'97 Classic Touring Maint Help / Manual Needed - Snowmobile World : Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

meburdick · 11-28-2011, 10:41 AM

Hi, all.

I just picked up a 1997 Classic Touring with about 6,000 miles on it. It definitely shows its age in the mechanical area, the cosmetics are pretty decent, though.

I did a compression test on both cylinders and they showed approximately 107-110 each. My gauge is one of the ones that does NOT have the schrader valve at the cylinder head end, so it does read just a little bit low. The motor was completely cold, so this is about as accurate a reading as I will get.

The previous owner stated that there's old gas in the tank with Sta-Bil in it, and that's why it is so hard to get to idle. While I don't disagree with old gas being problematic, I believe that the bigger issue is that the carbs need to be cleaned. Any guidance on how to get them off of there (pictures and video would be fantastic) would be appreciated.

The rear suspension is weak (XTRA-12) and it won't hold itself at full height with no weight on it. I checked the torsion springs and they are in the highest setting. So, the shocks are in need of attention. Can these be rebuilt or should I just replace them?

The reverse gear doesn't always want to engage, and doesn't always want to disengage. The external mechanicals under the hood are corroded, and I suspect there's a definite contribution to the problem here. However, I'd like to understand what I need to check inside of the chaincase or elsewhere to ensure that it's functioning properly.

If anyone has access to a PDF of the service manual, and wouldn't mind sharing, I'd gladly use that to answer my questions.

Thanks in advance!

meburdick · 11-29-2011, 07:38 PM

Anyone? Any tips or info?

mmgg · 11-29-2011, 11:47 PM

Just loosen the clamps on the carbs and wiggle off the air box and thats about it the carbs are easy to remove after that,,clean them up and change the 10 yr old fuel lines while you are there.

If the shocks are black in colour than you can't rebuild them,,and the torsion spings should hold the back end up on a touring sled ,so you may need those too.(remove the rear skid and disassembe clean and grease it.)

the reverse gear maybe hard to engage because the chain is worn out,thats where I'd start.

meburdick · 11-30-2011, 07:23 AM

I managed to get the carbs off and "apart" for cleaning... Dealing with a different issue there now (floats - but you saw my other thread on that).

Yep - standard black shocks, not rebuildable. I'm looking at my options for a set of new OEM shocks (about $250), new aftermarket shocks (about $260), or a set of used Fox shocks that are all set to go (price / availability unknown as of this writing).

I'd like to get rebuildable shocks simply because I have more control over the setup that way. I'll look into new torsion springs as well (any way to "test" them?). I can lift the rear and set it down and it will sag a little. If I push it down, it will not rebound.

I am planning to drain the oil from the chain case and crack the cover - I will definitely look closely at the chain while I'm in there. Thanks for the thoughts.

mmgg · 11-30-2011, 01:39 PM

Since it doesn't rebound I'd remove the rear skid and disassembe clean and grease it, the shocks and springs may be ok.
Normally the rear should sag around 2" at the lift bar, after you lift it.

meburdick · 11-30-2011, 01:49 PM

I will look into doing that, hopefully this weekend. I've found an on-line source where I can get Ryde FX shocks for it for about $190 for the pair. The torsion springs have been in the highest setting for quite some time, so I'm going to try and get a sense of just how much "oomph" they still have as well. If I have to replace those, it's another $165 for the heavy pair like what it came with.

There's a chance that the shocks are still usable, but I'm going to guess not. The sled wasn't beaten on, but it also was not properly taken care of over the years. It was stored outside, on the trailer, and there was little or no attention paid to it for preventive items.

The only way that I'll know for sure is to pull it apart and see what I'm dealing with. Thanks for the idea about lubing up all of the moving parts. Hopefully that puts me in a position to *not* have to replace the shocks.

Any recommendations on what grease to use?

meburdick · 12-01-2011, 02:59 PM

UPDATE:

Been working on the carbs... Got them cleaned (there's still a little residue left on the walls of the float bowl, but the rest of it is fairly clean. The jets are all clean.

Everything is reassembled on the sled. I know that there's still some old gas in the tank, and the stuff I poured out of the carbs was pretty dark in color... Definitely not good. I honestly don't know how much is still IN the tank, but I have no siphon to get out...

So, I did the next best stupid thing... I added a couple of gallons of fresh gas with stabilizer and also dumped in a very little bit of Sea Foam. Since the carbs were completely dry, I decided to use the pull start with the choke on to see how long it would take to start. 10 pulls and it fired.

It smoked a bit until it started to warm up, and then that mostly stopped. But, it still runs horribly. After warming up for a few minutes, it bogs bad off of idle.

When I was working on the carbs, I noticed that the pilot air jet on one was about 7/8 of a turn out and the other was about 1 1/8 turn. Do these settings seem about right? Should I try adjusting them at all?

How much am I being impacted by the bad gas?

meburdick · 12-01-2011, 03:11 PM

I should add that the main jet is 250 and the pilot is 40. My current elevation is about 800 feet, and I doubt I'll go above 2,000 feet ever. Should these jets be appropriate for where I'm riding?

mmgg · 12-02-2011, 07:08 AM

pilot air jets are set at idle, they should be close to the same.
try it with the belt off , just in case that is affecting it.

Make sure the carbs are open the same amount at wide open than closed with the idle stop screw backed out.
(if they open unmatched it will bog)
next set the idle at 800, and turn the pilot air screws in an out the idle should go up (if it doesn't than something is still blocked)until it maxs out,back it up a 1/4 turn.(usually it takes a half dozen tries to get it)
reset the idle to the book spec.
check for bogging, if all is good, put the belt back on,,if not than check for air leaks, loose fuel lines,blocked exhaust, change the plugs, new fuel, correct oil pump adj.....

meburdick · 12-02-2011, 07:59 AM

Thanks for the tips... I have a couple of questions about your post, though.

1) What is the correct way to 'set the idle'?

2) How exact do the carb openings need to be at idle and WOT? How do I measure them? Is it a matter of just eying it and saying "close enough", or do I need a micrometer or similar?

3) Pilot Air Screw - which direction should increase idle? You said "until it maxes out"... Until what maxes out? The turning of the screw, or the idle speed increase?

4) Any tips on the easiest way to remove the belt? I haven't checked my tool kit to see if the tool is in there to release the secondary clutch (making belt removal easier).