carb problems?

[Heidi]

I'm back with the update on my "carb problem".The slides are on correct. I can feel them move when I depress the throttle. The problem is I aint gettting any gas to the carbs. The 2 lines are bone dry. I took them off the carb, depressed the throttle and pulled a few times and no gas came squirting out. I couldn't locate the fuel shut off lever when I took the carbs off. I assumed maybe that sled didn't have one. Struck me as funny. So i didn't shut the fuel off. Leader... speak to me man!!

[Leader]

do this with sparkplugs in.

make sure your impulse line (black) that runs from your fuel pump to your crankcase didn't get disconnected, if it checks out fine, try this.

remove gas cap, clean filler neck, and blow in the tank building pressure and it will fill the lines and carb bowl.

if it doesn't work, check fuel filter and pick-up filter in the gas tank.

did it fire w/gas down the sparkplug holes? if not check ignition switchs and if theres a plug in (wire for safety switch)on the carb make sure it is connected.

these results will narrow down possible issues and we will go from there if this doesn't start, it should.

good luck, be patient and pay very close attention to detail it is something simple.

were the jets plugged?

[Heidi]

I hope I am getting close. I have to assume that there was one jet in each carb and it was smack dab in the middle. I had some green slimy varnish on the copper hex screw that i cleaned along with everything else.I shoved a needle thru the center to make sure it wasn't plugged. On the inside of the carb, there was a a kind of a flap that pushed a pin down when depressing the flap. Didn't take that apart at all since it looked ok to me. So I only took apart the one item. I will blow the tank tonight and let you know. Thanks again.

[Leader]

there are 2 jets in each carb. main jet and pilot jet.

that need thorough cleaning.

a main jet in the center of the carb (gold hex).

then with a light you will see a hole next to the main jet, down in a hole is your pilot jet also gold (your problem) remove it with a small standard screwdriver, and clean it with a strand of wire.

that pilot jet is plugged and it controls fuel demand at a idle.

also follow your choke cable down to the carb, remove it (12mm)and clean plunger and the seat if dirty. be careful

the plunger is held on the cable by a spring, as long as u unscrew it and pull straight out it will stay together.

while all is disassembled spray down thoroughly with carb cleaner, then reassemble it.

becareful tightening the jets as they are made of brass.

u must clean your pilot jet or it still won't idle!

after assembled, blow in tank to fill carb bowls, use full choke and pull it over and listen to it purr.

the flapper thing u referred to is your float arm and the pin u see is part of your needle valve assembly.(needle and seat)u can clean if u feel inclined then the complete carb has been cleaned.

a single piece of dirt will plug any of the fuel cicuits, so work on it in a very clean environment!!!

good luck, and i'll be looking forward to the results.

[hanson]

Heidi-

In case you are curious about how thinks work, like myself, the flapper & lever you refer to control the amount of fuel that is in the float bowl. They are commonly referred to as needle & seat as Leader mentioned or fuel inlet valve.

As the amount of gas in the float bowl drops, the floats drop also opening the fuel inlet valve. This allows more gas to enter the float bowl raising the level. The floats, in turn, raise up and close the fuel inlet valve.

The great thing about carburetors with a float set-up is there is a constant supply of fuel at the carburetor. Air bubbles in the fuel line will not affect the performance. There is also not a fuel return line to the gas tank.

Now the diaphragm style Tillotson carb on my Sno-Jet is a little different story. The gas is constantly running a circuit from the gas tank, through the carb, and back to the gas tank. Air in the gas line, or the pick-up tube not being submerged, affect the performance of the engine.

You'll get those carbs figured out. They are really pretty simple once you've done it once but a little scary for the first time.

[Leader]

Chris

that is a very good post to aid people in the understanding of the floats purpose in one of the fuel circuits of a carb.

i try to put things simple so people don't get overwelmed or confused, but yet instill an understanding about there upcomming project or issue they are trying to resolve. it can be difficult with multipule replies and methods.(not intended for anyone,just a point)

hoping today brings a good success reply.

very good insight in your post.

have a nice day Chris.

[lawdog]

Did this ever get fixed???

[Heidi]

NO, this and other projects have creeped up. Going to hit it hard this weekend and I will let you know. I'm going to pull the carbs off again and bring them up to the lake and clean them on the cabin's kitchen table. She is staying home. What she don't know, won't hurt her!

[Leader]

kind of a bummer u gotta take care of these projects at the cabin, while the fish will be lurking in the waters.

hope u find time for fishing.

good luck with all the projects.

been hoping to hear an accomplished reply.

[Heidi]

Ya know Leader......I used to think of you as a nice guy until you brought up the F word. I will not pick up a pole until that sled purrs. No temptations please. I plan on only peeking to see if the ice is off, just a little peek is all. Busch light, carb cleaner and a steak to celebrate.

