proper belt for 1982 liquifire w/ comet 108c?

spinneyj · Post by **spinneyj** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 5:40 am

can somebody please point me to the proper belt (number, mfr, etc) for a 1982 liquifire with a comet 108c primary? I am having a bizarre trouble where after some riding, the machine bogs down/lacks power. will continue to idle, but wont even move. i suspect that perhaps the belt is incorrect and/or the clucthing needs adjustment. Have set idle, adjusted carbs, gas is good.

i am somewhat new to this, any pointers are appreciated! thanks

Liquifire 4/6 · Post by **Liquifire 4/6** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 8:10 am

I'm pretty certain the proper Deere belt would be an M69170. Not sure what's available from the aftermarket suppliers.

webman · Post by **webman** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 11:36 am

Have you checked the choke? Sounds lie it might be on a little.

spinneyj · Post by **spinneyj** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 1:58 pm

i believe the choke is set properly. carbs are adjusted properly. it starts up/warms up with choke, and putting the choke on afterwards kills the engine. the manual seemed to indicate that was proper.

i believe it has a daco max 1107 on it at the moment. i read *somewhere* that this unit would have come with a tr800 and that is what the 'deere' belt would have been for. I undertsand that often people would replace with a comet 102, but that the 108c was the more appropriate replacement and therefore would not reqaure changes to the secondary.

it is really strange, it has minimal bog on the low end, what i would have always expected from an older sled i guess, once the engine gets up over 5k or so, it goes like a bat out of hell. *except* sometimes when it gets into bog down and it cant even spin its track or move on its own. Of course, it always seems to do it at inopportune times (at the bottom while crossing a ravine...)

Riding around my fields on the hardpack where it is easy to retrieve, i cant seem to get it to do it....

very frustrating.

sdtruck · Post by **sdtruck** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 10:32 pm

I am having same proplem with sprint fire I also will try new belt I see when a person crosses jd no with differant manufactures thier dimensions are different from jd,s and they differr from name brand to name brand.

Liquifire 4/6 · Post by **Liquifire 4/6** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 10:56 pm

Just wondering if the bog you are experiencing is there in all snow conditions? Or does it occur only in deep powder snow?

spinneyj · Post by **spinneyj** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 11:30 pm

the bog seems to be there in all conditions, right now the snow is so hard you are riding on top of the crust and the bog persists although i think there may be (at least) two different causes...ill try and descirbe what im seeing:

case #1:
i played around a bit more today, riding along 5000 rpm or so in level field (on top of snow), if you just give it full throttle, it bogs down to 4500 (or so) rpms and wont come out of it until you let off. if you ease back, it ramps up and takes off all the way up to 8000+ rpms (faster than i really want to go in a bumpy field). I have the hood off at the moment, temp is 30(ish) and it seems like i can ride around the property without issue other than this annoying yet not crippling bog.

case #2: the other day, i was riding a nearby power transmission line....same temp/snow conditions except hood was in place. rode for 20-30 mins and then went to cross ravine. the bog was more pronounced and there was no power trying to go up the other side (it wasnt *that* steep)....machine stopped, i was done. after turning the machine around in waist deep snow, i let it idle for 5 mins or so....then, it would turn up enough to barely engage the track (all the while making the bogging sound)....i managed to push assist the machine up the hill. falet the primary, it was hot. put some snow on it to cool it, once it cooled down...10 mins or so, i could ride another 1000 ft. still, very little power. often had to assist the sled.

did that 2-3 times, then, all of a sudden the machine got it;s balls back and i held on and went for it....all the way back to the house, including some less than optimal roadside riding for fear of it dying again in the woods.

case 3: simialr to case #2, except the 'recovery period' was much shorter...riding around in crusty snow (breaking through) ....in fields so relatively level ground, i was able to 'manage' the bog in most cases by easing off the throttle and then easing into it again and the machine would rev right up. only once or twice was it unmanageable and i ended up at a 4500rpm 'stall' for lack of a better word.

the machine doesnt 'die', its just as if it stalls and cant get out of its own way. i dont get it.

