[racohoon]

I am picking up a 1980 Pantera next Saturday, it is complete and in very good shape body and motor wise. The owner says it is a 500 fan cooled motor, but when I looked at it I did not see a fan or any tags on the block anywhere. I did see a sticker on top of the motor shroud that says "SUZUKI". Can any one tell me how to find out what the motor is? The only thing wrong with it (other than not being run for 2 years) is the drive wheel shaft broke on the end, he is giving me the brand new one that he bought to replace it. Is this a common problem area for this sled? How much of a pain in the butt is it going to be to replace? Are there any other things I should look for when I go over this before riding it?
I also noticed a tank on the right side (if you are sitting on sled) that looked like an oil tank and on the console there was a long slot labeled "oil", so it is oil injected obviously.
I'll post next week what I find out about it when I get it home and look it iver more closely. In the mean time any info would be appreciated--thank you.

 

[OldCatRider]

Suzuki "Spirit" 500 F/C engine with oil injection (real easy on oil). Uses a mikuni "butterfly" carb. Is that the main drive shaft you are refering to or the rear idler wheel shaft?
I added a Comet 102c to mine and it can keep up with most L/C 500s.

 

[ibreakstuff]

I used to have one - engine was great. Always started, etc. But that sled is one reason that I'm not a Cat Sled fan anymore. Not starting a debate - just saying that I went through everything on that sled. First it was the drive clutch, fixed it, then the driven, fixed it - then it was shifting right so it snapped the chain. Then it started some kinda slipping thing with the driveshaft sprockets. Then the motor mounts. Then I just sold it. I took it out every weekend, and it was something else broken. Besides the engine. When it went, man it would move. It seems like it has a bit more torque than the other 500's I've ridden.

Good luck-

Bryan

 

[Haggie]

not a bad sled, just rebuilt mine last winter. not the fastest of them all, but still fun to ride. im not sure if all motors were the same, but mine is a spirit 500 f/c, like OldCatRider said.

 

[racohoon]

OCR-- it is the front (main) drive shaft. It broke about 3/4-1" from the end of the shaft. I don't know which end yet, but he has a brand new one in the box from AC. Says it cost him over 300.00 and that it should be really easy to replace. Said I need to loosen up the suspension and bogeys to get some slack in the track and it should come out and go right back in. That sounds to easy to me, since he paid over 300.00 for parts and didn't fix it and sells it to me for 150.00--says he just doesn't have time for it. I checked most of the track over and it is really good shape from what I saw of it. So it seems it would definately be worth fixing since the sled is complete and in very good shape.
I have 3 Jags (76-78-79) but this is a totally different cat. There's really not much to my Jags, they are really simple and straight forward.

 

[t660redrocket]

Originally posted by racohoon
[br]Said I need to loosen up the suspension and bogeys to get some slack in the track and it should come out and go right back in. .

It will be much easier if you just take the whole suspension and track out right away. It will save you lots of frustration and allow you to take your time and check everything out while you're under there.

 

[racohoon]

Somebody told me that the rear shock or shock mounts (something to this effect) had a tendancy to rust out. If this is true can the mounts be repaired easily?
OCR what did you mean by real easy on oil? Quote below--
"Suzuki "Spirit" 500 F/C engine with oil injection (real easy on oil)."

 

[t660redrocket]

Originally posted by racohoon
[br]Somebody told me that the rear shock or shock mounts (something to this effect) had a tendancy to rust out. If this is true can the mounts be repaired easily?
OCR what did you mean by real easy on oil? Quote below--
"Suzuki "Spirit" 500 F/C engine with oil injection (real easy on oil)."

If you're going to have the suspension out just tak e alook at it. It depends on how well it was cared for if it is rusted or not. IF it is rusted, it is an easy fix.

OCR probably meant that the injector is working properly and doesn't over feed oil.

 

[racohoon]

How does the injector feed oil to the motor or figure the amount of oil needed? Does it operate off the throttle via linkage to the pump or what? Is there any way I can test the pump manually to make sure it is working? Can I test it on the motor or do I have to remove it? I want to make sure this thing is getting oil since it has not run for 2+ years.
My buddy said to pre-mix it at 50:1 and if the pump is working it will smoke like crazy. I would think that if the pump is working and I have 50:1 pre-mix in the tank it's not going to want to run well since it will be over oiled--so I don't think this would be a good idea.

 

[chevy66c10]

Nope your buddys right that is definetly what you do, i do it to all my old oil injected sleds when i get them

 

[ibreakstuff]

Hey bud -
I ran across this and thought of you - in case you need anything.I figure it's all really cheap - $100 for an engine with extra rings?!?!?!

