How did you learn to work on snowmobiles?
- Thread starter eidem024
- Start date
ether. back in grade school enough ether would get any old sled running.
really growing up we never had money for toys, so if i wanted one i'd get old sleds and dirt bikes that would not run, and so i had to learn to make them run. used the old fuel, spark, compression theory a lot. a farming backround helped a lot.
really growing up we never had money for toys, so if i wanted one i'd get old sleds and dirt bikes that would not run, and so i had to learn to make them run. used the old fuel, spark, compression theory a lot. a farming backround helped a lot.
I have been serving a life long aprentiseship under my father . we have owned a industrial repair /machine shop for 20 + years and a gunsmithing shop before that! as far as sleds go I bought a manual and read it cover to cover about a dozen times and I read here at least 2 hrs per day! I recomend the manual ! less opinion to sort through
Last edited:
Old man a little bit..... quickly surpassed him though, cause if it doesn't have a 3 pt hitch or a diesel motor, it wasn't high enough on the priority list.
Pretty much self taught. I would buy the manuals and start taking things apart to try and fix them... Cleaning carbs, fixing suspension parts...
When I was 16 I was keeping three sleds going..
80 Eltigre 5000
80 Jag
80 Enticer 340
As the old man got busier trying to provide for the family, it was up to me to keep them going. Welding up the suspensions when they would break, fixing those stupid mother fu(king track clips on the artic cat tracks back in the day, replacing engines and what not. Actually bought a new "old stock" motor for the Eltigre.... I thought that was so cool. I got a 64 skidoo with little kid cart that I am going to fix up one of these days..... First sled I rode, and first broken bone! lol If my parents knew what that sled would lead to they would have sold it!
Soon realized that some of it was fun and down the rabbit hole I went. I was going to be an auto mechanic, but I had too many POS vehicles on the farm, and I quickly got out while I still had my sanity! Working on rust sucks!
Pretty much self taught. I would buy the manuals and start taking things apart to try and fix them... Cleaning carbs, fixing suspension parts...
When I was 16 I was keeping three sleds going..
80 Eltigre 5000
80 Jag
80 Enticer 340
As the old man got busier trying to provide for the family, it was up to me to keep them going. Welding up the suspensions when they would break, fixing those stupid mother fu(king track clips on the artic cat tracks back in the day, replacing engines and what not. Actually bought a new "old stock" motor for the Eltigre.... I thought that was so cool. I got a 64 skidoo with little kid cart that I am going to fix up one of these days..... First sled I rode, and first broken bone! lol If my parents knew what that sled would lead to they would have sold it!
Soon realized that some of it was fun and down the rabbit hole I went. I was going to be an auto mechanic, but I had too many POS vehicles on the farm, and I quickly got out while I still had my sanity! Working on rust sucks!
J
Jkinzer
Well-known member
my dad helped me build my first mod sled when i was 15, started with a 98xc 600 long tracked it to a 144 tore down the engine put new head different pistons in it, bigger carbs, psi twins and a few other goodies. pretty much picked it up on my own from there and now i'm stuck workin on all his sleds for him too
A friend of mine who has vast experience with Polaris sleds gave me tons of advice. He has a really nice heated shop out at the lake with a big field for testing right there so it's handy. He is also an expert on setups so his help made a huge difference on my sled.
I took one of my early sleds, (1981 Blizzard 9500), to a dealer for work, I decided to hang around and watch. The (mechanic?) sat down on my sled and proceeded to read the shop manual for a half an hour and then fixed the sled (somewwhat). I decided, "Hell, I can do that, why bring it here". I learned by trial and error and reading everything I could get my hands on, Snowtech magazine is a great source for general info and also the oddball problems that you normally would not hear about, Dootalk had also been helpful for the newer sleds.
