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EFI vs Carbs

5K views 19 replies 14 participants last post by  Triple650Indy 
#1 ·
I have a 91 RXL EFI and have had no problems at all. Why do so many people change to carbs?
 
#2 ·
Cause of the problems they encounter. Some shops won't touch efi sleds either. From what I've gathered people have problems with the electrical connections and figure it's easier with carbs. Parts are very expensive too, sensors are outrageously priced. I personally love my efi and wouldn't trade it for anything. Make sure you invest in a new battery every year and go through wiring when you install it, you shouldn't have any problems.
 
#3 ·
could be a couple reasons
Some of the older EFI's(not just on Polaris's) were problematic.
Most dealers, especially some of the smaller ones, didn't have the trained technicians/equiptment to properlydiagnose/troubleshoot/
fix them.
They resorted to "parts replaceing", at the sled owners expense.
A lot of the early EFI's came from the factory "pig rich."
back then, there weren't all the fuel reducers, boondocker boxes etc, and a well tuned carbed sled would eat them for lunch.
 
#4 ·
I would have loved to see any carbed 650 (Stock) take my RXL last season. I'm sorry, but I love this EFI system for it's simplicity and ease to troubleshoot (For me anyways). But there are some sleds out there that nickel and dime ya, so what can you do to take care of the problem. So people change to carbs.
 
#6 ·
I had my 92 in to the wonderfull Polaris dealer in Greenville Michigan twice,($200+) and they couldn't get it to work. When RXLs run they are a riot and they fly across the lake. That said it was still the worst sled I have ever owned. You people can have them
-mine was always stored in a heated garage
-RXLS are heavy lead sleds
-very expensive parts (75 dollar filter if I remember right)
-A battery every year
But they did sound cool if you could get them started

Mine did get converted to carbs (the dumpster received a hundred pounds of parts I think)[attachment=51320]
 
#8 ·
Some people have luck, some don't, I for one had 9k miles on a 94 EFI 500, ran flawlessly for each one of them! I think what makes them go bad is people not covering them and storing them indoors, moisture and electricty do not mix. If people take care of their things, things will last a long time, I have many sleds that prove that, that the same models other people had problems with, but not I.
 
#9 ·
Originally posted by dodger
[br]I had my 92 in to the wonderfull Polaris dealer in Greenville Michigan twice,($200+) and they couldn't get it to work. When RXLs run they are a riot and they fly across the lake. That said it was still the worst sled I have ever owned. You people can have them
-mine was always stored in a heated garage
-RXLS are heavy lead sleds
-very expensive parts (75 dollar filter if I remember right)
-A battery every year
But they did sound cool if you could get them started

Mine did get converted to carbs (the dumpster received a hundred pounds of parts I think)[attachment=51320]
Wow bud, you sound bitter.
 
#10 ·
Originally posted by dodger
[br]I had my 92 in to the wonderfull Polaris dealer in Greenville Michigan twice,($200+) and they couldn't get it to work. When RXLs run they are a riot and they fly across the lake. That said it was still the worst sled I have ever owned. You people can have them
-mine was always stored in a heated garage
-RXLS are heavy lead sleds
-very expensive parts (75 dollar filter if I remember right)
-A battery every year
But they did sound cool if you could get them started

Mine did get converted to carbs (the dumpster received a hundred pounds of parts I think)[attachment=51320]
75$ for a filter, that aint right. what kind of filter are you talking about? me and my dad both love allll of our efi sleds, we have my 92 indy 500 thats a efi 8k (only replaced a tbi sensor once), a 96 rxl 6k never a problem, and he has his new 04 f7 efi, never have had a problem with any of them. there all great sleds and always get a perfect mixture of air and gas at ANY tempeture. pretty soon there wont be too many carbed sleds in the future (just my opinion dont take it for a fact) there all going to be efi, like cars.
 
#11 ·
MY RXL is carbed because i bought it with a trashed motor. The guy i bought it from had a indy 650 with a rough body. So i just built one nice sled out of the 2. I would love for it to be EFI. I am a EFI junkie when it comes to cars.
 
