1994 Polaris XLT Special (Triple)

[Northlander]

Hey all you bubble heads. Im buying my 1st sled from a friend and want to know your thoughts on this one. It will be used mostly for ice fishing and maybe some short trail rides. Im only 1/2 mile from a great trail. Plus Im tired of those long pulls with the Otter.

What are the pros and cons and things I should look out for. The sled is in good shape cosmetically and just had a new carb, cluch and tune up done. Track rollers, slides etc were new 2 years ago. Im told its pretty fast.

What would be a good price for this sled? Thanks guys Im a real rookie when it comes to snowmobiles.

[Skeets]

$1,000 clams would be a good price.

[NAMASafetyDirector]

Hey there, you will have a tought time finding too many complainers about this year of the XLT. You will hear stories of people with in excess of 10,000 (that's ten thousand!) miles on their 93-94 XLT's. I personally owned one and put 6300 miles on in 3 years with not one single problem as long as I kept on top of the routine maintenace. It sounds like your friend takes good care of his stuff so I wouldn't hesitate one bit on your purchase. I have seen XLT's go for anywhere between $800- $1800 depending on the condition and where your located. Hollar back if you have any more specific questions!

[Northlander]

How hard is it to put a new hand warmer on this thing? 1 of them isnt working.

Looks like I got a good deal on this then if $800-$1800 is the going rate. Im paying between 7 and $8oo.

What can I expect to have to do for routine maintanence on this. What do you guys do when you put them away in the summer?

[NAMASafetyDirector]

The handwarmer thing is fairly easy. Unfortunatly you will have to cut the old hand grip off and then the handwarmer is just wrapped around the bar. It has self adhesive on one side. The handwarmer just plugs in to the wire harness. You will see where it plugs in if you remove the handlbar pad. Make sure you get the correct replacment handwarmer for the year of sled as they did change them on the newer models. YES, I would say you got a fair deal at that price. As far as year end maintenence, I typically add some Sta-bil to the gas a run it for a bit untill it circulates through the whole system, grease all the fittings to push out any water that may be in there, I like to get the track off the ground when storing my stuff, I also like to spray down the whole front and rear suspension including the shocks with some WD-40 just to help out with corrosion. I would reccomend starting the sled up every month or so during the summer months just to keep everything oiled up inside the engine.

I also spray the engine and pipe down with some WD just to keep it nice. It will burn off in the first ride in the fall! Everyone has their own little rituals, these are just some of mine. As far as daily checks, check the oil tank, check the belt for cracks or breaks, grease the jackshaft bearing about every thousand miles (located behind the secondary clutch), grease the fittings in the rear suspension (well, all of them for that matter) about every other ride. It depends how particular you are but these are a few important ones to me anyway. Good Luck

[Northlander]

Thanks for the help. Anyone else have anything I should know.

[Gissert]

Hey Steve,

I had a 93 XLT. I put 6k of trouble free miles on that sled. I rode it hard, but I kept it in quality fuel, quality oil, and always fogged it good for storage. It never let me down. I also tended to jet it on the fat side for safety. That is pretty important now with the stuff that passes for gasoline these days.

I sold it to a young kid who proceded to put another trouble free 4k on it.

My next sled was an XCR 600, '95 model. Basically the same motor with more compression and a little different tuning. This model was known for blowing crank bearings. Knock on wood, this sled has nearly 6k on it and the motor has not been touched yet.

Perhaps both of my sleds were built on a Wednesday, LOL.

Keep it in clean fuel, clean carbs, and good quality oil. Then jet on the fat side, and you should be ok. It may blubber some when it warms up, but plugs cheap.

[Northlander]

What do you recomend I run for gas and oil?

[NAMASafetyDirector]

Steve, just try as best you can to run at least 89 octane in it and I would recommend standard Polaris "Blue" oil.

[fishersofmen]

I had a 93 special and have no complaints. Sold it for $1000 w/3000 mi on it. Just remember if your not riding it for long periods of time to shut the fuel switch off. Its in the fuel line by the oil tank. The needles and seats can go bad in those triples if that switch is left on.

[Northlander]

Thanks for that one. Ill try and remember that. Should I run seafoam through it every 3 or 4 tanks ya think?

[fishersofmen]

I never did...probably wont hurt though.

[NAMASafetyDirector]

Just want to clarify one thing from a previous post. Turning the fuel off at the end of each ride is good practice however leaving the fuel on normally doesn't cause the needle and seat to fail or go bad. With that said if the needle and seats do go bad, leaving the fuel on will sometimes cause crankcase flooding problems. Needle and seat problems were prominant in the 95-96 Xcr 600s with the XLT engine. Why? I don't have a good explanation for that. Anyway, as mentioned it's good practice to shut the fuel off at the end of each ride for piece of mind. The 93/94 XLT didn't seem to have many problems with this issue for the record. As far as the sea-foam it shouldn't hurt in moderation!

