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1993 Polaris XLT help...sat for 3 years Need maintenance/tune-up lists and a miracle

6K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  dtbprc 
#1 ·
Well I just became the proud but very frustrated owner of a far from functional 93 xlt. I should mention I know nothing about snowmobiles, carburetors, or 2 stroke engines. I can build a Japanese V6 no problem but honestly I feel like a fat kid at jenny craig working on this sled. I should take it to a shop and probably will if I cannot get it going but I know there are some simple things I can try first and lots of knowledgeable people online. I know the gas tank needs to be cleaned out, its rusty and I'm wondering the best way to do this is? Also, I was going to clean the carbs, they were all frozen...got two slides (think that's what they are the cables go into in the carb?) free and one will not move at all. Any ideas on that? It also looks like there is a fuel line or something missing? got new plugs too. How can I condition the track I see has some small cracks? Last questions for now is there anyway to tell if it has the big bore kit? I was told it did by my cousin (his dad built it). It also has the xtra 10 suspension he thought that was custom too along with a bunch of other things he listed. Actually if anyone knows good sled mechanic in the Northwood's of Wisconsin could leave me some contact. My sled is just outside of Rhinelander, WI but I currently live in Menomonie, WI for school. Any held is appreciated. What would it be worth as it sits if it does have the big bore kit? Sorry about long confusing post. Thanks!!
 
#2 ·
To start with, remove the carbs, thaw them out, soak the stuck one in pb blaster or wd-40 and get it freed up. Give them a good cleaning with carb cleaner and compressed air. Remove the float bowls, remove the jets and the needle and seat and get everything clean, including all the passages in the carbs.

If the fuel tank is that bad, it's best to remove it and rinse it out with some solvent or something and get it as clean as possible. New fuel filter, fuel, plugs, make sure it has oil and see what happens.
 
#4 ·
First off... Welcome.

The '93 XLT did not come with the XTRA suspension from the factory. So, if there is an XTRA skid in it, it was a custom install. Lots of guys swapped those skids into the older chassis machines to improve the ride on the bumps. Also, the '93 XLT motor is the 580 (as opposed to the 597 in the somewhat newer XLT machines). Pretty solid motor overall. When the motor was moved up to the 597, Polaris had an issue with oil starvation to the clutch side crank bearing and ended up adding an additional oil line to the case at that point. If your motor is bored over, you may want to consider adding that additional line to keep the bearings healthy.

On a similar note, given the potential torque of that motor, it -may- be a reasonable thing to consider splitting the cases to inspect the crank and the bearings. There's nothing worse than getting your sled out for a great ride, feeling it run awesome, and then blowing the crank because it sat for too long with nothing covering up the bare metal of the crankcase parts and the crank or a bearing letting to because it had corrosion on it.

As UltraJunkie stated, you're going to need to sort of "rebuild" the fuel and air supply system from beginning to end. Start at the tank and work your way toward the motor. Tank, lines, filter, airbox (clean it thoroughly), make sure all of the vent lines are there are connected properly, carbs, throttle adjustment, carb adjustment, make sure the carb boots are not cracked, etc.

For the track - there isn't much you can do. Inspect it very closely looking for issues with the fiberglass rods that run side-to-side under the lugs. If there are any cracks in those, DO NOT run that track. Otherwise, it's a bit of a judgement call as to its condition. Look for areas where the track is hard and inflexible, torn lugs, etc. Some dry-rot cracks are manageable and won't really do much to you.

There's a lot of good info to be had at vintagesnow.com for that machine.
 
#5 ·
the gas tanks is plastic so there should be no rust unless its from the fuel gauge. new on eBay for $15 a fuel gauge. like stated before do the things mentioned above. also nobody big bores the 580 which yours is if its a 93. boring the cyl .010 or .020 or 030 or 040 does not make it a big bore.

id look under the manuals section and download the pdf and it will show you how to remove the gas tank. go in the "how to" section and you will find carb cleaning 101 step by step.
 
#6 ·
got my 1993 xlt used- had bad boot and fuel line on one carb- take apart and clean everything then inspect all rubber and plastic as they go first. service manuals usually can be found online. replace all fuel lines and carb boots at least. then never have to worry later. drain old gas from tank. you have to remove seat to do so correctly. if so best time to repair any cracks in seat cover then. since xtra 10 suspension already you are upgraded. I upgrade mine to xtra10 and it was sweet. check bearings and grease everything while its apart. once together best first test for compression/ spark and running is to add a cap full of gas to each cylinder (removing plugs) then add new plugs. It should start right up on a few pulls. if so let it run. if it keeps running your fuel is flowing fine. if no start check for spark. Once running test coolant. run it at low rpm and feel heat exchangers then run it hard on jack. the exchangers should heat up. if muffler gets red hot the coolant is not flowing. getting it purring like a kitten is the hard work. the little things, brakes, lights, etc will be much easier.
 
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