On another forum there is a posting on F-7's with bad pistons. The guy claimed he new of 4 that melted down. Another guy posted that he saw 3 at his dealer getting new pistons. Anybody here know of anything?

I read the same thing, on forums f7 motor failure a 98miles time will tell

I hope not , going to be alot of sad f7 owners out their includeing myself. : :nervous:

I heard the same thing about motor meltdown and also my buddy broke his reciol after only about 20 miles, anyone else have that problem?

The motor problems are because of an air bubble in the cooling system. If you have one, just rock it from side to side and front to back. Then recheck your coolant level. Some (very few) are having this problem. A good dealer will fix this right away but recommend double checking it yourself. There is a service bulletin out for the cooling system bleeding. I believe it covers this.

Yes that would suck if that happened, but its a first year sled, stuff like that is going to happen. the REV is the same way. As will the RX1 be too.

I've heard of 4 now in 1 week (the last one was today), all within the first 150 miles. I was told that a dealer up north thinks it may have to do with the fuel pump cutting on and off at high throttle openings, causing a lean condition. This is just something that this dealer is speculating. If the F7's keep burning down, Arctic Cat better come up with a fix real soon, as there'll be alot of angry customers and very expensive waranty engine rebuilds.

One thing that needs to be said is that with forums such as these, 2 things happen. #1)Rumors spread fast!! #2) You see more of the problems then what you would have seen before these style forums. 4 sleds broke is nothing. Is there a problem with the cooling? YES! Is there a problem with the oil lines? YES! Are they warranting a major recall? At this time NO. YOu have to remember that several thousands of these sleds were sold. Now we are hearing of 5 sleds so far that have had a problem. I think the #s are actually pretty good. I never seen a recall on my 2000 ZL 580. That sled siezed 3 times, plus I heard of several others with the same problem. Just becaue 1% are having a problem doesn't mean they are all going to. Mighty RX-1 came on to this board and posted this as a bash (wehter he admits it or not. THen when someone does the same about his presious RX he got defensive. LEAVE IT AT AMSNOT MIGHTY. Before you post something such as this, do some simple research. Then post FACTS saying what is actually happening. Not just what you heard happened.

:p Wouldn't it be refreshing if one of the sled mfg's would come out with a new sled and actually test it before selling it to the public!
I have ridden more years than I care to mention and each year it's the same story; a new model that falls apart when the consumer starts to use it the way the it should be used.
I hear a lot of people defend the mfg's but come on guys ;they have put the shaft to the consumer for so many years we have gotten used to it.
They actually ask us to purchase an $8000 sled and never get to test ride it, then when it starts to fall apart they do not have a mechanic that has been trained to fix them.

Arctic engineers tested F-7 for 5-7000 miles and that is it. As printed in a sled magazine. In the ask the engineers segment. If that is all the better they document a sled (as roughly 5 to seven thousand miles.) :doh: :doh: I as a consumer am saying no way to that model.

never ever buy a new model first year out. there hasn't been a new model yet that hasn't had problems. with the exception of a very few. The next years model has a lot of the bugs worked out. usually you get a new motor in a proven chassis. but this is new everything. It will be hard for me to believe that this sled
that is stripped of everything that they can strip will hold up. Light is nice but when something breaks and it is incorporated into the chassis I don't want to buy a new sled... just my opinion :cussing:

I did not post what I've seen and heard, to bash the F7. I just figure that people ordering or riding these machines should know that some problems have happened with their model and that way they could call their dealers to find out if something is wrong or should be looked at in case there are defects or recalls. Some dealers seem to be too busy to call their customers if something should be looked into (such as this airlock in the cooling system and air in the oil line), and hope everything is fine with the machines they sold. When I bought my Mach 1 in 1997, I wasn't happy to find out that they had crank lubrication problems, but was happy friends told me to check into it, as my dealer never informed me. Unfortunately, the dealers only repaired them once crank bearings let go, which mine did, that season. I try to post to be informative (although I like to tease a little when answering to some buddies').

Originally posted by wrencher@Nov 24 2002, 10:27 AM
never ever buy a new model first year out. there hasn't been a new model yet that hasn't had problems. with the exception of a very few. The next years model has a lot of the bugs worked out. usually you get a new motor in a proven chassis. but this is new everything. It will be hard for me to believe that this sled
that is stripped of everything that they can strip will hold up. Light is nice but when something breaks and it is incorporated into the chassis I don't want to buy a new sled... just my opinion :cussing:
Well someone has got to buy it!!!! If no one bought it, no one would buy it next year because Arctic Cat wouldnt no what was wrong w/ the F7 so problems would still be around on it. If you buy a first year sled, make sure you have a backup sled that you can ride, because its almost a guarantee that it will be in the shop for some kind of warranty work. Its just the way #### works. First year sleds need to have the bugs worked out.

