95 Polaris XLT Touring

[Northlander]

Went out yesterday and the old sled died 3 times. Finally the last time I couldnt start it again. It sure sounded like it wasnt getting enough fuel. Only time it would even think about starting was at full choke with the throttle wide open.

So I guess my thoughts are fuel pump and hopefully not coils.Even once cooled down it wouldnt start so Im leaning more towards a fuel problem but Im no mechanic by a long shot. Anyone else have any ideas?

2thepointsetters you want to take a peak at it some time? You know way waqy more than I ever will.

[Esox_Magnum]

Check for spark, put a spare plug in and ground to the head and turn it over. Also pull the plugs and check them they should be brown, black to rich and they fouled white= bad you run lean. If you have spark and no fouled plugs it could be fuel related

Good thing about the old sleds there a ton of parts out there. If you want I can bring it home with me in Aug

[Macgyver55]

Did it die while riding or while idling? If it was while you were idling could be as simple as a sticking float or choke cable causing it to load up.

Start off by pulling the plugs. Checking them first can tell you what to look for. Put them into the wires, lay them on top of the cylinders and check spark. Assuming it has spark dont overlook the spark plugs themselves. Just because they spark doesnt mean they are ok. If even only one fouls on a triple it drags the others cylinders down enough to makes it hard to start and easy to flood. If they are dry and light grey it may be starving for fuel, if they are wet it is getting fuel. If any one plug looks different from the others, thats usually where you need to look first. Next thing I'd do is compression test. If that looks good, and you believe it is not getting fuel, the next step is to check the fuel lines for cracks. Pay extra attention to the pulse line that goes from the pump to the engine case. Sometimes the fuel lines are cloudy and you cannot see if it is pumping. You can verify it by pulling a fuel line off at the carb and run it into a small container, then you can pull it over and see if it is pumping.

If all of the essentials are present, spark, fuel and compression, it should run!

[leech~~]

Did it die while riding or while idling? If it was while you were idling could be as simple as a sticking float or choke cable causing it to load up.

Start off by pulling the plugs. Checking them first can tell you what to look for. Put them into the wires, lay them on top of the cylinders and check spark. Assuming it has spark dont overlook the spark plugs themselves. Just because they spark doesnt mean they are ok. If even only one fouls on a triple it drags the others cylinders down enough to makes it hard to start and easy to flood. If they are dry and light grey it may be starving for fuel, if they are wet it is getting fuel. If any one plug looks different from the others, thats usually where you need to look first. Next thing I'd do is compression test. If that looks good, and you believe it is not getting fuel, the next step is to check the fuel lines for cracks. Pay extra attention to the pulse line that goes from the pump to the engine case. Sometimes the fuel lines are cloudy and you cannot see if it is pumping. You can verify it by pulling a fuel line off at the carb and run it into a small container, then you can pull it over and see if it is pumping.

If all of the essentials are present, spark, fuel and compression, it should run!

Hopefully it didn't happen when running fast across the lake, or you may have fried a piston? Compression check as MNUser said should tell that. Here's hopeing not!

[Northlander]

I was going about 35 mph on a trail with my wife on the back. It died while riding it. Plugs all looked normal but not real wet thats for sure. Im just hoping its not a coil thing where they warm up and the sled dies.

Surface Tension, Ripstick and I are going to check it out and see what we can find out.

[barebackjack]

Dont rule out crank seals, mine just went and that sounds exactly like what happened.Pull your fuel lines off at the carb and see if your spitting fuel when pulling the rope.

[Shack]

Personally I check for a lack of fuel delivery by spraying some starting fluid down the cylinder(s), screw plug back in and see if it fires. If you are alone and can not see the plug resting on the engine while you are pulling it over, this can also tell you if you have spark.

My vote would be dirty/clog issue with the carbs?

[NAMASafetyDirector]

Another thing I learned the hard way and I always check now is the impulse line from the crank case to the fuel pump. I went through hours of trouble shooting on one sled and replaced everything chasing a fuel problem and there ended up being a small hole in the impulse line where it had rubbed through so the fuel pump wouldn't work.

[2thepointsetters]

Steve I will take a look at it with you. I am leaving for Florida this Friday so my next two weekends are shot, but after that I will have plenty of time.

[2thepointsetters]

Dont rule out crank seals, mine just went and that sounds exactly like what happened.Pull your fuel lines off at the carb and see if your spitting fuel when pulling the rope.

The easy way to check crank seals is to start the sled and spray carb cleaner near the seal and see if the rpm's change at all. I dont think that is the problem by the description on here. It is possible for crank seals to burn a motor down due to the lean condition if they are ran long enough that way.

[slurpie]

I would check spark first thats the easiest by the way others listed. Then a compression test on each cylinder. Then if they are good go for the carbs or a fuel line.

[Northlander]

Could it be as simple as a fuel filter?

[leech~~]

Could it be as simple as a fuel filter?

Are you asking or that's what you found? That could be it as well sure. It maybe time to change it anyway if it hasn't been changed for a few years.

[Macgyver55]

Sure, it could be, but that should show up when you test the fuel pump output.

[Northlander]

Ya thats going to be my 1st attempt at fixing it. Hoping its the cheap fix ya know. Otherwise between Surface Tension, Ripstick, my brother in law who used to fix them for a living and my no mechanic self I hope we can get her done by March so I can chase some serious late season crappies.

Another question. Marine Stabil bad for sleds? I accidently put the wrong stabil in the week before the sled went down. I didnt thnk I would run it for a while.

[Macgyver55]

Shouldnt be a problem that I can think of...

[B@ssDoctor]

Also, if you do not have spark, it might not be your coil pack. I troubleshot a similar issue on my 99 Artic in which it was the carb shuttoff sensor cable. It would run intermittently and then died finally.Not sure if you have the "tip over sensor" or not. Even though it took my 8 hours, I was sure happy when I found out it was only 10 bucks for a used cable assembly.

[ripstick]

The garage will be warmed up so get it up here. In case we need parts. Right now its empty except for mine. Will get it running sat and ride sun.

[DTro]

Last year I had a freak thing happen in which the pickup line in the tank broke off right at the nipple. Once it got below half a tank, she sputtered and quit right there.

Talk about a frustrating troubleshoot that one was, not to mention the 5 mile walk

Do what Shack said, give it a shot of starting fluid. If it fires, you know you have a fuel delivery problem.

[Macgyver55]

Last year I had a freak thing happen in which the pickup line in the tank broke off right at the nipple.

That is actually a lot more common than you might think!

[Northlander]

The garage will be warmed up so get it up here. In case we need parts. Right now its empty except for mine. Will get it running sat and ride sun.

Gary Ill try to get it up there ASAP but Im swamped with work and working the boat show wed- sat.

[ripstick]

BOAT SHOW?

[Northlander]

Gary its at the DECC Wed-Sat. Come down. Ill sell ya some downriggers, rods, net and you can meet Gary Roach who will be at our both at times.

Ill be there 5-close tonight and tomorrow and who knows when Fri-Sat.

[sunniewally]

hi, i have the same sled and the fuel line inside the tank was shot.

it just plane rotted away. i hooked up a gas line to the fuel pump and put the other end into a can of fuel and it sucked it up and ran just fine, good luck!

[Northlander]

Thanks Ill try that.