Project 2001 RMK 700 Rebuild.

[alaska_guy]

Well I managed to finally get all my parts for my skid. The guy who was supposed to order me a new front shock and spring forgot to do so, so I am going with a stock front shock and spring for now. Upgraded torsion springs though (.405/77), new hyfax's and the rear Fox shock along with many new parts on the skid along with all new grease.

Here is what the skid looks like all put together. Need to add the idler wheels, but you get the overall picture.

Tomorrow my goal is to get the skid mounted in the sled.

 

[volcano buster]

If you only have hangers for 2 idlers per side, I would move that front one up just behind the bend in the hyfax. That is usually where they will wear quickly without a wheel.

Looks good so far, no point in using old used grease at this point.

 

[RoostinRyan]

I have 2 idlers the same color of you need them. Free just pay shipping.

 

[alaska_guy]

I have 2 idlers the same color of you need them. Free just pay shipping.

PM Sent! I will take you up on that!

 

[alaska_guy]

If you only have hangers for 2 idlers per side, I would move that front one up just behind the bend in the hyfax. That is usually where they will wear quickly without a wheel.

Looks good so far, no point in using old used grease at this point.

I do only have 2 on the bottom per side not included the 3 rear idler wheels in the pic... And then one up top on either side by them torsion springs... I should add more up front?

 

[volcano buster]

I would just move the front one up to one of the other set of holes to support the track when it bends around the hifax, then leave the one in the rear as is. If I am running hard pack I usually put my weight so it will ride on the bogeys until I get to the snow again.

Once you get it in the sled, on a hard surface you should be able to lift the rear up until the weight comes off the track to figure out what part touches the ground last, that should be the point that has the most weight on it when riding. Put the wheels there.

 

[alaska_guy]

I would just move the front one up to one of the other set of holes to support the track when it bends around the hifax, then leave the one in the rear as is. If I am running hard pack I usually put my weight so it will ride on the bogeys until I get to the snow again.

Once you get it in the sled, on a hard surface you should be able to lift the rear up until the weight comes off the track to figure out what part touches the ground last, that should be the point that has the most weight on it when riding. Put the wheels there.

Sounds good/makes sense.

Since ryan is sending me some extra idler wheels I will add those up front and keep the ones in the middle... Shouldn't hurt anything. I figure while I wait to receive those wheels I will pull all my bearings out and repack them while I am waiting.

 

[volcano buster]

Good move on the bearings. Be careful with the side cover as they can get distorted pretty easy. Don't over pack them, as they will tend to sling any excess that they can't hold.

 

[bkpa]

This is a great post! I always look forward to reading it...

Thanks Alaska Guy!!!!

 

[alaska_guy]

Ok, word to the wise.... When you put on a new skid plate make sure to drill some 1 1/4" holes using a hole saw so you can tighten/loosen your steering components... All my mounting holes for my skid plate went into a threaded sleeve. This sleeve happened to spin and spin when trying to back out the bolts that hold the skid plate on, which caused me a bunch of frustration. So I had to cut the mounting bolts for the skid plate so they were flush with the sleeve inside the tub. These sit below the engine so I would recommend drilling new holes, somewhere by the clutch side that's accessible so when your engine is back in the sled you can remove the skid plate easily. I had to put a pair of vise grips on the sleeve and then back out the bolt. What a PITA!

I will be cutting the mentioned 1 1/4" holes in the skid plate so I can access the steering bolts in the future in case I ever need to tighten them down again.

I tried to circle the steering bolts I am referring to... They require a 3/4" socket.

 

[alaska_guy]

Ok, steering is fixed... No more slop.

Here are the two new holes I drilled..

 

[alaska_guy]

Ok, last update for about a week... I am waiting on parts now.

Couldn't wait and decided to get the skid in the sled and test it out to see if it squatted like it did before... Super stiff.... I have the torsion springs set on the lowest setting and its pretty stout. I am gonna have to ride it and see what I think. The nice thing is the springs don't rub against the idler wheels at all! Cheap upgrade for us Gen 2 guys.

Here is how she sits currently...

Gonna put a plug and say thanks WIMPY for making me some radius rods! Excited to get some new ones on there.

 

[Sneak A Peak]

Very good tread, i always enjoy a food rebuild.

Did that tighten the steering up any? how many turns did they take? Worth drilling the holes?

Nice work! You will really enjoy it. I know i have.

 

[alaska_guy]

Very good tread, i always enjoy a food rebuild.

Did that tighten the steering up any? how many turns did they take? Worth drilling the holes?

Nice work! You will really enjoy it. I know i have.

Yes, I would say it's worth it. But I am picky and hate hearing clicking noises in my steering. It functioned fine before it just made a lot of noise. It also allows you to remove all the steering components if you ever had to for some reason. If you have your motor in the bay I don't know if I would do it. Would be almost impossible to get those 4 bolts out that hold the skid plate in, unless your sleeves that are rivited to your belly pan are tight. Basically depends how quickly you could remove the skid plate to drill the holes to make it worth your time.

My manual says 40ft lbs for the torque spec but I just cranked her down as tight as I could get it until the slop disappeared.

 

[volcano buster]

I started using self tapping screws for the skid plates. Eliminates this spinning of the threaded nut-serts. Just double check that you aren't going to run it up into something like a heater hose.

 

[alaska_guy]

I received my new radius rods and I couldn't be happier! Great quality and perfect fit! Just need to go to the dealer to pickup a few heim joints and I should have the front end put back together!

Received all my engine parts finally as well... With the holidays approaching it may be January until I get the sled running... But its all finally coming together!

 

[alaska_guy]

So I got the new primary clutch spring installed.... I'm having trouble getting the primary bolt to thread. It almost seems like I need to compress the spring prior to threading it in. Any techniques that would make this easier?

 

[volcano buster]

The cover bolts or the center attaching bolt?

 

[alaska_guy]

The long center bolt that attaches to crank. The shoulder of the long bolt is basically making it so I cant get it started. Motor is in the machine and torqued down... If taking the motor out and putting it on its side would be the better way to go to press the clutch on the crank snout to get that long center bolt started I could try that...

Basically its not fully seating on the taper of the shaft. Wont go in any further...

 

[alaska_guy]

Made some other progress today.

Engine is done.

On a side note, SPI does not label their rings with a top/bottom or up/down and they look identical... I took a dial caliper and measured the thickness of the rings, they even measured the same... But they ARE different. Install the ring with the silver edge up top and the black/dark ring on the bottom.