The #1 failure reason for JD snowmobiles is dirty carbs. The plastic JD used in their tanks seems to leech something into the gas that produces a substance similar to Tapioca pudding when a machine sits unused and the gas isn't stabilized. This clogs jets and jams floats, and the result is a burned piston on the first ride of the new season. This tends to destroy both the pistons and cylinders, and the result is a $100 snowmobile that needs an engine rebuild. Every engine failure I've seen is for this reason - JD Owners KEEP YOUR CARBS CLEAN!

When the rev limiter in 80-84 Liquifires goes bad, it does not let the engine engage the clutch.  A quick fix is to simply disconnect it.  .

The plastic hyfax slides tend to wear rapidly near the front of the skidframe. If they wear through, the cleats will quickly wear through the aluminum slide rails causing expensive damage.

The aluminum cross shafts tend to sieze in the suspension arms. These should be removed and greased every season.

The throttle safety switchs are very fussy about proper adjustment of the throttle cable. Improperly adjusted cables will cause an ignition miss and hard starting as the switch intermittently shorts the ignition.

The center crankshaft seal fails. Dennis Kirk sells a 2-piece replacement.

Outer crankshaft seals fail. This is the biggest cause of engine failure in CCW-powered JDs, so if you see gas leaking from the seal, or if the engine is underpowered and the problem ISN'T the carb, make sure to replace your seals, or at least just the clutch side.

The seat fabric becomes hard and brittle. An uncracked seat is a rarity. The best thing to do is have it recovered.

The coils tend to go bad, replace them with OEM JD coils for maximum life.

The metal gas tanks rust when the gas goes stale inside. See above article called "Fuel System".

We hope this page will save JD owners much grief and $$$. All the sleds of then and even now all have their problems