I would be rideing my 1994 formula z 583 everything would be running fine then the enginge would die out like i hit the kill switch, sometimes it would restart and most the times it would not and i would get towed in, after i got it back to the garage i noticed that my coolant tank cap was not holding to the tank due to the plastic so it was dripping onto the motor and some wires. so i got a new coolant tank took all the wire connoctors apart and cleaned them up still had the same problem, so i got down to the magneto and pich up assembly and noticed some surface rust on one of the contacs on the magneto so i cleaned it up and put it back together, when i put it back i lined up the notch on the flywheel with the centerline on the housing of the motor. i looked at the markes left on the pickup sensor left by the washers from before i removed it, and they did not match up with the marks on the housing and flywheel, so i bolted it back to the spots left by the washers and gauged it .20 away from the flywheel pickup. i put it all back together and it started back up it ran great had all its power no backfireing but started to overheat when rideing in about 6-7 inches of snow, it started leaking antifreeze out of overflow container. got back to garage replaced radiator cap started it up rode for about 5 minutes and the temp gauge went up to the red but did not leak out of the container. Can this overheating be a sign of the pickup sensor being in the wrong spot or can it be something else,

Thanks in advance

The short answer, Yes incorrect timing can contribute to engine overheating. My belief is that you may have an air pocket in your cooling system. You need to start the motor with the cooling system cap uncovered then pick up the front end of the sled and then the rear end till the bubbles vent out. To verify the timing, you'll need a stroboscopic timig light (impulse connection) and a 12 volt battery. With the engine running at 6000 rpm, the crank sensor notch will line up with the flywheel mark (usually highlighted with paint) under the effect of the timing light connected to the MAG side sparkplug. If not adjust the crank positio sensor accordingly then replace plastic cover.

somthin doesent sound right and yes td advise could be spot on. doo you have circulation in the coolant bottle? sometimes a peice of , well, stuff will get in the cooling system and wipe out the pump impeller.. or theres always the complete pump failure or a restriction. the restriction doesent happen much with my sleds cause i dont run a stat.... hmmnnn stuck stat? i`m just throwin this out. anyways post back.

Thanks for the fast replys, I started to look into the cooling system we took a infered therometer and was getting about 140 at the heads and went a foot down the lhose towards the cooling fins and got 36, i did remove the thermostat before i done the temps. I also pulled the motor over and got antifreeze to come out the gooseneck, so i startet pulling off the hoses and blowing thru them and all passages are clear. Tommorow i will lift the front/rear of the sled up to drain the air pocket, I do have a few questions, does the thermostat also act as a valve between the top 2 hoses I would think that if it did not it would just circulate around under the hood and not make it above the track, and second how high do i lift the front and rear of the sled when removing the air pocket?


Thanks again

The cooling system consists of two loops. One short one that recirculates coolant under the hood until the thermostat opens at which point the coolant is diverted to the heat exchangers in the tunnel. This is why it is paramount to allow the motor to warm up until the thermostat opens with the system open to atmospheric pressure. rocking the sled forward and backward purges the air trapped iside the heat exchangers. When the system is under closed circuit pressure (10 psi) the air pockets become compressed and restrict coolant flow through the pump impeller.