How hot should a well running machine run

[boondocker97]

I haven't been over there personally in a while, but some friends went up the Taylors Fork trail 2 weeks ago and what they described sounded like pretty poor trail conditions. End of the day coming down one guy on an Axys Polaris hit 180 and one on a '22 Hardcore was dragging a foot to keep the temp light from coming on.

The fact that it won't cool off once you get in deeper snow is concerning though. Just ducking off the edge of the trail quick won't cool mine down once it's hot. I have to run in sustained deep snow to get the temp to really come back down. Sustained deep snow you should be down to low 100's. If it's not doing that I'd suspect a thermostat or pump impeller issue.

 

[IDspud]

PC I was in IP last wknd right after your avy class.
We had six sleds all impossible to keep cool on trail as they were solid ice.
Took 20-30 seconds of fast run in soft snow to cool them. Spent a lot of time talking while cooling as there were long areas with no sufficient cooling snow.
We pulled out gps and cut across country to stay running.

 

[Pinchecharlie]

Man we got about 5 inches last few days and it was soft and spitting up as we rode. I ll have to master the tilt and spin. Everytime I do it the thing drives off without me or I bury it and get stuck. Snowmobiling is hard lol.
Ok just sucks but sounds like it just sucks to have no snow! Do trail snowmobiles have different radiators and cooling systems. Has a frustrated guy ever just added on a little one like a tranny cooler ? Dumb I know but I spend alot of time sitting there waiting for it to cool off and I get nervous iam doing damage to the rings qnd bearings? Thanks!

 

[IDspud]

You’re battling the hardest crappiest snow pack I’ve ever seen. They run awesome on snow.
Yes, best ice sleds are fan cooled, but they sink like rocks off trail.

 

[line8]

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[ratlover]

If you just slide off into a patch of snow on side of trail and keep going the same speed that will help a bit but try slowing down and hammering it to spin the track and fling snow. Slow down and grab a handfull. Repeat a few times. And as you mentioned practice the laying over on side and spinning track and tilting it up to really toss snow on the cooler and cool it fast if it starts getting outa hand. That method drops temps fast. Takes forever to cool down with em off and sitting.

 

[boondocker97]

You’re battling the hardest crappiest snow pack I’ve ever seen. They run awesome on snow.
Yes, best ice sleds are fan cooled, but they sink like rocks off trail.

I second this. I'm 34 and have been riding since I was 4 and this is the worst snow season I can remember in Montana.

The trail sleds and the older mountain sleds have longer coolers in the tunnel that run all the way to the back. Those coolers can be put back in place of the smaller mountain cooler, but it's a job. If you want to add more cooling capacity I would look into this when it comes back in stock: https://www.mtntkperformance.com/collections/m8000-ascender-1/products/ascender-tunnel-cooler

 

[summ8rmk]

Ok so I topped off the coolant , ran it with front end up. I used my scratchers on pretty soft snow, went pretty fast and still I can't go more than a mile untill it's just too hot (180-200) I try to do the spin in the deep snow but it's hard for me as a new rider but I do it. But it only goes down to 145-50 . There must be something going on ir is it just how it is? So I've never er seen the machine go down in temperature dramatically even when in deep snow. If I turn it off for 15-20 minutes it does but not on snow fir me. I rode in 4-6 inches of soft snow onto of hard and some off trail maybe 6-8 inches deep. Plenty of snow kicking as round behind my wife's sled.

I think there is something wrong with ur sled.

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[Pinchecharlie]

Ok ill start looking. Thanks. I'll have it apart anyway cause I crashed it so I'll just see what I can see. Any more insights as to mechanical things?

 

[boondocker97]

If the thermostat and water pump check out you might have a fuel delivery issue that's making it run on the lean side. That's going to be harder to diagnose though. If there's warranty on that machine I would consider filing a claim with a dealer on the repeated high temps. Then if it continues next season with better snow then you have a leg to stand on taking it back in and having them fix it under warranty.

 

[MTN_VIPER]

I second this. I'm 34 and have been riding since I was 4 and this is the worst snow season I can remember in Montana.

The trail sleds and the older mountain sleds have longer coolers in the tunnel that run all the way to the back. Those coolers can be put back in place of the smaller mountain cooler, but it's a job. If you want to add more cooling capacity I would look into this when it comes back in stock: https://www.mtntkperformance.com/collections/m8000-ascender-1/products/ascender-tunnel-cooler

I'm liking that idea a lot! That's the only thing that bugs me about my sled, is that it can start to get hot when doing slow speed boondocking/exploring through the trees.

 

[Pinchecharlie]

Do these have special computer scanner deals like our cars do now? It's electronic fuel injection so I assume they just change that? Iam sure it has a alot to do with me. I don't go as fast as you guys. I was looking at my clutch sheaves and the wear marks dont go all the way to top lol. Sucky though cause I feel like your not allways going g to have good snow but you still wanna ride. I think it should be able to better than it is anyway....

 

[boondocker97]

Yeah there's a Cat-specific computer software system that operates on a laptop. There's not as many sensors on these systems as there are automotive systems though. So it's not as easy to just plug in and look at sensor values and be able to see what's wrong unless there's a code thrown. If it's running lean could be a bad injector or not enough fuel pressure caused by a bad pump or low electrical output by the stator.

There's been enough documented cases of bad thermostats or water pump impellers on these Ctecs that they would be more likely causes of overheating.

The belt won't ever get to the top of the primary clutch on these machines no matter how hard you run it. The geometry of the system won't allow it. Which is unfortunate.

 

[summ8rmk]

You should ask your dealer to let you take out their demo sled, and see if the temperature is the same for you on that sled, as it is on your sled.

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[Dan O]

Going slow boondocking will heat these sleds up. I installed a set of scratchers on the ski's. They are sold by Western Power Sports. They have been very helpful in keeping my 2019 Alpha cool in the operating range. Even in 6 inches of fresh snow my sled will heat up if going slow with the regular scratchers down. I have to spin the track some at those times.

 

[skidooboy]

one thing to understand on the 18+ ctec2 cats is, the temp light comes on (flashing) at 149* Fahrenheit. when it gets above another temp gradient (cant remember what temp) it comes on and stays on. on the previous suzuki 800's the temp light didnt flash until 178, and then stay on until 202 or something like that. our cars run at 190-210 so, you have some room to "play with" just dont let the temps go nuts.

burping and filling the resi to over full helps. scratchers help. there is no substitute for loose snow, or soft warm temp snow.

we demanded lighter sleds, the mfgr's gave us this by making the cooling systems smaller. every gallon they could keep out, was 8lb savings on coolant alone. add in the weight of the piping, and heat exchangers, and you have an easy way of dropping weight. as stated, you can add the larger aftermarket cooler, or add on a cooler from a trail or XF sled, to add volume. good luck, Ski