Originally posted by Sharkey@Nov 24 2002, 01:35 PM
Arctic engineers tested F-7 for 5-7000 miles and that is it. As printed in a sled magazine. In the ask the engineers segment. If that is all the better they document a sled (as roughly 5 to seven thousand miles.) *:doh: *:doh: *I as a consumer am saying no way to that model.
Who cares if they were evasive with the test mileage..........I watched Tucker Hibbert beat the snot out of that sled and if it held up for him than it will hold up for us being that he is a better rider than all of us in the forum.........as for testing you should be aware that they were trying some F series mods and Ideas on tuckers open class sleds. I dont know if you were also aware that Kirk Hibbert himself was the driving force behind the F series and he worked on it for several years before Cat realized the potential and put it to work during regular business hours. With all that being said how do you put a mileage number on all the hours and back yard testing on individual concepts that went into the FireCats?? Well as for the guys who like to ride on others coat tails and buy a sled after the bugs are worked out, thats your choice but thank god for people like me who make the world go around and put those miles on a rank new sled so you can buy one in a year or two and have and play it safe.

I really do appreciate anyone that wants to purchase a first year sled and test it for the consumer; really! I for one would rather ride the powder on a year old sled and not have to work on them or wait on the "Dealers" to figure out how to get them to work.
Some guys just have to have the first one out, and enjoy the ohh and aww's when another rider is admiring the new sled. I would rather just ride them..

Originally posted by M10rules@Nov 23 2002, 11:23 PM
The motor problems are because of an air bubble in the cooling system. If you have one, just rock it from side to side and front to back. Then recheck your coolant level.
That is the same thing I have heard from a few people as well. D&D also has that posted on their site. Just rock it back and forth, front to back, top off coolant, and you should be good to go.

I think the 5-7 thousand miles of testing was on "one" F7. Greg Spaulding has been quoted as saying they were testing many f-7"s with well over 100 thousand total miles on them with very few problems:

GLS-questions on Firecat prototype testing and reliability


gls on 10/19/2002 7:08:00 AM
snowrider1000. It's difficult to give you an exact number, because so many were run, but over 20 sleds in differdnt groups and conditions just last year, probably averaged between 4000-5000mi. each. Reliability was very good. Were working on the rope thing. That issue slipped by us. I'm sorry.

went with my buddy just this morning to the cat dealer to find out why it is taking so long to get his clutch fixed (3.5 weeks so far) and the owner showed us the black F7, sharp, but in for repairs to the piston 49 miles on the sled, yes only 49, then showed us the green one ever nicer sled although it has not seen any snow yet.

hmmmm this brings back bad memories of the srx in 81 yamaha actualy refunded the $$ or gave u a new vmax..ouch

:sly: I did Work for Ski-doo R&D a year and a half ago and all I can tell you
is that they do a lots of testing on those machine before they go in production...
for the rev they where testing it with full operational prototype since 1999. So
you can figure out that they done lots and lots of miles on it. With diffrent setup
and models (rev) that I still don't see on the market yet. So it is maybe the same
thing for the other sled maker. Be sure to see a full line of diffrent rev model in the near
future all ready and tested. But i don't work for them anymore and Im a cat Lover
forever!

I think the 5-7 thousand miles of testing was on "one" F7. Greg Spaulding has been quoted as saying they were testing many f-7"s with well over 100 thousand total miles on them with very few problems:

I read the same thing. It's been tough trying to weed through all the garbage and rumors that've been spread about this sled. It sounds to me that most of this stuff is just that - rumor.

Were these sleds stock or did the owners"tinker" with them? Because I see alot of posts with" Where can I get after market parts for the new sleds"!!!! Just a thought!!!

That is the same thing I have heard from a few people as well. D&D also has that posted on their site. Just rock it back and forth, front to back, top off coolant, and you should be good to go.

That is one of the spots that I heard the info on.

Who cares if they were evasive with the test mileage..........I watched Tucker Hibbert beat the snot out of that sled and if it held up for him than it will hold up for us being that he is a better rider than all of us in the forum.........as for testing you should be aware that they were trying some F series mods and Ideas on tuckers open class sleds. I dont know if you were also aware that Kirk Hibbert himself was the driving force behind the F series and he worked on it for several years before Cat realized the potential and put it to work during regular business hours. With all that being said how do you put a mileage number on all the hours and back yard testing on individual concepts that went into the FireCats?? Well as for the guys who like to ride on others coat tails and buy a sled after the bugs are worked out, thats your choice but thank god for people like me who make the world go around and put those miles on a rank new sled so you can buy one in a year or two and have and play it safe.


I dont know about you, but my sled does not have a team of trained skidoo specialists come work on my sled after im done riding. I also dont have a heated garage. I also drive on trails that may throw you the odd bump or mogal that is really hard on my machine.

Sure racing is very hard on a machine but its no match for the real world.

And all of these F7 problems is typical for a 700 that is trying to pump out numbers like a 800 Mach. Its the same reason we by V8 trucks to pull trailers instead of V6s. The V6s might be able to do it but there working twice as hard and wont last as long.

But how arctic cat overlooked the recoil after 20miles problem, and the cooling problem is beyond me. If i were them, I would get a letter out quick to all owners informing them of this problem so that they can fix it before the snow appers and a simple cooling problem turns into a engine problem.

