97 SX 700 Winterized at the dealer. Did I get suckered?

C

comatoast

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Well, I know Im gonna get alot of crap for this as even I think its really high priced.. But

Brought it to the shop to pull the carbs, clean/adjust reinstall, pull the gas tank flush/clean the fuel system, check spark, wires, coils etc and do a leakdown/compression test


The sled was running ok last year, but when I went to put it on the trailer a week ago, it would bog everytime I hit the throttle , then pop and backfire a bit, then die.. Working 6 days a week, and not knowing exactly how to adjust and clean everything I brought it in and they charged me $450.. I will have the complete list of what they did tomorrow, but just going by a few things he told me on the phone call..

Are the triples THAT touchy when it comes to carb adjustments? He said it is the small jets on the triples that like too clog up and create problems, true?

Also there was a continuing problem from last year.. That being after I rode it for a bit and it was all warmed up, once you shut it down it was a pita to start up again... When cold it was fine, but after it was warm, you had to go nuts, pulling the recoil about 10-12 times as fast and hard as you could... Would that have been a carb related issue?


I just hope the $450 is justified as its about 1/3 of what the sled is worth :(
 
Shops charge 100 bucks to clean carbs up here.Yes the small jets do clog up very easy but.....there is no need to adjust just remove the jets and clean up with a small wire and carb cleaner.Good writeups in the tech sections on this.

You might have a weak stator if it is hard warm starting and you have been giving a small amount of throttle when pulling.
 
OUCH......hate to say it but it sounds like you got suckered...So to speak. How badly depends on that list you provide tomorrow. Those "small jets" are pilots and yes they like to plug up. No they are not "that" touchy. All the info can be found for free on here. The silver lining is based on you don't have time to do it or learn how to do it then the $450 is CHEAPER than a burn down repair bill. I was intimidated by carbs myself. Called around and got prices.........Told my self I can learn how to do it or pay out my wazoo and HOPE the guy I pay to do it knows what he is doing. ZERO dollars thus far paying some one else. As far as PITA starting when warm, crack the throttle 1/8 the way or so...should fire right up
 
Thanks guys. Now why would it be the stator,? And how long on average should it take to pull the carbs , clean etc? I'm pissed and need some ammo when I pick up my sled tomorrow... Especially after just getting off the phone with 2 shops. Both were between 140-190 to clean the fuel system, syphon the tank, pull off and clean the carbs...

Is there any way to get a larger pilot or will that mess up the entire air fuel setup..?

Sorry guys just really frustrated at myself on this.

Also what plugs do you recommend

Thanks again
 
Devilin AblueDress! said:
OUCH......hate to say it but it sounds like you got suckered...So to speak. How badly depends on that list you provide tomorrow. Those "small jets" are pilots and yes they like to plug up. No they are not "that" touchy. All the info can be found for free on here. The silver lining is based on you don't have time to do it or learn how to do it then the $450 is CHEAPER than a burn down repair bill. I was intimidated by carbs myself. Called around and got prices.........Told my self I can learn how to do it or pay out my wazoo and HOPE the guy I pay to do it knows what he is doing. ZERO dollars thus far paying some one else. As far as PITA starting when warm, crack the throttle 1/8 the way or so...should fire right up
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x2. The pop and back fire could be the TORRS.
 
bad stators act funny when they are hot, like weak spark and would explain why its hard to start. just out of curiosity, do you crack the throttle when warm starting? my sxr is like this but will start 1 pull with the throttle cracked. i can do all 3 carbs within an hour and have it running again. thats just to do carbs. and i run br9es
 
Torrs. I remember reading on it but is skipping my mind...is it the idle adjustment?

No I never cracked the throttle when starting. I never had to in the past .. It never had trouble starting when warm. Always first pull.

I think I ran the br9es iirc. So thanks for the reassurance :)

Anything I can do to keep it running good once this expensive mess is done? Any fuel additives or anything?

I run 93 octane but our gas here is crap

Thanks again everyone for the quick replies
 
comatoast said:
Thanks guys. Now why would it be the stator,? And how long on average should it take to pull the carbs , clean etc? I'm pissed and need some ammo when I pick up my sled tomorrow... Especially after just getting off the phone with 2 shops. Both were between 140-190 to clean the fuel system, syphon the tank, pull off and clean the carbs...

Is there any way to get a larger pilot or will that mess up the entire air fuel setup..?

Sorry guys just really frustrated at myself on this.

Also what plugs do you recommend

Thanks again
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Did they give you any kind of estimate? Did they do anything else? That's what the "depends on the list" was about. If it needed other parts (coils/caps/plugs) parts can add up quick. Do anything with chain case? Drain, clean/inspect, refill. Easy enough to rack up $450 for other stuff. I would run BR9ES in that as well. If your not cracking the throttle for warm start up try it before you start looking into stator replacemnet
 
comatoast said:
Torrs. I remember reading on it but is skipping my mind...is it the idle adjustment?

