[stretchpan]

Hey Guys,

Long time lurker first time poster. I was crossing a creek out west this past weekend and my track picked up a rock and flung it into my front heat exchanger and left a good sized hole. Sled is a 2018 SKS 146. Wondering how much work this is going to be to fix. Does the motor need to be pulled to replace the cooler? Should I file an insurance claim?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Lid2]

May have to pull the skid and maybe track. drill a self taper in there or weld a stud on it and pull the exchanger back so gap is closer then have the gap tig welded . It’s done all the time. It will be fine after.

 

[Driftn]

Definitely fixable with a tig welder. As lid said it’s best to pull skid and elevate rear to give welder good access. If you look around I’m sure there are guys that will come to your place to do the welding giving you time to prep it for them. Dealer would likely be able to do the same at more cost. The area needs to be clean for the weld to work. If your getting someone to come to your garage I’d recommend having a pressure tester for the cooling system handy so you can ensure no pin holes which are impossible to see. I threw stud into my pros rear cooler. I was able to take it to welder but he or I didn’t pressure test the cooler after. Yes I got a puddle after first attempt putting it all back together. No sure if it’s more or less frustrating when you know what you should have done the first time but didn’t bother. Live and learn lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ExcursionPSD]

Good advice in the two posts above. You should follow it.

Wire brush and clean the area as well, as you can, make sure no foreign material is in the cooler, it could make it's way to the water pump or thermostat and may not be pretty.

 

[Sledtuner360]

Isolate the electrical system when tig welding, in other words pull ecu connectors and battery ground. AC welding is sometimes not friendly to electrical stuff. As these guys have said clean clean and clean is the name of the game. It is very hard to get all the antifreeze away from the weld spot. I hang them from rear bumper and remove all coolant lines so no chance of pressure building up. They can be challenging.

 

[stretchpan]

Thanks for all the great advice guys. I’m going to tear into it in a couple weeks.

 

[stretchpan]

Progress update: I got the skid and drive shaft pulled out. One picture shows the hole before we welded it up. Second picture shows the finished product.

We had to heat the area with the hole with a torch in order to pry the area back to where it used to be. Then cleaned it up and welded the hole shut.

Anyone have advice for how to get all the air out of the coolant system when I start reassembly?

 

[Wantry]

Good looking fix, purge procedure is outlined on pp. 110-111 here:

https://cdn.polarisportal.com/servicemanagement-public/OwnerManuals/SNO/9928047r03_standard.pdf

One thing it doesn't stress in the manual, but that makes it easier, is to get the front of the sled as high in the air as you can. It says 45 degrees in the book, but in my (admittedly limited) experience, more is better if you have access to a hoist or lift that can safely get the machine close to straight up in the air. I think it ups the likelihood of getting all the air purged on the first try. for what it's worth.

 

[stretchpan]

I decided to replace the bearings on the PTO side while I’m in here but I’m having a heck of a time getting the bearing flange off of the jack shaft. There seems to be a nut on the backside of the stud that’s attached to the flange. Anyone have advice on how to get to it?

 

[ExcursionPSD]

I don't have access to one of these machines at the moment, but I believe that I used a Gear Wrench (ratcheting box end) to remove that nut from the forward stud on PTO side jackshaft bearing flange. The other fasteners are Torx head screws that go into tapped threads. It appears you have them out.

 

[stretchpan]

Why are you trying to remove the flange?

I am trying to replace the bearing.

 

[sleeping_dragon]

I don't have access to one of these machines at the moment, but I believe that I used a Gear Wrench (ratcheting box end) to remove that nut from the forward stud on PTO side jackshaft bearing flange. The other fasteners are Torx head screws that go into tapped threads. It appears you have them out.

Gear wrenches seem to be the way to go on numerous aspect of the newer sleds.

 

[stretchpan]

Update: I ended up having to grind off the stud on the flange to remove. The nut was so tight that I was unable to free it. That bearing flange is a $17 part.