How do i summerize my sled?

yamaholic22

yamaholic22

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Joined
Oct 23, 2003
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Location
Iowa
Snowmobile Summer Storage

Start sled and warm it all the way up.

Drain all the gas out of the tank. I use a siphon into a 5 gal gas can. Good rule is if it has a plastic gas tank drain it dry, if it has a steel tank fill it up so it does not rust.

Start sled and run it until it stops, use the enrichener as it starts to die to keep it going.

Attach your fogger lines into the carbs. On the newer triple motors you can go in at the carb boots right into the carburetors. If you have a Phazer you can pull off the small rubber plugs that cover the brass tubs that are on the intake boots, you can then put your fogger lines over the brass tubes. If it’s a twin with the boost bottle you can remove the boost bottle and make two plugs that will fit in place of the bottle and drill a hole in each one for you fogger line.

Start spraying the fogger and start the sled. The sled will run on the fogger. Use the throttle just enough to keep the sled running. Run it until it is smoking well and let the motor slowly die as you are still spraying.

I use silicon spray all over every thing, track, bogie wheels, seat seams, hood straps (leave em unhooked), wiring, hand grips, basically all the rubber stuff.

Grease the suspension. Some people will loosen the track.

To keep the mice out put steel wool or a dryer sheet up the exhaust outlet. Put tape or a dryer sheet over the air box intake, maybe through one under the hood too.

When getting ready for that first ride of the new season, put in fresh gas and pull and pull and pull. After you have all that fogger cleaned out, install new plugs or at least clean the ones that are in there.

I don't think I can stress enough about getting all the fuel out of the system for the summer, I had worked at a dealership several years ago for several years and I cannot even begin to tell you how many carbs I have cleaned because people let the gas set in the carbs all summer. Then they wonder why the sled won’t run right. Same with bikes over the winter. The jets and passages in the small carbs are not very forgiving and the gas goes bad very quickly.

Tod
 
Tod,

Does it harm the fuel pump to be dry all summer? I've typically filled the tank (plastic or no, to reduce condensation in the tank) and used Sta-bil or equivalent.

Just curious
 
BroncoDave said:
Tod,

Does it harm the fuel pump to be dry all summer? I've typically filled the tank (plastic or no, to reduce condensation in the tank) and used Sta-bil or equivalent.

Just curious
Click to expand...

Yup, yup, yup

I've always kept the tank at least half full to keep down the condensation. I use a little stabalizer and in the late fall I pump out the gas and put it in my truck. Refill the sled with fresh fuel.
 
yes there are different methods you can use. You could fill the tank and use a lot of stabil and then DRAIN it before the season and run it in something else, because cars have knock sensors and can compensate for the low octane fuel, your sled will compensate by detonating and blowing up. Do what you have to do to prevent condensation and varnish from forming, but no matter what, DO NOT run year old (or even three month old) fuel in your sled, not worth the price you will pay to play the game.
 
The way I have listed in the long post that yamaholic put in the FAQ section and above is how I have always done it and also to all the sleds at the dealership i used to work at. Never have had a problem. I think its harder on the fuel filter in the gas tank to set in fuel all the time rather than to have the system dry all summer. Have never heard of any problems with the fuel pump after being dry all summer.

Tod
 
Dryer sheets have never worked for me. I have actually had mice build nests out of the sheets! I wrap the exhaust end up in tinfoil to keep them out and place mothballs in select spots under the hood and a few by the footwells on the floorboards.
 
just found this, and it is terrific :) thanks holic, great info as always!!ahhh, I love this site. what do you recomend for fogger?? what brand and where to get it? any pics on where you shoot it in the vipers? thanks again, this is great!
 
happy fog 'en

I use yammie brand fog :),but i see stabil makes it also, how i'm going
to fog my SRX is take the air box off and get 3 cans and let 'er fly...:)
 
treat your fuel first with sea foam and run the sled - then if you want to put some stabil in and run it do that also - just to get the treated fuel into the fuel system. then fog the motor - i use two cans at a time and spray two carbs and alternate between the third. I pull the carb plus and drain the carbs. I drain the gas out of the tank and put it in my boat. You can't completely drain the tanks, so the fuel pump and lines still have treated fuel in them. I do plug up the the exhaust with something to keep the rats out.
 
Summer storage of your snowmobile

I found this on Yamaha's site too and figured I'd add it:

In the summer, the snowmobile is subjected to high temperatures that cause greater rates of chemical activity. This chemical activity acts on several areas of the snowmobile and can cause degradation of its durability the batteries may deteriorate, the seat covers may crack, and the gasoline will go stale. The purpose of storing your snowmobile properly is to try and reduce the chance of any part of it failing due to lack of use.

When storing your snowmobile, completely clean and polish it. If a solvent is first used on greasy areas, high-pressure car washers work well. However, use caution. The water can be forced past bearing seals, which will cause them to rust. With the machine, engine, and drive system clean and dry, inspect for damage, wear, or cracks. Scratches and bare metal spots can be spray-painted. Ski bottoms should also be painted.

