1980 Ski-doo Citation Doesnt Run Properly

Hi! THere are more than a few contributing factors to this problem you are experiencing. If you are riding the Citation 3500, you are in company with many drivers of this model. If you're driving the 4500 or SS, the previously mentioned items are definately one thing to check.

With the 277 single on the 3500, all maintenance adjustments have to be performed. Starting with a NEW fuel filter, then adjusting your carb to spec - make sure the needle and seat does not let fuel leak past. Idle speed is crucial, low speed jet setting is crucial to ensure "snap" when you open the throttle. (If you can, get yourself a CLYMER shop manual. If you are the kind that enjoys working on equipment, you'll find the manual easy to use.) The high speed jet should be carefully cleaned and the long needle that controls off idle fuel flow needs to be adjusted for mid-range throttle driving.

Secondly, (knowing that you have good compression and your fuel system is checked and OK) you should inspect your belt for proper width and tension settings. There are specs for this. If your machine is high milage, you will want to consider replacing both the primary clutch spring and the secondary clutch spring (springs fatigue with lots of use). Also check the primary clutch ramps and rollers for wear, or as in the case of my very own machine, the ramp faces went out of alignment with the rollers, causing it to accelerate like a dumptruck. (not good!) ALso, check point gap (underneath the recoil, behind the flywheel) and ensure your sparkplug (gap) and plug wire are in good condition, if not brand new. From thereon in, you could expect to enjoy great performance from this machine of yours. I hope this helps. If you need specs for some of this stuff, I can try to help you via this forum, but again, getting a shop manual for the machine or having a qualified Skidoo mechanic work on it will take you from the blahs of a boggy machine.

Thank you coolnorthsound and all the other replies, every little bit helps. I have checked the system pretty thoroughly now and this is what i best believe. The machine gets fuel(carbs cleaned, new lines, cleaned fuel pump, new fuel filter) The spark plugs are new but seem to foul really easy, i also notice generallly that it struggles after it warms up. I think its possible that i may have a small leak in the crank seal(although nothin, no fluids drip out) and maybe my coils are bad. Since coils are a relatively easy fix i have ordered some to replace. I also had my muffler rebuilt and therefore i know the exhaust system works fine. I have run it without the air box as well but no better results occured. i have the owners manual(sucks) and the bombardier shop manual(also sucks) and the MIC carb manual(really sucks) I have to do the work myself to save money, learn, and mostly there are no ski-doo dealers within 100miles of my home. So i will deffinately look into the clymer shop manual. Now, i did most of these diagnosis and so forth with the machine on blocks, but today(got 3inch of snow) i ran it, it iddled like a champ, putz at around 10mph pretty good, but could never get into second gear. I now wonder if that means i have a clutch problem, or if the engine doesnt produce enough power to get it into high gear. Also, i have messed with some of the carb setttings and dont really now what im doin, because the manual sucks. I think i might be runnin a little or a lot to rich, but i dont know, i think this because the plugs foul so easily, or at least they dont fire all the time(part of the reason why im gonna change the coils). I Have the SS model by the way.(377 2cylnder) What do i need to do a compression test? If i have bad compression what does that mean, how do i fix that, is it expensive? By the way, i got this machine three weeks ago and it ran pretty well, stalling out every hour or so, but i had full range of power and speed. It quickly progressively got worse to the now recent point where it hardly moves. Also, it starts cold on the first pull with no problems. Thanks, please respond if you have any ideas, i am new to this and would like to get this thing going!! Thanks, cheers.