#12 ·
I had always wanted an EFI sled, since I was having some troubles with my carbed one, so I find a real nice 1995 RXL, with the extra 12. I was in heaven for the first 15 miles. Every single time I went out, it was a case of plugs. I also was able to enjoy the 3 mpg with it. So i run it to the dealer, he keeps it a few weeks, does the "parts changing", 300.00 later Im driving and all the same symptoms return, so back to the dealer, 2 more weeks, and so on all year long. Tried the next dealer, same outcome. I HATE the polaris EFI with passion, although I was completely impressed with Arctic cat. I found the RXL ran great when held to the bars, and never anywhere else in the spectrum. I guess Im just a carb kinda rider
 
#13 ·
The problem pinkpower mentioned is usually a dead spot right at trail speed, like bog or binding clutch and 2 mpg. 99.9% time that is the TPS out of wack, usually after someone plays with the idle. Unlike the newer TPS sleds, the rxl and 500 efi needed the Polaris scan tool to set it correctly- a tool most shops didn't have. I got a battery to last two years once. The fuel filter through Polaris was stupid big $$$$. Take yours to an auto store and they can cross reference number or match it up exactly for less than $10. There were 2 chips for most of the EFI's, for reg fuel and for corn boosted crap.- most of US sleds got the latter.

Did I have good luck-yes, or maybe it was the right tools.
 
#15 ·
ive got my '92 rxl sks and i love it.. it friken flyes, i do agree, i have to put a battery a year, but other than that i love it. its snapy as hell... and really responsive on the throttle.. in def stikin wit the EFI's
 
#16 ·
[/quote]

75$ for a filter, that aint right. what kind of filter are you talking about? me and my dad both love allll of our efi sleds, we have my 92 indy 500 thats a efi 8k (only replaced a tbi sensor once), a 96 rxl 6k never a problem, and he has his new 04 f7 efi, never have had a problem with any of them. there all great sleds and always get a perfect mixture of air and gas at ANY tempeture. pretty soon there wont be too many carbed sleds in the future (just my opinion dont take it for a fact) there all going to be efi, like cars.
[/quote]



You are right. I found an old bill for parts....it was only a 50 dollar bill for a fuel filter and 250.00 for a fuel pump(god bless carbs). EFI in sleds may be the wave of the future but there is a reason why Polaris stopped making the RXL. The question was why do people carb RXLs? because of 50 dollar filters, 250 dollar fuel pumps, and dealers that don't know how, or want to know how, to work on them. Am I bitter? kinda,(at myself for buying a RXL) I learned an expensive lesson
 
#18 ·
Dont get me wrong, the RXL was not a machine to be taken lightly, I loved it when it ran, what a machine, but it was so tedious with the repairs, mechanic only, and downtime, I just lost appreciation for it. I do recall the price list for everything to. the dealer tried hard at fixing it, he tried everything right down to new clutches, but nothing worked. I ended up selling it thru the swap sheet, and when I did sell it, I think the only reason this guy bought it was because he had the scan tool for it, and had the time to tinker it.But i will NEVER buy another polaris EFI, that was built in the 90's. Remember the big lawsuit polaris had for using the set up?? Polaris had infringed on someboy's patent, but i dont think they used all of the parts, and maybe thats why they never truely worked, they only used half the parts, LOL Oh, and the dealer that was fixing MY RXL, he had one also, a 93, and all he kept telling about his was "Sure is a pretty sled" and he would smile
 
#19 ·
I have a bunch on the stock EFI stuff from my 95 is anyone is interested. Injectors. throttle bodys, ECU, that harness it pretty much there i cut a conector off or 2. If you need anything just ask and ill check.
 
#20 ·
Originally posted by pinkpower33
[br]Dont get me wrong, the RXL was not a machine to be taken lightly, I loved it when it ran, what a machine, but it was so tedious with the repairs, mechanic only, and downtime, I just lost appreciation for it. I do recall the price list for everything to. the dealer tried hard at fixing it, he tried everything right down to new clutches, but nothing worked. I ended up selling it thru the swap sheet, and when I did sell it, I think the only reason this guy bought it was because he had the scan tool for it, and had the time to tinker it.But i will NEVER buy another polaris EFI, that was built in the 90's. Remember the big lawsuit polaris had for using the set up?? Polaris had infringed on someboy's patent, but i dont think they used all of the parts, and maybe thats why they never truely worked, they only used half the parts, LOL Oh, and the dealer that was fixing MY RXL, he had one also, a 93, and all he kept telling about his was "Sure is a pretty sled" and he would smile
No, they used the entire system Injection Research Specialists developped in conjunction with Polaris. IRS actually had a contract with Polaris to develop the system, but Polaris backed out halfway through the deal shortly after a former IRS employee was hired on by Polaris to, "Cultivate their interest." Then a year later introduced the RXL with the full system. The law suit was filed in the early 90's and drawn out till 97'. The last year of the 500 EFI and the RXL. Artic Cats EFI was also developped in conjunction with Injection Research and the same thing happened to Injection Research there as well. So the company sued them as well, but the claim was beyond the statute of limitations for such a case. The same system was used for many years in both companies and all IRS got out of it was 34 million.

But as far as the TPS sensor, it can be callibrated with a DMM. However it is not as precise as the monitor select.
 
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