Basic Storage Preparations:

1. Start the engine and pull on the oil pump cable to hold it open. This will allow a very rich mixture of Yamalube oil to be injected into the engine. Its purpose is to lubricate internal engine parts (such as the piston pin and bearings) that would normally see little oil if you poured it through the spark plug hole . Make sure you run the engine for 10 to 15 minutes with the oil pump cable pulled out fully. Doing so will ensure that there is sufficient Yamalube circulating throughout the engine.
2. Completely fill the fuel tank with gasoline and add a fuel conditioner/stabilizer in proper proportions to preserve the fuel. By eliminating air space in the fuel tank, you ensure that oxidization of the fuel will be minimal and condensation cannot occur.
3. Remove the carburetor float bowl drains and allow all the fuel to run out. If the fuel were to remain, the majority would evaporate, but the remainder would form a chalky residue that could block the jets and passageways. Most often when the fuel delivery is impaired, the engine fails due to the fuel/air ratio being too lean. If there is no fuel in the carburetors, problems will be minimal.
4. Remove the drive belt and make sure to store it unrolled. This prevents damage to the drive belt and clutches. If the belt were left on the machine, it would set to its installed shape and not rotate properly around the clutches when the snowmobile was put into use the following season. This also prevents the chance of condensation between the belt and clutch sheaves.
5. Take the battery out and put it in a safe place. Make sure it is out of the sunlight. Charge the battery once a month with a small charge that is rated at no more than 2 amp/hr. It is normal for the fluid level to go down both when the battery is in use and in storage. Add distilled water to the top of the fill line on the battery case if the level goes down, and recharge the battery.
6. Block off the muffler outlet, carburetor air intake, cooling system intake and outlet holes. This will prevent small animals from building nests. Animal nesting may cause damage or impair performance.
7. Reduce the tension on the track by loosening the track tensioning bolts to their limit. This prevents the track from stretching and cracking during the storage period.
8. Disassemble the secondary clutch and grease the sheave bushing if required. Not all models require this. Check your manual to see if it is applicable.
9. Coat all exposed metal surfaces nuts, bolts, fasteners with a preserving oil like WD40. This will prevent them rusting. Keep the oil away from plastic and rubber parts so they don't deteriorate.

Store the snowmobile in a dry place away from all sources of moisture and animals (birds and rodents). The snowmobile should be loosely covered and stored on blocks. Blocks should be placed under the front bumper and rear frame. The track and skis should be suspended above the floor. Do not start the engine during the storage period, as this may remove the oil from inside the engine.
 
so lets say i empty out all my fuel in gas tank and i run my machine till the engine dies,i can just put the fogging oil in from the air box? also by letting my machine run dry will all the gas in the carbs be gone?

last year i filled my machine up with stabilizer ,i think 3 cans i ran the engine for a couple minutes then let it sit till fall. in the fall when i tryed starting her it took me about 1 hour of cranking and messing around. i think i will try the fogging method this year

any thoughts?
 
92vwgti said:
so lets say i empty out all my fuel in gas tank and i run my machine till the engine dies,i can just put the fogging oil in from the air box? also by letting my machine run dry will all the gas in the carbs be gone?

last year i filled my machine up with stabilizer ,i think 3 cans i ran the engine for a couple minutes then let it sit till fall. in the fall when i tryed starting her it took me about 1 hour of cranking and messing around. i think i will try the fogging method this year

any thoughts?
Click to expand...
I don't know if it will run just on fog oil alone,never tryed it, fog it first than
drain carbs if you want.

there will still be some gas in the bowl after running till it stalls,just open
the drain screw on the carb bowls..

i keep the gas in my tank and in my carbs with stabil,that way nothing
dry's out in the carbs..
 
so when every one says silicone spray what do you mean? because I got some silicone spray that is made by liquid wrench but it smells just like WD-40 And I don't think that would be good for rubber and the seat. So I guess what I am asking is what should I put on my seat to keep it nice?

silver
 
crap now I`m confused. I`ve heard so many different ways to store it. My buddy says he starts his all the time during the summer and never had problems. Another friends say to drain all gas and fog it. another says keep gas and run stabilizer in it. I might just take mine to the dealer and have them do it. :o| :o| :o| :o| :o| :o|
 
There's so many ways to summerize a sled. All I know is that I had a 250 Bravo that sat for 3 1/2 years with just Stabil in it, and started the second pull. I pulled the carb and it was just like new. Granted the gas probably wasn't the best, but I ran that tank through it and there were no problems. I've done this with every sled I've owned. Just try different ways, and find what you like.
 
stretchSXV said:
crap now I`m confused. I`ve heard so many different ways to store it. My buddy says he starts his all the time during the summer and never had problems. Another friends say to drain all gas and fog it. another says keep gas and run stabilizer in it. I might just take mine to the dealer and have them do it. :o| :o| :o| :o| :o| :o|
Click to expand...
I don't think any are a wrong way,just pick one and do it,we all have
our way's..
 
VenomMod said:
There's so many ways to summerize a sled. All I know is that I had a 250 Bravo that sat for 3 1/2 years with just Stabil in it, and started the second pull. I pulled the carb and it was just like new. Granted the gas probably wasn't the best, but I ran that tank through it and there were no problems. I've done this with every sled I've owned. Just try different ways, and find what you like.
Click to expand...
Yea i hear ya..love Stabil..
 
I hate armor all. I know it is popular, but it leaves a nasty film and does nothing to really condition. go for mothers rubber and vinyl protectant, it lasts a LOT longer, smells better, and seems to dry with less ooze left over while still protecting very well!
 
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