They should give you a 2 year warranty for first year sleds. Heck, you should get two year bumper to bumper anyway! :angry:

I do not not know if these are rumors or not....but i do know over on hardcorsledder there 100's of firecat owner's including my self some with 400-500 mies on and not one PERSON has said there f cat burned down or they saw one or knew of one that had burned down.There where people saying 4-5 had burned down at tug hill but they called the dealers in the area and was a bunch of bs.Belive 99% what u see.....1% what u read.

I don't know what they were doing but over at Arctic Cat they had a bunch of f-7's out on the test track and in the ditch last week! 2004 improvements?

iam from northern ontario i bought a 900, 2 of my buddies bought f7's one blew the mag side @ 137km, the other guy @ 1.7km, ya 1.7km!! talked too afew people & was told ,may have something too do with air lock in cooling sys. because of angle of motor have to lift front of sled like 3' off ground to expel all air ,. another person said it be a efi problem.. But ya F7's are blowing up, @least here in northern ontario (Timmins..)

hey brushy your from timmins and u have a 900 were u out there 2 weakends ago? green 900 i was too we may have had a wobly pop....lol machz

There are three guys up here in the north that have blown there new F7 engine.

Maybe AC never did get the formula right for there 700cc....

I sure am glad I decided not to get one this year.

newf

hay ultimate rider/ l0lmachz ya i was out there (porcupine lake) & iam sure we had one or two pop(s). were you there wen we had the gun out there? F7 114 mph on the gun, then it ,well lets just say felt sick..

yeah i actualy helped him unload the second time.......i also exploded a belt that day......lol.......what is the verdict on his sled did it pop?

lol,, ya he blew the mag side ,damaged cylinder, & what not, not too impressed getting run around from big way i guess??

i thought so when i told him i thought it had seized up he no way! it started again........lol i hope he gets her going again but they might have to detune it to keep it together......... anyone running this comming weakend?

lol.. depends on wether guy!! if good -for sure we'll be out & about, see ya there...
... gotta go, talk @ ya latter!
giver gas...

Maybe its just stupid and not good to go 114mph on a brand new sled that is still
not break in....Don't aks yourself why they blow out at 1.7 km or 100something km...
take a brand new car start it at -20c and put it full throttle on the rev limiter...maybe
it wont last long too...Are you doing this with your car or truck?? See the point?? :withstupid:

Just wondering, but any info on the f5's?! My buddy just got his a couple weeks ago. He has been riding it around the feild where we live when we had a little snow a couple weeks ago. Nice sled though

FYI,,,,,,, A buddy of mine that I ride with just picked up his new F7 a couple of weeks ago. Since reading all of the horror stories of the F7 blowing up we decided to do an extra thorough checkover of his new toy before he go's on his first trip the second week of December. So far these are the problems we found...1) The two bolts holding the arm onto the sway bar were not tight (not even tightened onto the ny-lock area). 2) The oil line routing was directly under the driven clutch shaft was on the outside of the frame and close enough to the shaft that when riding it could easily vibrate and rub through on the shaft. 3) the re-coil rope location allowed it to rub on the frame and a couple of other places plus where it goes through the plastic firewall on the sled to hook up to the pull handle it was going to be always rubbing on the plastic. This would be a case of which would go first , the rope or wear a heck of a groove in the plastic (I guess Arctic Cat is sending a relocating kit to every one for this fix). 4) The linkage that goes from the fuel injector to the oil pump had fallen off of the oil pump. It looked as if there was supposed to be a washer then a pin of some sort to hold it on but they were missing. 5) The rear idler wheels appeared to be touching one of the shafts that interconnect the slide rails so he had to loosen them and move them back as far as possible and this seams to give them enough clearance. 6) Just a few misc. loose nuts and bolts here and there that didn't seem to be tightened enough.------ So whatever you do check your new sled out very thorough before you run it or take it for a ride!!!!!! You will thank yourself if you do. ----P.S. I ride a yamaha and I don't want to see anyones weekend cut short from mechanical problems or injury from not checking over thier sled, new or not check it over so we can all have a great time. See ya on the trails...........

Found this info on another site, and it sounded like the problem y'all are talking about.

http://www.snowmobilenews.com/forum.cfm

Long story short, the fuel line was kinked at the fuel pump, causing a strange noise from the pump, and a lean condition. Solution was a 90 deg. fitting on the pump to allow fuel line to run straight in. Hope this helps someone.

sno nuts, you're kidding right?

no kidding here, I save that for the garage bench racing,,,,,seriously this is everything that has been found so far. Thought it might be a good idea to post it so it may save someone some grief.........if I was kidding I would say I smoked a new F7 while running on 1 cylender and in reverse,,but we all know how big of a crock of #@&$ that would be.....

Alot of the problems seem to be that the dealer has failed to do a
proper P.D.I.The local dealer found 90 percent of what you stated before it
left his shop.His 7`s are all just fine (loose bolts every where,air bubblesetc)
Next time bying a sled the price you get for 100 bucks cheaper is the reasons
he never did any home work . just my two cents.....Cape Breton stock......