2nd page or so - labeled "1980 Arctic Car Pantera parts for sale"

http://www.snowmobileswapmeet.com/swapmeet.php

-Bryan

 

[t660redrocket]

Originally posted by racohoon
[br]How does the injector feed oil to the motor or figure the amount of oil needed? Does it operate off the throttle via linkage to the pump or what? Is there any way I can test the pump manually to make sure it is working? Can I test it on the motor or do I have to remove it? I want to make sure this thing is getting oil since it has not run for 2+ years.
My buddy said to pre-mix it at 50:1 and if the pump is working it will smoke like crazy. I would think that if the pump is working and I have 50:1 pre-mix in the tank it's not going to want to run well since it will be over oiled--so I don't think this would be a good idea.

Your buddy is right. When a dealer sells a new sled with oil injection (all of them are injected) they will mix 50:1 in the tank. Then they tell you to monitor the oil resevoir for use. Once you know it's using oil you then can monitor the ratio of oil to the amount of gas you use. The pump is controled by the throttle cable and is located at the base of the motor under the carbs. AS a rookie with oil pumps you probably should let someone else who knows what they are doing adjust it. Probably a dealer. Chances are though that all is fine. Just a side note.........Over oiling isn't always a bad thing. It is however expensive for oil and annoying with the smoke.

 

[racohoon]

Thank you for all your responses, you guys are great. I'll post again later as I find out more about it when I get it home Sat.
I am going to try and get it running first before I attempt the drive wheel replacement. Thanks again!

 

[OldCatRider]

Originally posted by racohoon
[br]Somebody told me that the rear shock or shock mounts (something to this effect) had a tendancy to rust out. If this is true can the mounts be repaired easily?
OCR what did you mean by real easy on oil? Quote below--
"Suzuki "Spirit" 500 F/C engine with oil injection (real easy on oil)."

As in 2 tanks of gas to each tank of oil. Could probably get 3 out of it but I have never allowed the oil tank to get that far down.


The rear shock shaft will get rusted if it is allowed to sit unused for a few years and then you will need to replace the shock. Look at the shaft for any rust pitting on the section where it goes into the seal. If there is any rust in this area, replace the shock.
To do this, you can remove the skid, but, the rear springs are a PITA to unhook. easier to just change the shock with the skid in.

To change that rear shaft, just loosen the track as far as it will go and then you can remove the broken one. The easiest way to change them out is to remove the bolt from the end of the shaft and get it started through, then use the new one as a driver and push it on through. Put the bolt and washer on the end you are boing to hit with a heavy RUBBER mallet and drive it in.

 

[racohoon]

OCR--thanks. Now I have another ? since I have never removed or replaced a track. When I put it back together how much tension should be on the track--or how do you determine there is enough?

 

[OldCatRider]

When you loosen the track, keep the locking nuts in the same spot and return to there.
To check for proper tension on the track, suspend the rear of the sled off the floor. Hang a 15 lb weight at the center point of the track and there should be approximatly 1 inch of clearance between the track and the slide midway betweent the rear idlers and the front curve of the track.
I use a depthe gauge to measure the length of the adjuster bolts to insure that the track is square/aligned. After you get it set, run it a bit to seat it in and retest tension and alignment. the track clips should not be touching the sliders at all. If you need to adjust alignment, move the bolt on the opposite side of the way you want the track to go.

 

[racohoon]

Once again thank you very much OCR!

 

[racohoon]

Hey OCR--I see in your posts that your Pantera had a comet 108 clutch and you stated that you replaced it with a 102. Is the 108 the stock clutch and what did you gain/loose by replacing it with a 102?

 

[racohoon]

OK-- I got it home this afternoon, looked it all over it is a fan cooled Suzuki motor, sled is date stamped 9-79 with Vin/Ser. #0050370. Owner said it was actually close to 3 years since it ran last. I dumped & replaced the fuel, replaced the fuel lines and filter. Choke was stuck closed so I had to pull it and clean & lube it and put it back together. Turned the key on, choked it and it started on the 3rd pull! I didn't rev it much, kept it under 1500 RPM only run it for approx. 1 minute since the drive ass'y, belt, and exhaust are off. The oil injection must be working since there is a lot of oil all over the inside of the hood and belly pan (where the muffler would normally be) and did it ever smoke! Took me 15 minutes to get that stuff out of the garage w/ 2 fans on high. I'll have to see how it acts when I get the drive axle installed, exhaust & the gear box sealed and refilled.

I have the rear wheels loosened up to allow max. slack in the track so I can replace the drive wheel/shaft ass.'y in the front. I have several new partsthat include the drive wheel shaft ass.'y and a 1" bearing w/ a collar and a 1" collar w/ a set screw. I have to figure out where everything goes to reassemble this mess. Previous owner already pulled the old shaft out so it's in peices. I'm going to Alpha Sports web site now to look at parts diagrams to try and figure it out.

What type of fluid/lube does the gear box require?

 

[ibreakstuff]

When you say gearbox, I assume you mean chaincase... if so, just use 80-80wt from an autoparts store.

Bryan