I'm new to snowmobiling and have a couple questions.

First of all I have a 2000 MXZ 700 that I purchased last March. It is studded, clutched, has new 8" carbides, dynoport silencer and has 1850 miles on it. This is the exact way I got it. All I did was grease everything, spray it down with WD40, filled up the tank and put stabil in it, and put it in the garage with the track off the ground and the front supported so the shocks were fully extended. Once every month and a half or so I pulled it out and ran it on a stand pretty good and put it back.

It's been about 2 months since I took it out and today I pulled it out and the rear suspension has no support anymore. I can pull it up but it just sinks right back down again. I would say the shocks need to be rebuilt but isnt it the springs job to support the sled? The rear shock looks to be on the 3rd or 4th lowest setting.

I pulled the chaincase dipstick and the magnet had what I would consider to be quite a few metal shavings on it. I've never looked at one before so maybe this is normal? I wiped it off and put it back in. I know its gear oil in there so its pretty heavy, but this was really thick and black. How often does it need to be changed? Is it hard to change?

The sliders seem to be in great shape. The were probably replaced recently. The track is in great shape with no broken or pulled studs. No cracks in the hood or anything like that. Its in excellent condition from what I can see. It's just the technical stuff (the most important stuff) that I need some help with.

Anything else you feel like telling me, fell free. Don't forget I'm stupid when it comes to this stuff so you don't have to worry about insulting my intelligence. :)

Thanks

Its strange that your back end would start to sag out of the blue..sounds like the springs aren't even attached anymore..check the torsion springs and make sure they are as they should be..this is very peculiar.

Its normal to have some shavings in the chaincase.

LOL! I figured out what the rear end sagging was. I still had the front end on the little ski scooter things. I put the skis on the ground and the back came right up and works fine. I'm gonna tighten the rear shock a little. The previous owner was a small woman and I weight a little more. I have the manual that tells me how to adjust them correctly.

Does the chain case oil need to be changed now and then?

I also read in several places that the 2000 700 motors needed to have the oil turned up but never said why. Can anyone shed some light on this for me?

Do the carburators need to be cleaned out every season? That I have no clue how to do.

Also, the exhaust valve things (the round black plastic things), one seems a little looser than the other. One can twist causing the clip to pop off and the other one seems pretty solid. I popped the loose one off and there's just a spring in there. I put it back on and that was that.

haha..STOP TOUCHING THINGS.. LOL

Carbs should be cleaned every fall before riding.
Not sure if your RAVES are busted.. but you shouldn't be able to just pop it off.
You can change your chaincase oil as often as you want..but it does make a mess.

The chain oil should be changed once a season. The oil pump may need to be adjusted if it hasn't been done they were set a little low from the factory. Don't worry about the cap on the Rave valve they need to come apart at some point and be cleaned you should be okay to check take the black cap off and see if you can move the valve up and down. You bought a good sled you shouldn't have too many probs and don't be afraid too ask on here. :D

Originally posted by Rocketman@Nov 14 2003, 08:34 PM
haha..STOP TOUCHING THINGS.. LOL
Probably my best bet :) but I need to learn about this stuff at some point. I'm a fast learner, but I learn by doing, not by reading. I learned everything I know about my Explorer (which is quite a bit) from and Explorer forum so I figured this would be a good start for my sled. You guys have been a great help!

Now... about those carbs... :D It looks pretty busy down in there. Lots of stuff that needs to be taken apart/off just to get them out. If you don't mind, can you just give me a rough run down of the steps involved in taking them out and cleaning them? Same thing with the chaincase oil change. Carbs are not my thing. I wasnt around when they came on cars :p I know this is easy stuff for you guys but I'm new to this so I gotta ask all the stupid questions once :) Oh... what do you think a dealer would get to change the oil and clean the carbs?

The carbs are actually pretty easy the hardest part is getting the airbox off, then unscrew the tops set the slides, cable and all aside, undo the choke nut at the carb and pop them off(after you undo the clamps) thats about it.

hey explorersvt-

are you a member of explorerforum.com? this sled looks very familiar!....................

Rocketman and Formulaman... you guys have been very helpful. Thanks!

1forsnow... Yes I am. I've seen your name over there. I remember you because you have an XP8........ my dream truck!!! I'm X24 on that board. Does this look familiar?
http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/2/web/194000-194999/194666_48_full.jpg

Ok, about cleaning the carbs. Do I just spray them out with carb cleaner or what? Seem's too simple so I'm sure there's more too it.

