Anyone added a fuel primer?

Cherrypicker

Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2010
Messages
72
Age
77
Location
Michigan
I have, 3 700SX machines, and 1 SRX. All but one are manual start, and if I don't in some way prime the carbs, it takes sometimes at least 20 pulls on the starter rope to get them fired up. After than it it generally a 1-2 pull to get them going. I don't know if it's that the fuel, possibly the more volatile HCs evap off or what? As I am 73, I really don't enjoy that much anymore, and I will typically pour a bit of gas down the air cleaner opening and get good results except for the one time I set the SRX on fire. I realize the air box has drain holes in the bottom. I have used some aerosol cans of starter fluid, not sure it it's ether or not. In any case, I know some sleds Skidoos, at least used to employ a primer system, just wondering if anyone has experienced the same thing as I and have taken steps to include a primer set up, any what you may have done.

I can't be the only one with this issue, as it exists throughout all my SX or SRX's.

I've considered some ways of doing this, one might be to pressurize the tank, forcing the fuel through the fuel pump and raising fuel level in float bowl, not sure check valves in pump might prevent this. The other thing possibly, well maybe it is just easier to continue to do it the way I have.
 

I would clean the carbs on them things. I have never had to pull more than 4-5 times, unless something was wrong. Usually only 1 pull does the trick
 
I will sometimes use a can of carb and choke cleaner, spray a generous amount in the top of the air box with throttles open all the way, will go usually first pull.
I do that when I first put carbs on when they are empty.
 
I have a primer bulb on my 2-stroke boat engine and use it all the time. Especially when its cold. Many of my original sleds had primer bulbs as well. And being pull rope start, using primer squeeze bulb was a must. With this in mind, why not install a primer bulb on 1 of your sleds? Give it a try and see if it helps. If a non-standard primer squeeze bulb helps that much on one sled, then install on the other sleds as well. And if it doesn't help, it's a very lost cost roll back (to factory build).

Note: Only install on Carb systems. Not too sure if I would install a squeeze primer bulb on EFI systems.

Hope this helps...
 
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if my carbed sleds have been sitting for over a month, they are a bear to pull start as the gas evaporates out of the carbs. if they do not light off by 5th pull, i pull the plugs and put a teaspoon (roughly) of gas in each cylinder. some times i need to do it 2-3 times but it fires them up much easyer.
 


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