Snowmobile World banner

1998 Arctic Cat ZL 500 Carb starting & Bogging Issues

1207 Views 6 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  Kevinb1234
My ZL 500 is very hard to start to get it going I need to put a little oil gas mixture right into the cylinders, and once I get it going will idle fine, but is very boggy once I start moving, I have to feather the throttle to keep it going and after a few minutes it just dies.
I've pulled the carbs apart and cleaned them twice now. I bought this sled knowing it had this issue, but it was a great price and I want to learn more about fixing them. I'm planning to drain the gas and replace with fresh gas.
Compression is 98 in both cylinders.
Any other advice would be greatly apricated!
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
As mentioned on other snowmobile boards you need better compression.
I knew it was low, but 98 is to the point were it won't start or run?
Anything below 100 is a problem child.
replaced the top end and have good compression in both cylinders, but still can't get it to start. Even putting gas right into the cylinders it won't stay running. it pops off for just a second but dies right away.
replaced the top end and have good compression in both cylinders, but still can't get it to start. Even putting gas right into the cylinders it won't stay running. it pops off for just a second but dies right away.
Test your coil. See if you’re getting strong spark coming from both leads. Mine pooped out on the trail it was bogging down and didn’t want to go over 25mph until it just died
Andrew,
Thank you for the response.
I did replace my coil, and I still have really weak spark. I tried disconnecting the connection to the hand warmers, kill switch, lights etc and still have a very faint spark if any at all.
Any ideas?
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
Top