Good Sled For You To Get Some Miles Under Your Belt On , Plus Learn A Little Bit About Wrenching Sleds Along The Way . If The Sled Has Sat And Not Been Run For An Extended Period Of Time Like You Say , My First Concerns Would Be Bad Gas And Gumming Of The Carbs. First Of All Drain/Siphon All The Old Gas From The Tank And Replace It With Fresh Fuel . 87 Octane Pump Gas Will Work Fine. The Next Thing I Would Look At Are The Carbs , And If You Are Familiar With ATV's , Then I Would Go Ahead And Pull Off All 3 Carbs , Drain Them , And Clean Them Out , Especially The Bowls Where Bad Gas Has Probably Been Sitting For Awhile And Gumming Things Up . Pull The Chaincase Dipstick And Take A Peek At How The Oil Looks In There While You Have The Hood Up . Dark With Alot Of Metal Shavings Is NOT Good And Means It's Time For Fresh Stuff. I'd Probably Throw 3 New Plugs In The Sled While I Was Getting It Ready Too , Just To Give Me A Baseline Look At How It's SetUp Right Now . I Believe That Sled Takes NGK BR9ES Plugs . And If You Have A Greasegun And Some Low Temp Lithium Grease At Hand , I'd Hit All The Grease Fittings With A Shot In Case Anything There Has Moisture In It Or Has Started To Dry Out . These Here Are Just A Few Suggestions To Get You Started In The Right Direction , And I'm Certain When The Polaris Guy's Are On Here In The Morning That They Will Be Able To Give You More Detailed Information About Exactly You Should Look Into On Your Sled !
Welcome To This Forum And To The Great Sport Of Snowmobiling !!!
The XLT Will Be A Good Sled For You To Get Some Miles Under Your Belt On , Plus Learn A Little Bit About Wrenching Sleds Along The Way . If The Sled Has Sat And Not Been Run For An Extended Period Of Time Like You Say , My First Concerns Would Be Bad Gas And Gumming Of The Carbs. First Of All Drain/Siphon All The Old Gas From The Tank And Replace It With Fresh Fuel . 87 Octane Pump Gas Will Work Fine. The Next Thing I Would Look At Are The Carbs , And If You Are Familiar With ATV's , Then I Would Go Ahead And Pull Off All 3 Carbs , Drain Them , And Clean Them Out , Especially The Bowls Where Bad Gas Has Probably Been Sitting For Awhile And Gumming Things Up . Pull The Chaincase Dipstick And Take A Peek At How The Oil Looks In There While You Have The Hood Up . Dark With Alot Of Metal Shavings Is NOT Good And Means It's Time For Fresh Stuff. I'd Probably Throw 3 New Plugs In The Sled While I Was Getting It Ready Too , Just To Give Me A Baseline Look At How It's SetUp Right Now . I Believe That Sled Takes NGK BR9ES Plugs . And If You Have A Greasegun And Some Low Temp Lithium Grease At Hand , I'd Hit All The Grease Fittings With A Shot In Case Anything There Has Moisture In It Or Has Started To Dry Out . These Here Are Just A Few Suggestions To Get You Started In The Right Direction , And I'm Certain When The Polaris Guy's Are On Here In The Morning That They Will Be Able To Give You More Detailed Information About Exactly You Should Look Into On Your Sled !
Your secondary clutch will probbly need taken off and taken apart and cleaned . Your in for a big treat if you never had one apart before! It simple after done it for a couple of times . Check chain adjustment by unlocking jam nut on adjusting bolt then turn in finger tight ,then backoff 1/4 turn . Check hyfaxand broken welds . All for now gota get back to bed!!!!!!!!! :zzz:
Thanks for the information! It's definately a start. Last night I basicly tore the whole thing apart to clean it up. I see some similarities to the atv engines I have worked on over the years. I drained the gas tank and engine oil. As for the chaincase, I can't find a place to drain it, the oil is absolutely filthy so it is definately due for a change. If anyone has worked with a '95 Indy XLT SKS let me know where the drain plug is.
Also, what oils do you guys recomend for the engine and chaincase. Thanks for the help up to this point, I can't wait to get this sled back out on the snow!
Also, what oils do you guys recomend for the engine and chaincase. Thanks for the help up to this point, I can't wait to get this sled back out on the snow!
There should be a drain plug on the bottom of the sled under the chain case, close to where the exhaust comes out. It is an ALLAN key type drain plug, I would recommend you use an ALLAN key socket rather than a typical ALLAN key and be careful as they have a habit of stripping. If you go to your Polaris dealer they will have chain case oil for you. Pretty sure all they sell now is synthetic chain case oil and it is not all that cheap.
Good luck with the new sled.
Good luck with the new sled.
If you cant find the drain plug just pull the chain case cover off, and you do not need to buy some polaris chain case oil just use tranny fluid from an auto parts store, it works just as good and is cheaper.
DO NOT USE TRASMITION FLUID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the viscosity is way differnt
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.