Rebuilt engines on new sleds?

[TraceyAZ]

Hello, First post with Snowest!
I'm trying to find out why, short of asking every add I see, why are brand new sleds having to rebuild engines or at least the top ends at a mileage that seems low to me. Is it at a certain mile mark that they have to be tore down? Are people not maintaining them right, wrong fuel? I'm in search of my first good sled and I don't want to buy something I need to rebuild before I can use it. The machines I'm looking at would be anything 2013 or newer, most likely Polaris 800 rmk pro. I'm not opposed to any other brand, just seems like the Polaris is what I'm finding most of in the used market.
I've been searching through the forums for answers but I'm not finding anything specific on it. If someone has answers on this could I ask for some insight and guidance. Im not brand new to snowmobiles but what I grew up on is worlds apart from what we have today. I grew up in MN and now live in AZ so I will be traveling most of the time to go sled and need to make a good choice the first time. I'm very comfortable working on anything motorized which is a good thing considering the power sports facilities in AZ are not well versed in snowmobiles. lol
Thank you
TraceyAZ

 

[89sandman]

The sled with the most reliable, longest lasting motor by far in the 800 2 stroke market is the Arctic Cat M. So if reliability in the engine is your top priority that's where I'd be looking.

 

[TraceyAZ]

The sled with the most reliable, longest lasting motor by far in the 800 2 stroke market is the Arctic Cat M. So if reliability in the engine is your top priority that's where I'd be looking.

Reliability is very important, but if an engine is on its way out passive failure isnt a bad thing. I would rather know its time to rebuild than to have a instant failure. At least with the first you can get back to the trail head under its own power.
But what Im trying to figure out is why so few miles on some of these? Is 1700-2000 miles an old engine? Is that the norm for rebuilding or is there something else?

 

[Mafesto]

Sdsnocop seems to get 7000 to 8000 miles from his 600 e-tecs.
I haven't paid close enough attention to quote numbers on the 800 though.

 

[MountainCat1]

Polaris 800 ???

I'll get hate mail from all the Polaris owners out there for saying this; the PRO RMK & Axis RMK's are a light well riding powder sled (their owners love them) but the 800 Cleanfire has a questionable reliability record. '15 & up models are anecdotalbly reported as less likely to fail. However according to Bikeman Pereformance, any Cleanfire 800 with 1,000 miles on it is losing compression due to the short piston skirt allowing the wrist pin fitting to wear prematurely & thus the rings themselves. Don't take my word for it, look at BMP's web site for their top selling product the "Polaris 800 durability kit". My brand loyal Polaris friends who love their sleds & ride hard, get rid of them at 1000 miles for a new one; Maybe that's why you see so many of them on the used sled marketplace??

 

[kiliki]

look up how many fix kits are offered for: cat, poo and doo. a 30 second google search will let you know who's motors are not staying together.

 

[TraceyAZ]

Excellent! This is the info I'm looking for. That's why top ends are being done so early. It also sounds like plenty of aftermarket fixes. I will have to look into the cost vs the extra cash for a cat! Does anyone have the compression numbers that are considered good values? Or is every year different with the Polaris 800's? Keep it coming guys! Is there anything else I should be considering in a used sled?
Thank you!

 

[freekweet mods]

Since 2001 all 800's seem to be a disposable engine. The artic 800 has proven to be the most durable,the days of the old triple 800's that would give you 3000 to 4000 miles before needing a top and then another how many 1000's before a crank are gone.

 

[MountainCat1]

Clutches?

Deep snow powder riding is hard on clutches as well! Some brands for certain model years had more issues than others, but any mountain sled approaching 1,000 miles, depending on maintenance or lack of, definitely needs the clutches (primary & secondary) looked at for wear. The same goes for the drive system; Chain case or belt-drive or the older but high-tech Arctic Cat DD/Planetary gear sets; Maintenance required!

 

[Colorado^]

I just bought a 17' pro RMK 800 and my dealer told me @ 2,000 miles, it's rebuild time, if you want to stay in warranty.

 

[slash]

think about a car engine running 8000 rpm for all its life how long should it last ?????
2000 miles on a sled eng is like 100k or more on a car eng ...
not uncommon or unrealistic to do a top end at 2000 miles ..

 

[joshkoltes]

Excellent! This is the info I'm looking for. That's why top ends are being done so early. It also sounds like plenty of aftermarket fixes. I will have to look into the cost vs the extra cash for a cat! Does anyone have the compression numbers that are considered good values? Or is every year different with the Polaris 800's? Keep it coming guys! Is there anything else I should be considering in a used sled?
Thank you!

You shouldn't have to shell out extra money for the cat, the dealer's can't hardly give them away and it's really messing with the resale value. Saw a used 17 153 for 8700 and a 16 153 for 6900 the other day

 

[TraceyAZ]

think about a car engine running 8000 rpm for all its life how long should it last ?????
2000 miles on a sled eng is like 100k or more on a car eng ...
not uncommon or unrealistic to do a top end at 2000 miles ..

Oh ya...I forgot about that. I guess Im way to stuck in the past on the old machines I grew up on! So this is all making much more since now. Thank you

 

[goridedoo]

I would strongly consider a Pro 600, it addresses the only real issue with that sled- the motor, many claim the 600 is good for over 5000 miles. Pros are cheap, extremely easy to wrench on, and need very little as long as the motor holds up.

Being a new rider a 600 should be plenty to buy you sometime on the mountain while you decide what your next upgrade should be

As said above you should be thinking about new top end around 2000 miles if you end up with an 800 Pro although many guys get more miles out of them than that.

The Cat motors are great but I have seen more days on the mountain ruined by cat drivetrain issues than I have polaris motor issues, and I ride with way more poos than cats.