1992 Polaris RXL 650 with EFI, ecu troubles...

I hope someone knows what this problem could be as well. My son has just dragged home a 93 650 RXL, and it seems to have the problem of running very rich,(burning alot of oil) at start-up as well. No flashing lights though. Once it warms up it is ok, although the plugs indicate it's way too rich. I used to fix snow-machines in the old days, but i don't know anything about the new fangled electronics, on these newer ones.
Now yesterday he melted a the center piston, so I suppose I'll be learning about them fairly quickly. Today is tear down day, (in a few more hours when the sun rises)
I had just put new plugs in, and they indicate rich running, so it doesn't explain why the piston siezed, unless the person he bought it from did something wrong, like a bad patch up job.
Still, there must be a way to set the oil injectors, and fuel injectors, so if anyone knows, let me know.
I didn't even know that the ecm had this flash feature, but then, without a shop manual it means nothing..

Well...After a day and a half of head scratching, bleeding knuckles and lashing out about 100 different curse words that would make a sailor blush, I have come to my conclusion.........Sell it!

The TPS seems to be alright according to a multimeter test so I pieced the sled back together, fired it up and let it sit in the driveway idling for about 15 minutes. See to idle well enough but it could be boggish when hammering the throttle all the way down and releasing, so I let it sit for another 5 minutes idling.

I decided to take it for a short run (driveway is about 110 feet) and back. It almost seemed to have a power surge running through it. Like it wanted to take off but something was holding it back. I decided to take it for a longer run (down the driveway and back and around the house). While cooking down the driveway then into the backyard, I jumped a 4 foot snow bank behind the house. My landing was gracefull and surely would have scored a perfect 10, however, the sled's RPMs dropped and it the engine died about three feet after impact.

I still have this darn ECU blinking 1 long and 1 short which we have already determined to be a Throttle Position Sensor problem. Like I said, TPS seems to be within specs.

Anyone have any ideas (or $1500.00 CDN)? It's sitting here in Manitoba waiting for a new owner...LOL...

Man this thing is starting to cost me some cash! Last year I bought it for $1950.00 put $1200.00 into it before the season was over (simple stuff like clutch work, filters, belt and so on - nothing electronic). In the summer I put a brand new track on it and did some suspension work and now this...$1500.00 may sound like alot for this machine, especially in a "not running" condition, but damn! I have a car to fix! LOL

Cheers...

Daniel, $500. and you have a deal. thats all I'll pay for a parts sled. I can go down to Watt st. and pick one up, LOL
Where do you think my son got this one from? (in a round about way) []

To the other post, Yea, the Carb thing is an option, less of a headache, and it isn't that hard to do. saves some weight as well.
the air box will prob. fit too! LoL

But, I have a 93, so they were supposed to have fixed all the probs Daniel has with his.

I was doing some reading Daniel. You should check and clean every connection. You said you hit a bump and it started running like crap again? bad ground somewhere.
Also, turn up your idle. should run at 1800- 2000 so your generator can keep up the voltage. Also, check your heat sensor to make sure it works, thats what tells your computer that the machine is warmed up, ready to go. it won't move till it does. It's right on the cooling rail, starter side. It has a black wire, (at least mine does) that should be plugged into it. with the machine hot, It should be read grounded.

These Machines are a challenge, thats for sure.
Also, I found the problem with my rich running condition. my injector was loose, i gave it a tap, and the damn thing spin around.
And, lets not forget, this thing was showing power as well untill the kid blew it up.
It wasn't his fault though. The guy he bought it from put the rings in wrong (facing the exaust port) and they did what you can imagine. Plus, he put a standard piston in a over bore. -brilliant.
If you see a young kid named jason who calls himself a mechanic from tyndal, he's lying...

Man that's a tough break! Atleast I got to ride mine for 1 1/2 seasons before she crapped out. My buddies delayed our big ride until today. All the same I told them to head out without me as I don't have the heart or ambition to look at my machine today.

As far as things go I am almost certain you are correct about a wire or a connection being loose or dirty. It's the only thing that makes sense to me at this point. The way it happened, ran great one day and didn't run the next. I figure I took some snow under the hood and as it melted overnight it corroded a connection. Darn ECU keeps blinking 1 long and 1 short (TPS) so you would think that the connection would be the one to the throttle position sensor but I had it all stripped and it looks ok.

Out of luck I guess and not interested in pursuing it anymore today. Cheers!

Daniel

Just me again.
Maybe you should take the airbox off and give it a good cleaning, check all the connections.

This machine I have here is out of commission.
I finnished taking it all apart today.

The person my son bought it from did the dumbest thing I have ever seen done in my life.
He put the pistons in backwards. All the ring gaps were facing the exaust port, and as a result, All three jugs are damaged beyond repair.
I suppose I can re-sleeve them, but Hell, might as well look around for used jugs I can fix cheaply.

