97 Vmax - Powder proof?

L

LostTechnique

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Hey guys, first post here. Not very experienced with snowmobile mechanics but I live in high rockies colorado and I like taking my vmax out on the 5 ft powder days.

Now my question would be, when I'm riding in the powder my sled REALLY hates it after about an hour of hard riding. Is this sled able to handle the snow that gets into the engine? I was thinking about ultra fine mesh to keep the snow out yet allow airflow for the engine. But it also very well could be an underlying engine problem.

The guy I bought it off cleaned the carbs last Summer and didn't use the sled since so I was the first to use it after the cleaning. Could that be a possible problem as well? The snowmobile only has 1500 miles. Very mint condition

I also started using 91 instead of the 87 I normally use and it has been acting funny. Too rich possible?

Any help appreciated! Thanks
 
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Welcome to the site. Yes a good carb clean is in order reguardless. Its been sitting way to long to trust the last carb clean. Is this a 700 tripple or the 600 twin? The tripple has a midrange bog also that reed spacers or the reed stopper notch will help with . Also the powder will play havek inside the sled with cooling the exhaust ect..... The fine filters is a good idea also. always run the best gas you can afford. 91 is fine.
 
set yourself up with an exhaust deflector. easiest one to install is the external portion from an 03 mtn viper. dont get the backing plate, just the deflector.

as mentioned, screen off the intakes with material like frogskin (pantyhose works well, i steal my wifes footies)and dont be afraid to confirm carb cleanliness. your intake for air starts just below the gauge pod and right above the fuel tank. if the filter screen is missing, that might be part of the problem. on a sled of that vintage, its not uncommon for that filter to be gone. of all my sleds, the vmax's were the least to ingest snow through the hood to cause running issues. if you have the stock pipe, even less of an issue. aftermarket pipes wether your sled being twin 6 or triple are susceptible to instant cooling by snow blasts.

air in(hood filter)air out(exhaust outlet) is the key if everything else is in good to go condition.
 
snowdad4 said:
set yourself up with an exhaust deflector. easiest one to install is the external portion from an 03 mtn viper. dont get the backing plate, just the deflector.

as mentioned, screen off the intakes with material like frogskin (pantyhose works well, i steal my wifes footies)and dont be afraid to confirm carb cleanliness. your intake for air starts just below the gauge pod and right above the fuel tank. if the filter screen is missing, that might be part of the problem. on a sled of that vintage, its not uncommon for that filter to be gone. of all my sleds, the vmax's were the least to ingest snow through the hood to cause running issues. if you have the stock pipe, even less of an issue. aftermarket pipes wether your sled being twin 6 or triple are susceptible to instant cooling by snow blasts.

air in(hood filter)air out(exhaust outlet) is the key if everything else is in good to go condition.
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Thanks for the response guys! I did drill out my can so its not completely stock and its a 700 triple. I'm definitely going to look into the viper deflector piece... Funny thing is; I actually have two of the exact same sleds ( basically same mileage ) and mine racks up more miles even when trail riding the exact same distance. Also, today when riding, I was out of gas and the other sled had quarter tank still...the other one seemed to have no problems whatsoever all day in deep a** pow

Will have to take a look at filter screen as well

Also, will carbs mess up anything else if they aren't cleaned asap? There's not much left to the season and it's quite hard for me to get to my snowmobiles as they are 2 hours away in the mountains. It'd be easier to tough it out for the season but I'm not sure that's a good idea..
 
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A lean a/f mixture is killer to a 2 stroke. The pilot jet is the smallest and clogs the soonest (usually won't/low idle) and is a good sign of the need for cleaning.

If you have no issues with low/no idle, you'll probably find them clean but if some smutz is floating around in the bowl and even partially clogs the main jet, prepare for a visit from Mr. Sweaky. IOW, you can burn a piston. Read Mr. Viper's carb clean 101 before you head up and tear into them for piece of mind.
 
snomofo said:
A lean a/f mixture is killer to a 2 stroke. The pilot jet is the smallest and clogs the soonest (usually won't/low idle) and is a good sign of the need for cleaning.