[Leader]

didn't mean to torture u with the "F" word...honest, it just slipped out... oophs!

good to hear the celebration plan, things will be good.

cheers;beer

pardon me, u mind...i'm kickin my a$$!!!

[hanson]

Heidi-

This has been one of the most active threads in awhile in the snowmobile forum so we have to keep the momentum going here.

I know summer is coming but it is going to be a lot easier to figure this problem out now compared to this fall when 4" of fresh just fell and your sled doesn't run.

[Leader]

with summer right around the corner, i feel it's even more important to get it running due to the huge temperature swings we see in the early spring.

in the early spring when temps dip into the high 20's in the evening and daytime temps warm into the high 40's-50's. condensation builds up on the outside and the inside of the motor causing water to pool inside the motor crankcase and it will rust the crankshaft and the bearings causing crankshaft seizure.

this is just one reason why i start the sled every other wk till temp no longer dip below 40 degrees, then i summerize, and still start and bring it up to operating temp to burn off the water that develops in the crankcase once a month.

i read a post somewere here, and this is what happened to them. just can't remember who.

i sure will be glad the day we read the success reply.

there is an array of other mechanical or improvments we could discuss that would be less stressful, such as afromans summer improvement project, as example.

good day to all.

[hanson]

Leader-

That was me.

Lesson Learned. Could have been a VERY expensive lesson learned.

[Leader]

a agree those are very expensive parts.

was this the first summer storage on a brand new sled?

did they replace or repair?

also did you summerize before the temps stayed above 40 in that instance?

sorry about all the questions.. i just like to figure out what causes issues such as these.

[hanson]

The crank got sent back up to Arctic Cat to be rebuilt. A friend of mine told me Northern Crankshaft in TRF probably did the rebuild as they do alot of work for Cat. He is originally from TRF, his parents work for cat, and he knows the owners of Northern Crank so I'll take his word for it.

After that, I got new pistons, rings, needle bearings, gaskets, etc. I'm still a little confused why new pistons went in? It may have been something the warranty company insisted on since this sled is still under warranty. I'm not sure.

Up until this happened, my summerization method has been to park the sled in the garage and run it occasionally throughout the summer. Last summer, I went the last half of the summer probably without checking on the sled. When I did check on it in the fall, I couldn't pull it over at all. So its my fault for not following proper maintenance policy. The insurance company was also very good about it, but assured me they wouldn't be covering this kind of damage again unless I have documentation of proper summerization methods.

I'm still stumped as to why that seizure would happen. We've been storing sleds in the garage that way for years. Normally, they get parked and forgot about. We never did anything to them. In the fall, we'd clean the carbs, change the gas out and be good to go. But it took this one to teach me a valuable lesson.

The sled is an 2002 ZR 600 EFI. I bought it brand new so it has been stored for a couple summers with no problems in the same garage.

[Leader]

thank god for warranties huh..

my guess on the full rebuild, would be that upon disassembly they found the wrist pin(piston pin)and needle cage bearing rusted.

make me think somehow alot of moisture entered your motor, either through condensation or through the exhaust from concrete floor.

what brand of oil do u use?

usually Arctic Cat has there crankshaft and some cylinder work done by Adrien Bernard of Quebec, Can. he's one of the best out there and does awesome mod work, you sould have very good luck with his craftmanship,as he is a master.

that is if Adrien did it, i know little about NC but sure they do good work.

never knew or heard NC did any work for cat, i have family that work for Arctic, and will check into this, one just never knows being things change daily.

anyways it's good to hear it was warrantied for u, and that thorough good work was done, for many miles and plenty of smiles.

later.

[Leader]

Quote:

---

NO, this and other projects have creeped up. Going to hit it hard this weekend and I will let you know. I'm going to pull the carbs off again and bring them up to the lake and clean them on the cabin's kitchen table. She is staying home. What she don't know, won't hurt her!

---

just wondering how everything went?

and hoping your still celebrating...

cheers dude.

[Heidi]

Happy times are here again! FUEL FILTER. Two little words, but oh.....so important. My dim brain told me to check that before I took the carbs off. I bought a filter and plugs heading up north. I still don't know how one day I have fuel going to the carbs and then I don't. The sled didn't move. All I did to the gas was siphon old out as much as I could and then put some non oxy gas back in. It idles down nice and stays constant and revs up fine. There was no gas in the line past the old filter. I changed it, blew air in the tank and pulled it a few times and I saw gas in the lines. I had to rest to pull it again and BINGO.

Leader and the rest. Thank you fellas!!

Now about this chain saw??????

[Eric Wettschreck]

BEERS TO YOU, DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been reading this fourm for a while now, hoping and hoping some day you'd get the problem figured out. Congrats.

[Leader]

Shaazam!

glad u found that elusive issue.

very good thought processing and a sharp eye!

your welcome. (thanks is unnecessary)

i really didn't help, but i tried.

good luck fishin, or should i say catching.

PS, i think the problem with your chainsaw is the muffler belt....LOL

peaceout.