Guys I need some help, I am new to this site and to snowmobiling. I am about to buy a 96 580 zr with 2200 miles super clean. I heard of problems with the efi batteryless. Is this true or anything else I should be on the lookout for, any help would be cool thanks

That year i thought had battery EFI!! Batteryless is the way to go!! Never had a problem I knew of !!! The battery ones are a pain in the ### cause they always die when you need them!!!

I remember the first year the batteryless came out it had some problems - thought that was '97 though?

yeah sorry it is a 97 so what issues with the efi or anything else to watch for? I am getting it for 1600 I hope its a good deal! I need to rip, itching to ride somthing too cold for the jet ski, need snow and lots of it!

good luck on it and welcome to sleddin,,,,,and,,,,,the dark side!!!

$1600 is a fair deal. Water pumps and stators are what they are best known for. Piston rings also. This sled is allot of fun to ride.Arctic Cats in general wear out clutches fairly fast. Inspect it closely.

Well... bought mine used as well. I have had it for going on 3 seasons now.
No big problems with mine... works really well for me!
Great trail sled once the suspension is set to the way you ride.
Mine also has 4500 miles on it.
EPI clutch kit... 96 1" studs and a good set of carbides.
I changed the stupid crash pad and put the foam and cover off a 99 ZR700 on mine, looks much better then seeing all those wires and brake line!

I think you'll find more love/hate stories with the '97 580ZR than any other sled. Maybe because Cat sold so many of them. I never owned a '97 but know many that did and for the most part they loved the sled. Most problems, if any, would surface after 3000-4000 miles.
If you look thru the archives, you'll see lots of information on this sled.

Good luck!

Also keep a close eye on the air intake boots.

I have a 97 zr580 efi...not one problem except i just broke my chain lol :D

This sucks I have a new to me sled and havent even had a chance to go out yet, no snow

With your last post I assume you bought it.
Congrats on your new to you cat.
Everything everyone has said here is true about the 97 ZR580.
One other thing to keep an eye on is hyfax - this skid eats them (especially in ice or low snow)
I can go through 3 or 4 sets in a season.
Vman

wow... where do you run???
I get about 2500 miles or more out of a set... and I have my sled jacked in the rear... makes the sliders wear more right at the radius in the skid frame.

Going through them that fast would make my investigate a bit... track too tight or riding in low snow conditons??

Well, this is Michigan, low snow conditions are only a mile or two away somedays.
A 100 or 200 mile loop with 30 miles of low snow can cause rapid wear.
Lake riding also takes a pretty big tole on hyfax. I did replace a couple of my skid cross-shafts (worn allowing the wheels to ride higher and hyfax to have more pressure) hope it helps.
Vman

YAUP,COOKED A STATOR, SUCKED A RING, RIPPED CARB BOOTS, STUCK WITH IT THOUGH.

hey vesatileman is that all the toys you have and if it is where the heck do you work must pay well lol. i to live in the lower part of michigan i have a 1996 tcat a 2002 road king and a little bayou four wheeler and i'm looking for another four wheeler to play with,

Ya, most are my toys, the 440's I bought for my kids, and the 500 is for the wife.
My shop has a total of 11 sleds, 5 dirt bikes (2 are the kids, one is my bros's), 6 stand up jet ski's, (2 are my bro's), 2 sit down waverunners (polaris and seadoo), the Quad sport (my race quad), the foreman (work quad), an old argo 6X6 (the duck), a 21 foot Chris craft I/O, an older Starcraft (sellin'), a 16 foot Hobie cat sail boat and my New Cheyenne inboard ski boat (my baby).
Outside is the motorhome (gotta love the Magic Bus), and the travel trailer (36 foot / 2 slides), and the pontoon boat (28 foot)
The other barn has my drag car (80 Firebird w/ 455 (500hp).), the wifes convertable (67 firebird I restored for a wedding present), My bro's 73 Nova, and pops 54 Ford P/U. The street bikes are also in that barn (Yamaha seca, 76 Gold Wing, Suzuki GS550 (wifes) and next spring a new ST1300 (hopefully).
It got so crowded that I had to build a loft in the barn and buy a forklift to put the seasonal toys up and out of the way.
I teach automotive for a local technical college, and no, I don't make enough to afford all these things with a family, but I refuse to accept that.
Good thing I bought several of my toys before I got married. LOL
If I couldn't fix em, I wouldn't own any of em.

Prayin' for snow,
Vman

Hey versatileman, wanna sell the 750 standup? I have a 550 sx but I need more must have more stuff. Hopefully going to the UP this weekend but the trail reports are not all the same, some say good some say crap. I hope there is good snow by Saturday anyway.

Sorry, my son would toss a fit, he has kind of adopted it.
Thats all right, my 550 kicks the crap out of it (westcoast stage 1 motor )
I am a little jealous of your trip, heard Trout Lake / Newberry and west has pretty good snow.
Vman