i've been reading the posts and its interesting to see how fellow sledders learned how to work on snowmobiles. I also started out fixing the vintage sleds, they were always breaking on me
my dad was and still is a mechanic, but the thing about most mechanic's vehicles is they are almost always baaaaarely running. This applies to their toys as well. I would always help him fix the dirtbikes and sleds when I would break them but it took him soooo long to get around to fixing the stuff it was just easier to grab the tools and attempt to fix it myself. Usually he would be inside watching t.v. and I would be say trying to get the carb working on our '77 t.n.t. and I'd run inside the house..."ok dad I got the floatbowl off now what do I do?" and he would tell me..." well son blow into the gas line and lift the float up and down and see if the needle leaks" or whatever. He got a lot of toys fixed that way from the comfort of his lazy boy lol.
When I was almost 16 he bought me an old chevy malibu that needed a cam and various other engine parts for $50 then a box of new Canadian High Performance Discount engine parts and a shop manual. I had a 300 h.p. rustbucket ready when I got my license and he didn't have to turn a wrench.
When I was almost 16 he bought me an old chevy malibu that needed a cam and various other engine parts for $50 then a box of new Canadian High Performance Discount engine parts and a shop manual. I had a 300 h.p. rustbucket ready when I got my license and he didn't have to turn a wrench.
G
Gimpster
Guest
60's 70's... fix or walk.
80's, 90's, 00's... work for dealers as tech, factory training
Currently own my own shop
----- Gimpster -----
80's, 90's, 00's... work for dealers as tech, factory training
Currently own my own shop
----- Gimpster -----
Had an engine go out in my sled, thought it was just the top end but really had no idea...took to a friend of mine and started pulling the top end off and found that I had a rod bearing out...So I guess I learned from my friend, and since then have been basically learning by myself
trial and error, and a good shop manual! We started out with several 80's phazers, ride em by day, work on em all night. Still have a bored, ported, piped, flat slide, extended track phazer out in the barn, haven't ran it in a loong time tho! Its amazing how sled technology has changed/improved in the last ten yrs.
If i wanted to ride, I fixed it
Mostly self taught starting with an old '86 indy 600. That thing fell apart quite regular. Had some help from my dad who knew some auto stuff. Most part though was, take it apart, scratch head, put back together a couple of times until is seemed right, and then give it a try. It was fun.
Mostly self taught starting with an old '86 indy 600. That thing fell apart quite regular. Had some help from my dad who knew some auto stuff. Most part though was, take it apart, scratch head, put back together a couple of times until is seemed right, and then give it a try. It was fun.
Pretty much self taught, in the beginning watched whenever somebody worked on their sled or mine. Fixing is also a never ending chore on a livestock farm, you learn to improvise. I also worked for a tractor mechanic a couple of years where I learned the basic engine stuff and how figure out why it won't run.
When I was growing up I watched and helped my dad work on sleds. Then he opened a Polaris shop for 20 some years. I had also gone to school for diesel mechanics, and had been a diesel mechanic. We also farmed.
Trial and error of course but learned a lot of basics from watching Dad in the garage. Since he grew up or learned to ride the stuff from the 60's till today those are the folks that know how to get things to work. Sure troubleshooting the latest and greatest is difficult but the basics are all still there.
My intuition started with a t.v. and a screwdriver at the age of 4....yes it hurt but it only made me stronger. I just loved to take it apart, ask questions and then put it back together. Spent more time in repair manuals than any other book. At age 10 to 18 I spent time in a local shop behind an older guy that just had knowledge of how things worked, I understood it I guess. Grew up in construction so if it broke, you fixed it. Some say its in your blood, I believe it is a mental problem they just haven't diagnosed yet. Waiting for snow in Idaho.
A
autowrench
Member
Same way I started in automotive. Ask lots of questions. Buy a manual if its available. Take it apart. But lots more parts than I thought I'd need. Skin knuckles. Cuss. Wife hears cussing , brings beer. Repeat as necessary. Helps if you start on something with little or no money invested in case it turns out to be a losing battle.
Tom
Tom
Similar threads
- Featured
