Still getting used to the 05 900 and what to expect from it. Total miles on the sled is about 1250. I have put about 200 miles on it over the last couple of weeks but I have noticed the oil consumption seems a bit excessive. I am using Polaris VES Gold Plus. Last weekend, through approximately 40 to 50 miles of riding and about 5 or so gallons of fuel, I managed to consume about a quart and a half or so of oil. It had used up enough that by the end of my ride on Sunday, the oil light was just beginning to flicker. By contrast, the wife's 700 Dragon used maybe 1/2 quart or so. I also noticed that there is a lot of oil under the wye pipe. Does this indicate a problem or need for adjustment? Also, does anyone know the full capacity of the oil tank? Thanks for any input!
Oil Consumption
- Thread starter Runoman
- Start date
check your oiler cable, sounds like it is sticking partially open. its down underneath the throttle bodies. get a flash light and have somebody work the throttle while you look at the oil pump. it should return all the way back to where the lines line up every time they let off the throttle. dont know for sure, but i think the oil tank capacity is around 3 quarts?
D
Danbot
Well-known member
As mentioned above, the oil pump arm is known to stick on these sleds, many of us have added a helper spring on the arm to make sure it operates properly.
The cable between the throttle body and the oil pump is a problem as well, and can be a second reason the pump may be over oiling.
It is also possible and somewhat common to have an oil leak on the center cavity lube supply hose. (it is the hose that starts from the side of the oil tank about half way up, goes down between the cylinders, and connects to the engine just above the oil pump) The brass 90 degree fitting at the engine end of the hose is known to be loose fitting, leaky, and can even come right out.
Oil mess below the y-pipe is usually just exhaust manifold gasket leaks, but may be more closely related to your consumption problem.
Capacity of the 05 oil tank is 3 quarts / 2.8 liters
Do you have a service manual yet?
I have had both of the causes of oil consumption DanBolt mentioned.
Easy to check for the leak on the center cavity tube. Make sure the oil is above the supply line level on the tank. I just got a rag and screwdriver and cleaned around the point where the brass connects to the case. Had to wrap the rag around the screwdriver because your hand does not fit. Let it sit overnight and I had oil puddling around where the brass meets the case. Then I drained the oil out of the tank past the supply line. Remove the line from the brass connector to make sure I got most of the oil out of the line. Reconnected the line and two days later no oil puddling around the brass.
The oil pump was a little tougher because I had a tough time "seeing" it until I removed the exhaust manifold. Once removed it was easy to see it was sticking. Mine was due to the fact that the plastic covering the cable from the throttle body to the oil pump was cracked and was not letting the cable return smoothly from the open position, therefore staying open. The dealer said it was common because each time you remove the throttle body you "bend" the plastic and it eventually breaks
Easy to check for the leak on the center cavity tube. Make sure the oil is above the supply line level on the tank. I just got a rag and screwdriver and cleaned around the point where the brass connects to the case. Had to wrap the rag around the screwdriver because your hand does not fit. Let it sit overnight and I had oil puddling around where the brass meets the case. Then I drained the oil out of the tank past the supply line. Remove the line from the brass connector to make sure I got most of the oil out of the line. Reconnected the line and two days later no oil puddling around the brass.
The oil pump was a little tougher because I had a tough time "seeing" it until I removed the exhaust manifold. Once removed it was easy to see it was sticking. Mine was due to the fact that the plastic covering the cable from the throttle body to the oil pump was cracked and was not letting the cable return smoothly from the open position, therefore staying open. The dealer said it was common because each time you remove the throttle body you "bend" the plastic and it eventually breaks
Yup, sounds like you are definitely using more oil than you should be, BUT keep in mind that the 900s LOVE oil and you SHOULD be using more than your newer 700... The guys above have some excellent advise, Check the oil cable out and replace if suspect, line up the marks with factory and then you should have a more reasonable usage level.
Thanks for all the input! Have been checking things out. Took the y-pipe off so I could see things a little better. If I understand correctly, the pump sits just below and between the throttle bodies. No obvious leaks. It has a valve that rotates 90 degrees from 9 o'clock to 6 o'clock. I am guessing that at 9 its closed and 6 its open. The cable is not moving at all with the throttle and extends about an inch or so through the valve mechanism. Doesn't seem right. Don't have a service manual yet. Any input?
D
Danbot
Well-known member
Yes the 9oclock side is closed and the 6oclock side is wide open. If you remove the throttle bodies, you will be able to diagnose the problem. Good luck
Here's your 2005 Service Manual
Here is what a failing oil cable looks like...
Mine was still functioning, but was extremely slow to return at idle and if you pulled on the throttle with the motor shut off it wold not return at all.
The oil pump is buried and to access it you will need to remove your y-pipe and intake/throttle bodies. There is also an inspection hole in the bulkhead that you can look through to get a more direct line of sight to it when setting the pump, but it's only about 1 inch in diameter.
Mine was still functioning, but was extremely slow to return at idle and if you pulled on the throttle with the motor shut off it wold not return at all.
The oil pump is buried and to access it you will need to remove your y-pipe and intake/throttle bodies. There is also an inspection hole in the bulkhead that you can look through to get a more direct line of sight to it when setting the pump, but it's only about 1 inch in diameter.
Got in and checked things out. Oil cable in several pieces. Guess that explains whats going on. How do I get an FBF cable? Things were a bit gooey as I expected with the heavy influx of oil. Got things cleaned up. Also checked Ex valves. A bit dirty but not sure if they were excessively dirty. Bellows looked okay but had some small cracks. Sounds crazy but even though I've had my first 900 failure, I'm sort of enjoying learning about this working on this. Thanks for everyone's help!