If you have no issues with low/no idle, you'll probably find them clean but if some smutz is floating around in the bowl and even partially clogs the main jet, prepare for a visit from Mr. Sweaky. IOW, you can burn a piston. Read Mr. Viper's carb clean 101 before you head up and tear into them for piece of mind.
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Awesome! Thank you so much for that tutorial. The pics make it 100x better. Will definitely be checking that out as I think it's what's causing this problem. I know I used ethanol gas three or four times not having any other gas stations around so that didn't help either- I've read that ethanol gas can plug up carbs

And I did have a rare problem with low idle - if I was going through sections with alot of quick turns, as soon as I'd go to hit the gas from coasting it would bog and I'd have to choke it real quick to get it back. At first I was thinking TORS but it could be bad carbs.
 
What helps ALOT, is blocking off the four underhood intake vents. These are the ones that are visible only from the inside. They are at the top of the hood when it is open. They supply warm air from the engine compartment to the air/slush box. By blocking these 4 vents off, the engine is only able to get cold air from the outside and not the steam coming from under the hood. Ensure all of the sealing foams are in good shape as well. I have supplemented them with standard old weather striping. The external foam where all of the air will be coming from should be in EXCELLANT condition when doing this. Don't want to injest any snow.
 
A couple of bucks said:
What helps ALOT, is blocking off the four underhood intake vents. These are the ones that are visible only from the inside. They are at the top of the hood when it is open. They supply warm air from the engine compartment to the air/slush box. By blocking these 4 vents off, the engine is only able to get cold air from the outside and not the steam coming from under the hood. Ensure all of the sealing foams are in good shape as well. I have supplemented them with standard old weather striping. The external foam where all of the air will be coming from should be in EXCELLANT condition when doing this. Don't want to injest any snow.
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Very interesting, I never even thought of that; will have to look into it tomorrow when I'm cleaning carbs. I suppose that would work even better than messing with the mesh.

I'm going to order the exhaust deflector and look into sealing things up a bit. After that it should be good to go.

The track is holding up good so far and the snow is incredibly fluffy here so I don't get stuck too easily. It's amazing what the vmax 121 will do!! We are supposed to get another 2-3 ft. tomorrow, I'm hoping everything runs smoothly.

Also...I'm curious how long does it take you guys on average to clean your carbs? It seems like you could bang it out if you know what you are doing

@Batwolf - I sled up in the Grand lake area. Its the closest to where I live, and there are a ton of trails. I used to live in Avon but never got a chance to sled up that way, is it any good?
I also read Wolf Creek was calling for 86"...that's insane
 
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It sounds like Durango area is going get tuned up really good.
For the warm air intake job, I cleaned the inside and outside of the holes w/ Naptha. I had some 3M Electrical Sealant on hand so I used that. Put tape on both sides of the holes.
 

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A couple of bucks said:
It sounds like Durango area is going get tuned up really good.
For the warm air intake job, I cleaned the inside and outside of the holes w/ Naptha. I had some 3M Electrical Sealant on hand so I used that. Put tape on both sides of the holes.
Click to expand...
Also, finish off the job with a heat gun to the tape. It makes a solid bonded surface once heated and fused together.
 
nails said:
It takes me about an h our to clean my carbs.
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It took me two hours just to try and get the damn carbs out this morning with no success lol drove 4 hours for nothing but I'm bringing it to sled mechanic tomorrow. I started it up and it really sounds like shit. At idle it's insanely loud and barely had any throttle response. I noticed smoke coming from where my exhaust meets the pipe, not sure if that's what's possibly causing this because the other snowmobile runs perfect.

I did flip the sled twice, would that have done any internal damage?

@ couple bucks- Thanks for all the tips man. I appreciate it. will definitely be doing this mod and I will be sure to post pics when finished
 
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