I remember being at my friends house a long time ago and his dad put something together backwards after cleaning the carbs and my friend started the sled and it was at full throttle and took off into his other sled. Not a pretty sight.

explorersvt-

if you are new to snowmobiling.......welcome. just to let you know, this sport is very addicting. if you put all those mods on your truck to go faster and look better, you are going to be in a lot of trouble with snowmobiles. there are soooooo many things you could do to a sled to make it better.

did you buy the sled used? do you know what kind of gas the previous owner put in the sled? if he used premuim gas, the carbs are probably not that dirty, but might still need a rinsing. i think your sled has flatside carbs. they are much easier to clean than the older roundslide carbs. you just need to disconnect the airbox first like formulaman said. loosen the clamps and then disconnect the throttle and choke cables and remove the carbs from the engine. with the carbs removed unscrew the drain nut on the bottom of the float bowls. there still should be gas in there, so be prepared. on the side there should be a small screw that needs to come off in order to remove the float bowl. once that is off just get some carb and choke cleaner and spray away. try not to move the float to much because you might damage the needle and seat. one area i clean thorough is the main jet and needle jet. those are located in the center of the carb and looks like a brass hex nut with a hole in the middle. make sure that hole is clean. you might want to open the throttle by turning the lever that the throttle cable attaches to. this will raise the needle jet and then spray the main jet opening. then put her all back together.

the chaincase oil should be replaced as maintenance. chaincase oil only costs about 10-15 bucks. but use synthetic oil. amsoil makes great products for sleds. but ski-doo synthetic chaincase oil is good too.

cleaning rave valves are easy. pull off the cap first. there should be 2 allen bolts on the side that hold the valve to the engine. remove those bolts. try and be careful not to tear the gasket. if you do, you need to buy new ones. once the bolts are removed, the whole valve and slide should come out. if the valves are dirty, they will be tough coming out. then just use contact cleaner and clean the slides. sometimes you will need a scotchbrite pad to get it all off. do not spray anything in the engine. then reassemble.

There's been lots of good information posted about this, just do a search and you'd be amazed at the wealth of information on here. :)

Here's one to get you started on the chain case oil and the rave valves.

http://www.snowmobileworld.com/forum/index...t=0&#entry57125 (http://www.snowmobileworld.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=7759&st=0&#entry57125)

I didnt read through all the posts but what I have read about the 2000 MXZ 700 was that there was a few crank issues. Turning the oil pump up can help it. I think some have drilled the oil passages out a little to help the oil flow through there.

This forum is very helpful, and they have helped me on my 2000 MXZ700. The sled runs great, the one thing I havent seen mentioned is the chaincase oil, I agree either Amsoil or I use Ski doo,but to change it is easy there is a drain plug under the left side of the sled. It is an allen head with the sled in the air, this is easier remove the plug. I change mine every fall. Have fun with the new sled.

I ment the left side if you are looking at the front of the sled. Sorry if any confusion.

It is studded, clutched, has new 8" carbides, dynoport silencer
The previous owner was a small woman

Surrrrrrrre the previous owner was a woman -- I have some nice land for sale in Florida for you and a couple of slightly used bridges for sale too if you're interested J/K :D

It was a woman who drove it. I'm sure her husband drove it as well but she was the primary rider. Her husband is a hardcore snowmobiler and loves doing stuff to them so thats why the stuff was done.

Sorry, I was just mess'n with ya.

There are a few aggressive female riders out there -- not nearly enough, but they DO exist!

Have fun with your new toy!

BTW, if you have any other questions about your sled, I'll be happy to try and help since I have a similar machine with lots of time on it -- PM me.

If you follow formulaman everything should be a pieace of cake like he said the airbox will be the hardest part. To make things little easier make sure your clamps on the airbox are all the way loose then lean the top side of your air box towards the carbs then twist left to right should pop right off. The next tricky part will be the gas line although i have cleaned mine several time with gas lines and choke cable still attached. The line can be tricky to get off if they have never been removed. Change the gearcase oil is a piece of cake. Ther are only four bolts on the outside of the case if you want to remove it after draining to clean out but not nesseary. Exhuast removal makes life aliitle easier when cleaning out chaincase but not necessary. Well have fun

Take the carbs off to clean them properly. The clutch should come off too.

I changed my chaincase oil by sucking it out with a syringe. No mess :)