87 Exciter air box removal

E

Exciter8789

New member
Joined
Feb 17, 2011
Messages
21
Age
50
Location
sw nh
I got a rodent nest in my air box. It seems that I need to remove the carbs in order to remove the air box however I thought that I read somewhere on this site that there is a way to remove it without removing the carbs. Any ideas? Also, is there a way to remove the nest without removing air box. This is a fairly impressive nest. The sled is not in a great place to work on it so if I have remove the carbs it will probably have to wait until summer.

Thanks
 
cut that louver thing off above the airbox,then reattach it with brackets,i also cut my top in half so its even easier,
 
Cutting the louver thing does make it easier, but it will actually bend pretty far out of the way if needed. You have to remove the carbs, swing the throttle and choke cables out of the way.Then remove the three bolts holding the air box to the sled. One is on a bracket on the chain case the other two are under that 3/4'' X 2" or so panel on the left side of the console. With a little wiggling it will come out. You will have to finesse the oil pump cable around the "hump" as you work the air box out. Oh yeah, disconnect the coil and cdi first. I think thats everything. Hopefully the rodents didnt use your carburators for a toilet. Mouse/rat waste does nasty things to aluminum.
 
Thanks guys. I did some experimenting on my parts sled. I think that I'm going to try disassembling the cdi side of the air box and try vacuuming the mess out from there. From what I can see the main nest is right under the cdi. Seems like some kind of mesh over the openings would have been a design improvement.
 
i actually remover the louver entirely and fiberglassed a cold air scoop right to my hood,now i can remove remove the airbox without removing carbs,makes it easy to get the boots on with the cover off and could feel the slides to sync em too.
 
I like the idea of attaching something to the hood. I'm thinking I may just attach the louver to the hood. I can prototype the parts sled so that I cut it so it fits nicely past the steering column. Air box question - Is there anything scientific about these things. It seems to be specifically designed but I don't understand the parameters. Is the point to simply direct as much fresh air as possible into the carbs? A modification that would allow me to easily block off the carbs in the offseason would be helpful. I saw your scoop on another post, looks good.
 
Exciter8789 said:
Thanks guys. I did some experimenting on my parts sled. I think that I'm going to try disassembling the cdi side of the air box and try vacuuming the mess out from there. From what I can see the main nest is right under the cdi. Seems like some kind of mesh over the openings would have been a design improvement.
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I would highly recommend removing the air box. You may get the nest, or most of it, with a vacuum, but you won't get all the hair, feces urine and any thing else that's caked on there. Might want to check under the fuel door as well, had some make a nest under there, and while they were at it, chewed a couple wires in half and put a whole in the fuel line. Your exhaust as well, had to do some cutting and welding to get that one out. Good luck
 
cooter2 said:
I would highly recommend removing the air box. You may get the nest, or most of it, with a vacuum, but you won't get all the hair, feces urine and any thing else that's caked on there. Might want to check under the fuel door as well, had some make a nest under there, and while they were at it, chewed a couple wires in half and put a whole in the fuel line. Your exhaust as well, had to do some cutting and welding to get that one out. Good luck
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X2. If you suspect a blockage in the exhaust, you could get yourself a good hot camp fire and throw the pipe in it to burn out what ever might be in it. It seems a lot of guys swear by this method and saves you cutting apart your pipe.
Also, I store my sleds with strategically placed moth balls and dryer sheets. It seems to keep the mice out of my sleds.
Keep your air box as is. I know it seems like a pain right now, but after you have the carbs out a few times (and you will) it gets easier and the better mechanic you will become. There is a cold air shroud you could install if you feel the need. It can be used with the 89-90 air box. I will also highly advise against the use of pod filters unless your sled is always stored in a heated shop. There is a area where the hood and louver meet that water/ melting snow will drip on the pto side filter. The surprise will be that your engine will be tight when you try and start it the next day due to a solid block of ice in your crankcase.
In a nut shell, the air box is actually a good thing regardless of how much you hate it at the moment.
 
I'm on board with keeping the air box. In the past I have had the exhaust and fuel door problem as well. So now a real basic question, how do I get the carbs off? I have them free on the air box side. On the motor side do I need to take the entire boot off (bolted to motor)? Also, what is the cable running to underneath the carb on cdi side? Looks like it goes to a pump. Fuel pump.. oil pump..? Should I disconnect it or try to work around it?

Thanks again for your time
 
I got the carbs off, just had to be a little more aggressive. Back to what I think is the throttle cable running to the fuel pump, how do I get that out of the way? I might be able to just push it out of the way but what is the best way to disconnect it?
 
That is the cable for the oil pump. You should be able to carefully slide it over the air box as you wiggle the box out.
 
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