[RoadkillSTX]

Hey everyone first off i'd just like to introduce myself, i just registered about an hour or 2 ago and have searched through the forums looking for some answers.

This is my first Ski-Doo, i've always ridden Polaris' up until i took my girlfriends skidoo out for a rip and quickly decided ski-doo was the sled for me. Any 440 with 15,000 miles that can keep up decently with a 3000 mile ZRT600 has got to be a pretty good sled.

Anywho a Formula STX583 popped up in the paper for a sweet price so i grabbed it. It started the second pull when we went to look at it before buying it. (felt the head it was ice cold, guy said he hadn't started it for a week, i believed him)

Started it about 4 days ago on the first pull to load it into my truck... but the ramp i had used for years decided that it should break as soon as i get a new sled. So the sled went back into the heated garage after running for about 10 minutes. Since then i haven't been able to get it started.

It is in a heated garage (heater is rarely on) that is probably at about 0 Celcius maybe up to about 5 degrees. Usually give it 2 primes a pull and then 2 more primes and a pull and it starts. Lately it sounds like its not even sparking. I decided it was probably flooded so decided to try some half throttle pulls. By the second pull it backfired and blew the airfilter off, thats when i decided i should come on here for help. Especially since i thought i remembered reading something about rave valves and backfiring and something broken.

So from what i've read thus far, the plugs could be gapped wrong and fouled, its a pain to start when warm, the primer could be dried up and ...?

Any advice on starting this thing? And holy **** does this thing take alot to pull. After about 20 pulls i was blue in the face and felt like my arms were going to fall off.

Some vitals
96 Formula STX 583 RAVE rotax /w 4500 miles
Was just in the shop and had the carbs acid bathed and compression was perfect in both cylinders 145 i believe.
Has very little gas in it, but should be enough to start it, if you think adding more gas would help i'll try that
Seems to burn oil (sprayed my ramp in oil when we were driving it up) so it may need to be adjusted.
Plugs and caps are brand new but i dont know what they're gapped to, as soon as i post this im going to pull them and find out.

 

[Z-RIDE]

Great thing about two strokes, if you know you have comp. only 3 things needed to run, fuel, air & spark.

Start simple, Pull the primer lines off carbs and pump, fuel?

Check fuel line in tank, to fuel pump, to carbs for blockage.

Check air intake for blockage.

Then check spark. Ask to make sure carbs were set up correctly.

My wifes 583 acted like that after I put new plugs in it, one was JUNK.

replaced and runs fine.

 

[RoadkillSTX]

Great thing about two strokes, if you know you have comp. only 3 things needed to run, fuel, air & spark.

Start simple, Pull the primer lines off carbs and pump, fuel?

Check fuel line in tank, to fuel pump, to carbs for blockage.

Check air intake for blockage.

Then check spark. Ask to make sure carbs were set up correctly.

My wifes 583 acted like that after I put new plugs in it, one was JUNK.

replaced and runs fine.[/b]

Checked the plugs, they were pretty fouled up cleaned them up and checked the gap, they were at .030, so i set it to .016 put the plugs back in gave it 1/4 throttle and it started first pull. Checked the airbox and it blew apart near the bottom when it backfired, guess ill pull out the epoxy later.

Seems to be working great now though, thanks for your help .

Just to be sure though, they ARE supposed to be gapped at .016-.018 correct??? Thats what i read when i was searching through the pages on here... i dont have the owners manual however.

 

[Ricks_SkiDoo]

ahh the 583 stx nice sled when running,I have had the running issues they flood pretty easy,when priming it Id have the hood open and watch to see what kind of prime your getting.. make sure its putting gas in when pushing it or dont bother to count that as a prime. I prime about 3 times and pull and it usually will fire sometimes another prime.and when it does start I use the primer only not the throttle to keep it running. But yes pulling over just plain SUCKS! I had it a couple months and had electric put right on it,life was so much easier.
and if you think its flooded hold full throttle and pull.. but check for spark make sure theres plenty of gas in the tank,ski-doo says gap at .016 I gap at .018 Its a tight gap but thats what they call for..if you look in past posts we just was talking about this gap on this same sled. Let us know if you have good fire to start,does it have new plugs you said?

 

[Ricks_SkiDoo]

cool! just noticed you had replyed before I got to lol
anyway yes .016-.018 good luck!

 

[FreezerBurnt]

You have a nice sled

these 583 are one of the all time best engines

I wish I had my old 583 under my ZR hood