First let me say that I really appreciate this forum! There is a ton of great information here and great people willing to help others!
My story: I purchased a 81 Trailfire 440 back in Jan 2016. Odometer showed 1,400 miles on it. This is my first sled and knew I would be investing some time and money in getting it up to snuff. I am pretty good with tools and enjoy working on mechanical stuff. I only got to ride it for about 2 hours this season. Never got above 40 MPH for most of that time as I was given little kids rides. I did take it up to 50 MPH a couple of times for about 100 yds and then backed off. The weather here has not been conducive to snowmobiling so I have been reading old posts and have acquired a set of manuals in the mean time. The engine starts easy within 1 to 2 pulls. Once its warm it always starts in 1 pull. I did notice ,during the one time I got to ride it, that it has a lack of throttle response and was idling erratically. I thought that it was due to the K&N air cleaner the P.O. had installed. So I purchased the correct air box and installed it. It did run better with the airbox but the throttle response was still sluggish. So I backed out the air screw from one turn open to two turns open and the engine became very responsive and idled better. It also smoked a lot due the richer carb setting. So I figured I had a vacuum leak somewhere. I took out my can of carb cleaner and sprayed the intake manifold connection, carb connection and two crankshaft seals. Whala the PTO crankshaft seal is leaking. The engine tried to die while I was spraying the PTO crankshaft seal with the carb cleaner. So a reseal of this engine is required and I only hope I didn't damage anything during my 2 hours of putting around.
Compression Readings:
PTO Side Cylinder = 145 PSI
Mag Side Cylinder = 143 PSI.
Readings were taken with the engine stone cold outdoors with a 25 degree F reading with the throttle wide open Choke off. I checked the readings twice per cylinder using 4 pulls per cylinder.
My Plan for the engine:
1. Pull the engine, disassemble it and inspect everything. Replace what's needed and reseal and reinstall. This includes replacing the 3 O-rings on the crankshaft as well.
Questions
* Can I remove the primary clutch by using the OEM clutch bolt using the oil or grease technique? Or do I need to get a clutch removal tool?
* It looks like the flywheel can be removed using a steering wheel puller. I can fab up a flywheel holder myself with my MIG welder if needed.
* Any tips on the crankshaft O-ring replacement? I have found a source for the O-rings and not interested in the other style of seal. It appears that the O-rings will require a bit of stretching to install!
Tools I need to buy:
* CLUTCH ALIGNMENT TOOL JDM-81
Any other recommendations before I start? Anyone out there have the tools needed for sale?
Here is a pic of the engine as it is today
- 81 Trailfire 440 Engine
Hec