[Jim Almquist]

Steve if you do not have a cover or the new trailer is one of those without a shield make sure to keep the tie rod ends free of salt or they will rust and seize up and break. Trust me I found out the hard way.

[Gissert]

Steve,

I ran Polaris blue oil in my 93 and 95. Now I run the Amsoil synthetic and have never been happier. As far as fuel goes, I try and find the non oxygenated stuff if I can.

Toward the end of the season, I start treating the fuel with Seafoam for off season storage. I also try and siphon out as much as I can after I fog the engine for the season.

I never turned the fuel off on any of my sleds, except when trailering. My XCR was trailed for 400 miles with the fuel left on, and the needles and seat were shot after that trip.

[Meat-Run]

Yes, you will need to shut off the gas line EVERY time you turn off your sled. Those triples love to flood out really bad and if it does get a little hard to start it would be smart to pull the plugs down under each cyclinder to drain any excess blow by. I'm not the best to explain it but I had a XCR that was flooding really bad until I was told to shut off the gas line every time.

You will need a 10mm socket to get the plug out and I would get in the habit to check that once and awhile just to see if you are getting gas running through. Good luck with your sled.

I didn't have as much luck with my triple but it could have been I didn't go the extra mile to winterize or store it as much as my other twin sleds. Just don't neglect to keep it clean and when in dought bring it into a dealer just to make the timing is on.

mr

[cementhead21]

 Originally Posted By: Northlander

Hey all you bubble heads. Im buying my 1st sled from a friend and want to know your thoughts on this one. It will be used mostly for ice fishing and maybe some short trail rides. Im only 1/2 mile from a great trail. Plus Im tired of those long pulls with the Otter.

What are the pros and cons and things I should look out for. The sled is in good shape cosmetically and just had a new carb, cluch and tune up done. Track rollers, slides etc were new 2 years ago. Im told its pretty fast.

What would be a good price for this sled? Thanks guys Im a real rookie when it comes to snowmobiles.

Heres something most over look when looking over a sled .. check out the slide rails close ,, if there are loose bolts on it it can cause an augering effect on the rails and those can be expensive to fix,, best fix is preventive,, once bolts are tightened up use a marker that wont wear off and place a line vertical on the bolt head.. doing so makes it easy to take one look too see if you need to retighten anything.. As for pulling your otter around Studs hepl a ton,, XLT's IMO are not the best for pulling but with a little clutching you will be fine.. I own 3 XLTS ( 2- 94s with about 7000miles) and the maintanice issues that others brought up is the key to making them last

[Northlander]

Thanks a lot guys! I love all the quick info I get on here. When it comes to sleds Im clueless.

[fishersofmen]

All I know is mine was a 93' and had to replace the needles and seats twice in 3 yrs. Delano sports center said make sure and turn off the gas line on these triples. Never had a problem after that. Sounds like im not the only one who was told that.

[FlyingV]

I have a '95 XLT Special. I bought it used last February. It had just 5000 miles on it. I paid $1200 for it. I am very happy with the investment as well as the monthly payment:)

[Surface Tension]

Steve, looks like you got a lot of good info.

We'll have to ride and go over that stuff again.

Get yourself a good helmet!

[cementhead21]

If any of you guys are interested in a clutching trick that will make that XLT haul the mail( not my choice of word here) let me know and i will post it,, it is a fairly simple job.

[Northlander]

Ya tomorrow is helmet day. I think I know where to get a few free. If not I have a bocklava, (Spelling?) facemask and goggles for the weekend.

Frank I will call ya tomorrow and let ya know what my plan is for a ride.

Its for sure faster than I need. All I need is a sled to get me out to the fish and back without problems.

I picked up a gallon of oil, 6 new plugs and a wrench and some wratchet straps. Anything else I might need this weekend?

Chained it to the trailer (insurance on it tomorrow) and strapped down and locked the tongue. Should still be here for the bash Friday.

Cementhead mine is already got more speed than I need.

[Capt'nMorgan]

I had a '93 XLT best to this day I have ever owned. Put on over 8k miles and no problems. Very reliable sled. I never turned the gas off except on long trailings and never had any problems.

[NAMASafetyDirector]

Hey Steve,don't take this the wrong way, but please do yourself a favor and get a helmet! There are lots of decent helmets out there for decent prices. It's just as important as putting gas in the machine. With the unfortunate and saddening incident of loosing two fellow fisherman on LOW last weekend I would hate to hear of something happening to another fellow fisherman and FM'r due to a preventable injury. Good luck and enjoy your weekend!