So, this means I have a 93 rxl with a good crank and electrical system, new shocks all around, new runners for sale

Interested? $1500 and it's all yours,[]

I'll give you $150.00 for the ECU. []

In fact I would be interested in the following []:
- ECU
- Throttle Position Sensor
- Handle bar kill switch
- Triple pipes
- Windshield
- Front Shocks
- Skis

Between the two of us we could make one running sled before winter is over....LoL

Daniel

I own a 91' rxl that I've had for about 10yrs now.
I've had to replace 3 sensors over the years: the TPS, air temp, and case temp
It was the top of the line sled in 91/92 and it will run strong and reliable if you leave it stock. But older sleds in general are money pits - no way around that.

My 1st suggestion is to check for cracked or broken wires. They get brittle over time especially where they go into connectors. Make sure your connectors are tight too. There is a lot of wires and plumbing under the hood on the rxls - so try not to disturb it too much or you will break more shit. Be careful!
The following will help you too.
Good Luck!

READING TROUBLE CODES USING ''LED''
When the ECU recognizes a problem, the LED flashes a series of Long and Short pulses to identify the trouble code number. The long pulses indicate the first diget in the code and the short pulses indicate the second digit.
For Instance two long indicate the first digit is 2. Three short pulses indicate the second digit is 3. So the trouble code in this Example is 23.

The ECU flashes the LED as long as the problem persists, but if the problem stops the ECU saves the trouble code in its Memory and stops flashing the LED.

{NOTE: THe ECU dose not retain the trouble codes if power is disconnected from the ECU}

To Retrieve the Trouble code from Memory, connect a jumper wire between the GRAY and BLACK wires at the DIAGONSTIC plug on the ECU. The ECU will flash the LED to identify the trouble code number.

THE CODES:
11 ....THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR
12.....CRANKCASE TEMP SENSOR
13......INTAKE AIR TEMP SENSOR
14*.....ATOMOSPHERIC PRESSURE SENSOR
14.......WATER TEMP SENSOR
15......ATOMOSPHERIC PRESSURE SENSOR
21......FLYWHEEL SIDE INJECTOR
22......CENTER INJECTOR [ 3-CYL.]
PTO SIDE INJECTOR [ 2-CYL]
23*.....PTO SIDE INJECTOR
31.......LOW BATTERY VOLTAGE
32.......LOW CHARGING SYSTEM OUTPUT
33.......CDI OUTPUT
* Used on RXL models only. Codes 31,32,33 are not used on RXL models

Polaris used the same codes for their 500 efi that's why you see the * at the bottom to tell you which were specific for the rxl

mb.

LoL 92-RxL-650,

Even though I'm a little Pissed off that the person I bought it from was so stupid as to put the pistons in backwards,
I'll fix it and have a good sled. The rest of it is in not bad shape, and I've already spend coin on it, so like the post above says, old machines are money pits, can't avoid them.

Oh, and thanks for the code list! but how do you activate them? turn the key 5 times or something?( oops, re-read your post, jumper wire method )

92-rxl, your close by, so why don't you give
www.gregscustom.com phone (204) 268-3548 a shout and maybe they can fix up your problem?

Afer taking this thing apart, I don't see how your problem is a big deal anyway, prob. a loose connection,/dirty one.
When I took the airbox off, I saw how full of oil and crap they can get, so it's a good idea if you just clean up things first. If hitting a bump makes it run like shit, it sure sounds like a bad connect.
Also, take off the air box sensor and clean it out, it can get full of goop as well.
everything that can go wrong looks fairly simple to check out, once you learn where everything is. On your sled, I'm betting on loose wires.
My sled was on self destruct everytime I started it.

Gregs ( I took the cylinders in this morning) said they can either re-sleeve it, or try go big bore, ( I'm hoping for big bore, either 780, or 1100)
I'll find out in a while. It's cheaper to go big bore. Re-sleeve costs 130 for the sleeve, and 100 for the machining, It includes porting and chamfering.
Big bore cost 68$ a jug, so it's way cheaper.

Originally posted by Nathan
[br]LoL 92-RxL-650,
Oh, and thanks for the code list! but how do you activate them? turn the key 5 times or something?

Click to expand...

When you turn the ignition on and hear the fuel pump kick on, the computer 'arms' itself and begins getting inputs from all the sensors. If the cpu has a problem 'reading' a sensor, it will begin flashing codes immediately. The sled can also be running and flashing codes.

Other RXL tips:
-those 3 relays under the hood below the ign. switch can stick. Which will either kill your bat. quick or your sled won't start at all.
-use the NGK EV plugs
-use the blue primary clutch spring
-keep the battery charged up (Battery Tender highly recommended as there is a slight power draw even shut off)
-those old clutchs need to be rebuilt often for peak performance. Rxls are slightly doggy out of the hole but a fresh clutch makes a huge difference. Like yank the ski's off the ground difference. Which is pretty good considering the rxl weighs like 10 tons []

mb.