1997 arctic cat ext 580 efi dlx ecu codes?

[mudslinger64]

i just fired it up and i noticed the red light was flashing on the ecu it was 1 long and 4 short flashes does anyone know what code this is and where can i get the defective sensor if that is what it is thanks

[gjk1970]

That code is system completely failed or disconnected in which further search will tell you the code is a water sensor which is located below the thermostat housing either it came unplugged on yours or a critter may have done some chewing. Simple fix and have never seen one go bad..

[mudslinger64]

it turned out to be the water temp sensor i took a closer look and the 2 wires coming from the sensor were not connected to anything they were hooked to each other,i found the wires they were supposed to be connected to and the light went out.but now i have another problem i ran it for about 5 minutes to warm up,i had the track in the air so i wound it up some to clear it out and everything seemed fine until i backed it down to an idle then it got real doggy like fouled plugs then it just farted and died and i haven't been able to fire it up again even with new plugs it just fires a few times but thats it.the gas was stabilized when it was stored for the summer so i don't think it is that but who knows maybe at least i don't have any lights blinking at me anymore.

[gjk1970]

You may have a carb problem there sounds like the float maybe stuck.. Also make sure you have spark. It is hard to talk about without just doing these things but I would say check the spark if you got fire then focus on carbs..

[gjk1970]

Were the carbs drained or was the machine ran with the stablelizer in it? I have seen gas mixtures turn to a vaseline texture inside the bowls..

[mudslinger64]

it has efi,no carbs,good spark and new plugs

[hanson]

I hate to be the one to mention it but double check your compression too. If you have good spark and fuel is being delivered to the combustion chamber, it should run.

I've had two motors blow on me in the past and both I would characterize as farting and quitting. Typically its a lean condition or overheating which will cause a blown piston.

Your sled is EFI so I'm not sure on how to diagnose a lack of fuel or what to do to correct it. If you are pulling the motor over and you can pull the plugs out and they are still dry, could be something with your EFI not pumping fuel.

My experience is its the most basic of things rather than worst case scenario. Double check the plugs, double check to make sure fuel is being pumped into the cylinders, double check your compression, and then I'm about out of ideas. Maybe for some reason your sled flooded out and died???

[hanson]

mudslinger,

I just reread your first post and I'm just wondering if the motor didn't flood and kill itself. You said you tried new plugs and it still didn't work, fired a few times but thats it.

My toy is a 73 Snojet with a 440 Yamaha in it and I've gotten to know that engine's habits pretty good. When it floods, 5-6 pulls with the throttle wide open and its going again. My trail sled is an 02 ZR600 EFI and I've never had a problem with it flooding. I would assume when an EFI floods, you would handle it the same way as a carbed sled.

Whether I'm wrong or right, its something else to try and think about.

Snowmobiles are so much fun

[mudslinger64]

well i think i figured out what is wrong.i was checking the plugs to see if i had any spark and i have spark on both cylinders but it sure seems like it is a very weak spark i set the gap to around 60 thou just to see what would happen and it had a hard time getting a spark to jump at that setting,remember i tried this just to see what would happen i know they are supposed to be set at 28 thou.so now what to do maybe a bad coil?the battery is new with a full charge.the plugs are wet when i pull them out after trying to start it also i had it running yesterday and it would run alright at a higher rpm but at an idle it would be real doggy again until it wound up some and now today it won't start again.also it has new plugs in it.HELP

[ChuckN]

I have a '95 EXT 580. It's the most unreliable, unpredictable motor I have ever owned. One day it runs fine, the next it won't run at all.

I had similar issues with my machine like you are seeing now. The CDI box that controls the spark and whatnot was shot. It was weak one day, strong strong the next, and then just died. I used my electrical testers to pinpoint the problem. I went to a snowmobile salvage and picked up another CDI for cheap.

Have you put fresh fuel in the sled this year? Gas goes bad throughout storage if not properly treated. Engines won't idle well, or at all, with poor fuel.

I've had mice that built a nest behind my dashboard/gas tank that chewed wires that crossed and screwed up the performance my sleds too.

Good luck

[mudslinger64]

well,i just got done working on my sled i drained the fuel and put fresh gas in it i also took the throttle bodies off and gave them a good cleaning and in the process i noticed that the battery cables were both only finger tight i don't know if i forgot to tighten them when i changed the battery or what.i pulled the plugs and checked for spark and now i got a real good blue spark so i got all pumped up thinking i fixed it but it still wouldn't run.next i got the compression tester on it and on the clutch side cylinder i had 120 psi and on the recoil side i had 60 psi so i took the y pipe off to look at the piston and i could see that the rings caught the exhaust port and scored the piston and cylinder so now i have to get them bored and get new pistons.so what brand of piston would be a good choice for this because i sure don't want this to happen again.thanks

[sledhead]

IF im not mistaken this machine still has the battery type EFI system. battery condition has had a lot to do with the system. Also have you tried unplugging the water temp sensor and seeing if it runs. It could be reading a funky temp and causing the machine to go RICH. On one of the other posts some one mentioned compression. Usually you it would not have anything to do with it but this is a CAT. I worked on a 440 prowler once that had a similar issue. but this was top end. Thried a new throttle body ecu and stator grounds voltage reg. nothing worked, talked to the guys at cat and they said pistons and rings. Now this motor had 125 psi compression already. So I did what they recommended and like waving your magic screw driver it fixed it. Also check for corroded grounds. there should be a couple by the ecu, one on the top steering post clamp, one from the frame to the motor by recoil and one on the voltage regulator behind the secondary clutch. if none of these suggestions work it needs to go on the cat confuser. I would first start with the temp switch again though.

[hanson]

Mudslinger-

It was the compression, huh? That stinks. Sounds like you still had enough to keep it running but not enough to keep it running on that one side. At least it is a Cat so you can pull one cylinder off at a time. My Polaris I had was a monoblock so you had to pull them both off at the same time, what a pain in the arse. Putting them back on wasn't any easier.

For pistons, sound like you can go to the dealer and pick up new OEM pistons & rings (and pay dealer $$) and bring them to your machinist to get it bored out. Also could pick up a Dennis Kirk, Shadetree catalog and maybe order some Wiseco pistons and rings. (not sure of the cost savings to go this route)