No I never cracked the throttle when starting. I never had to in the past .. It never had trouble starting when warm. Always first pull.

I think I ran the br9es iirc. So thanks for the reassurance :)

Anything I can do to keep it running good once this expensive mess is done? Any fuel additives or anything?

I run 93 octane but our gas here is crap

Thanks again everyone for the quick replies
Click to expand...

TORS (Throttle Over Ride System) Is a safety feature. Most often false trigger is when throttle cable is to tight. I believe you need 2.5MM gap(in the crack between lever and block, right next to your hand on throttle) in the throttle lever BEFORE it starts to pull on carbs. If you adjust your throttle cable right down so as soon as lever is moving its moving the carb arm you will trigger it every time
 
Devilin AblueDress! said:
Did they give you any kind of estimate? Did they do anything else? That's what the "depends on the list" was about. If it needed other parts (coils/caps/plugs) parts can add up quick. Do anything with chain case? Drain, clean/inspect, refill. Easy enough to rack up $450 for other stuff. I would run BR9ES in that as well. If your not cracking the throttle for warm start up try it before you start looking into stator replacemnet
Click to expand...

Man. As far as what I know , unless the paperwork tells me something tomorrow... ThAts not including anything but diagnosis and labor... I really might be a not so polite customer tomorrow if this is just a carb cleaning with a compression/leakdown test..

I myself dropped the skid ,changed all bearings on the wheels, clutch , chain case , new track etc last year... So that should be pretty good... For $450 I would expect NOTHING less than a 100% overview of the sled...
 
Devilin AblueDress! said:
TORS (Throttle Over Ride System) Is a safety feature. Most often false trigger is when throttle cable is to tight. I believe you need 2.5MM gap(in the crack between lever and block, right next to your hand on throttle) in the throttle lever BEFORE it starts to pull on carbs. If you adjust your throttle cable right down so as soon as lever is moving its moving the carb arm you will trigger it every time
Click to expand...


Thank you. I'm sure they will adjust all that in the service, but its good to know for me as well as next season I'm going at this in October.

I think it was just all the fine tuning and precision dialing in of the carbs is what I was scared of... If the jets are wrong or the fuel screws weren't turned to the exact same spot on all carbs etc etc...


Also he did say that when he is adjusting my carbs that he will put a vacuum line or something on it to make sure they are all dialed in perfectly?
 
Well, given the tech could have spent up to 3 hrs of labor for a proper cleaning and adjustment, as well as fuel tank flush, ect ect ect. Now, we are at $80 an hr. So we would have figured $240 plus fuel, cleaner, and fuel treatment. If the ski's were aligned, the track aligned, and clutches aligned, add an additional hr. This is in Northern Indiana. Some areas are more, some are less.
 
Yea I understand it takes time. But a compression and leakdown take what 30 minutes? Checking the spark about 5? Then just a standard carb cleaning with pulling the old gas out, 2 hours? So at $85/hr ThAts about $250.. Where is the other $200 coming from.
 
$450 is a heck of a lot for labor only (no parts). I prefer to do my carbs myself just because then I know how they look inside. If you took a skid apart once then the carbs would be a cake job... time permitting.
 
Yea I know. I'll be watching a few how to vids and reading the tech section on here next year... I am supposed to pick it up today. But he still hasn't called which is odd since he had it since Friday and said he started it Saturday and was working on it yesterday when I stopped in...

I am really interested to see what the work sheet/ bill says. Considering they have not put one part on it and it's just labor.

How long should it take a descent mechanic to pull the gas tank, clean the fuel system , and r&r the carbs.? 3 hours max?
 
Well he still didn't call today.. These carbs must be just a bitch!! He's been working on it for 2 full and 1/2 days..... According to him..
 
Not sure what he would be doing. I can clean a set of triple carbs and reinstall in about 45 min. And that's with stopping for a beer in between each carb. Might want to do some checking into tomorrow.
 
super1c said:
Not sure what he would be doing. I can clean a set of triple carbs and reinstall in about 45 min. And that's with stopping for a beer in between each carb. Might want to do some checking into tomorrow.
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Will do... Hell I could have flown you here and paid you $100 for the cost of this... What a friggin mess....
 
dblshock said:
What kind of 'shop' is this? dealer?
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Its a local arctic cat dealer .. They sell atvs, boats and sleds.. ONLY went to them because I was able to get my sled in ASAP, instead of waiting at the local Yamaha dealer for another 2 weeks.. The yamaha dealer wanted $300 for the full system cleaning and carbs..

He just called.. $452 .. and thats no parts, just labor .. I got screwed, lesson learned..


OH... on top of my awesome double charged bill, He informed me that my clutch is shot.. ( its been squeeking for the last 2 seasons )


So any suggestions on where to find a good clutch for this? I guess if there was anytime to upgrade, it would be now :/
 
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