Sled wont start, HELP!!!

[cowboy181d]

Just out of curriousity did you rebuild the fuel pump? I do it every year on my sleds. at 5.00-20.00 for a kit from WPS it's cheap insurance that you will not get left on the mountain because of fueling issues! Keep us posted and we will do our damned is't to help get ya running! Where about in Wyoming are you at anyhow? I used to live in Laramie a few years ago. Before moving out west to Oregon for work.....

 

[RedStretchedSled]

If I remember correctly, that pickup in the tank has a check ball in it try taking the line in the tank out and soaking the weighted pickup in carb clean just to be sure it's truly clear....

What do you mean by the check ball? When I took out the fuel line that is inside the tank all it had was the nipple that sits on the outside, the fuel line, attached to another nipple that had a wirey mesh-like thing attached to it, is that what you mean? other wise there was no "ball". Also, I haven't rebuilt the fuel pump but will look into it in a few days. The Casper area

 

[RedStretchedSled]

Alright about to rebuild the fuel pump, first what do I use to clean the pump before putting on new gaskets on?

 

[RedStretchedSled]

Alright, got the fuel pump rebuilt, but the fuel is still not coming out of the tank very well. I mean it was sorta kinda sucking the fuel out of the tank but not extremely well or much. ?

 

[mike_s]

Get a soda bottle and rig up a nipple on the cap. Fill it with gas, connect it to your fuel line and while a friend is holding the bottle upside down see if the sled will run. If there is no change in how the engine behaves, you may have bigger issues...

 

[WyoUltra]

Alright so we got the sled to fire up for about 5 seconds at most today. We checked our spark had good spark. Pulled more and more, blah blah.. while working on it the plug wires kept falling out of the coils. So we re-screwed them back into the coils. went to check for spark, couldn't see any. So at this point we're both having a whiskey tango foxtrot moment because for the hell of it, we put the plugs back in pulled on it, it sputters but won't run. I don't get this... We've relocated the fuel pump up next to the secondary clutch (sled has unifilters, no air box) fuel is running fairly well, we completely eliminated the on/off valve for fuel too, the in line tank filter works perfectly, holding it up to the light I can see through it just fine. Even checked how the gas flowed through it and ended up with a mouthful of gas.

I have noticed that it seems to want to fire up a lot better when we remove the filters and cup our hands over the carbs, works like a charm... well almost.

 

[cowboy181d]

cupping your hands over the carbs will make the carbs pull more fuel out of the bowls thus richening the mixture.......

 

[WyoUltra]

Throughout the day I was tightening the idle screws, trying to compensate for that too (all three at the same time in minimal amounts as well)

 

[WyoUltra]

I'm wondering if it's the CDI... I'm pretty sure the stator is fine, the headlight still tries to brighten up when pulling on it, and simply put, doesn't it control all of the electrical?

 

[mike_s]

Pull the carbs off and check to see if a piston skirt is broken.

 

[WyoUltra]

So we got it to fire up with the air filters on for about ~45 seconds, once with the gravity feed fuel from a bottle. After it firing it up: we looked at the Piston skirts looked fine, adjusted the chokes because we thought it might be flooding itself out, changed plugs, checked spark, all 3 were fine.

Also, when it ran I adjusted the air idle screws all the way in, and as a base I backed each one about 3 turns out. Started up first pull kept idling (really high mind you,) went to go back them out, started on the mag side 1 turn, center 1 turn, then it died.

 

[WyoUltra]

Also the needle is in the top position, it can't be further into the carb, even though these are Pro-5 Pipes, SLP says put it in the 3rd position, would this matter so much as to keep it from running? I'm sure it wouldn't but I'm just trying to figure out all possibilities.. I also noticed today that the wires going to the thermostat??? aren't on it, can someone tell me what wires i'm looking for in order to reconnect them? I'll see if I can get a picture to upload

 

[WyoUltra]

One wire, sorry.

 

[WyoUltra]

Does anybody have any suggestions??? Maybe we should put a different fuel filter on it???

 

[WyoUltra]

ttt???

 

[grampaidso]

check the compression. If it's too low it would make it hard to start!

 

[mike_s]

check the compression. If it's too low it would make it hard to start!

This would be a good next step. A healthy engine should be about 120, should run alright around 100, much below that and it will start to struggle some.

 

[RedStretchedSled]

Alright, how do you check and set the compression?

 

[the fix-it guy]

You use a compression gauge, it goes in the sparkplug hole. Install and turn engine over rapidly. Set by installing new components usually pistons and rings along with replating the cylinders or boring out if it has steel liners.

 

[steepndeeper]

One thing that has not been mentioned is to check the vent tube that comes out of the fuel tank and if your carbs have them, check them too.