Spitfire79 · Post by **Spitfire79** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 11:39 pm

What do the plugs look like Seems it may be a fuel issue

Jeff

Liquifire 4/6 · Post by **Liquifire 4/6** » Sun Feb 15, 2009 11:45 pm

There are a pile of things that could be causing your troubles........but I'd start by taking a real close look at the clutches. Take them both off and fully dismantle them. If you don't have the proper tools to disassemble them, find somebody who can. I'd suspect worn bushings in the primary and probably excessive wear on the flyweights and rollers. If you find no probs in the clutches, then start delving a little deeper into the fuel system. Good luck to you.

JoeRainville · Post by **JoeRainville** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:35 am

From what you are saying, it sounds like your clutch is engaging too soon. I have a nice running 84 with simular issues, and the clutch is coming in at around 4 grand. Shouldn't really hit until 5K. I am pulling it and replacing the spring with a slightly stiffer unit. I expect that will help with the low end bog.

-Rainville

spinneyj · Post by **spinneyj** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:50 am

plugs seemed 'ok', by that i mean not great but not bad though.

about half brown/dry and half black/wet....overall clean, but looked like they had gotten wet. i suspect that the wetness on them was due to me forcing through the problem trying to get out of the woods....i have never had a set of these clutches apart, will definately need to ge the right tools....

would appreciate any help/guidance/pointers on the process/tools. i believe i have seen info somewhere on this, i think ill need to do a lot of reading.

Mean Green · Post by **Mean Green** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 4:17 am

It sounds to me Sir like a crank seal/ Vacuum leak. I have never seen a comet clutch with an intermittent problem as you describe. Either they work right, or they don't. A faulty (25 year old) crank seal will be affected by heat, vacuum, engine RPM etc. and is very prone to "act up". It draws vacuum through the seal, rather than activating your fuel pump diaphragm hence starving for fuel. But, will idle nicely and fill the bowls at lower RPM giving a false reading on your plugs. Under a load while bogging down, hit the kill swich suddenly and then read your plugs. I bet they are lean. I would advise a pressure test of the crankcase as described in the FAQ section here. Anyways, the proper belt as posted earlier is the M69170, only available on ebay or from someones personnal stash as these are no longer available and the aftermarket has no dimentionally correct substitute.

Tracy

spinneyj · Post by **spinneyj** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 11:33 pm

yes, i have a m69170 that should be showing up in the next couple days. im starting simple, replace belt first. go from there.

i *believe* that the polaris belts are the replacement. mfgsupply has them, see here
http://www.mfgsupply.com/m/c/HPX5012.html?id=JnmoQuGw

same dimensions, just has the 'top cog design' to help cooling, flex, etc. assuming the ojne i have on order works out, ill order one of these as a spare i think.

i suspect this has to do with heat. since i removed the hood the other day to observe the clucthes while riding around, i havnt had the problem at all. (admitedly im staying closer to home, but still trying to make it happen...)....i went out this afternnon determined to profile the issue.

i was tearing around the fields (minus the hood) and i observed that i could really punch it and the response was great....minimal bog at all. then i ran up a long steep hill somewhat slowly (all hard pack snow) and about half way hit the throttle all the way, machine bogged down. when i let off, the machine recoverd and went right up without issue.

by that point i twas getting dark (no hood == no headlight) so i headed into the garage .

i dont know if this makes it more clear to those in the know or not.

i have the following on the table as possibilities:

-belt issue (wrong/worn belt)
-clutch not working properly (cooling primary off w/ some snow the other day seemed to help a little...it was hot to touch when i checked)
-crank seal/leak (planned rebuild of engine this summer)
-carb issue (planning a rebuild this summer)

the mystery continues...

That Girl Racing · Post by **That Girl Racing** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 9:32 am

The Dayco belt does not fit.

jdsnowfire · Post by **jdsnowfire** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 9:57 pm

i agree with liquuifire 4/6, i had the same problem with my 340 trailfire, it whould run fine then whould just not move. turned out to be that the clutches (mainly secondary) were almost completly froze with rust. took completely apart sanded the rust smooth with emery cloth put never-seeze on it and it has worked fine. you may just have to work on the secondary- it is right under the hood vent so if left uncovered water whould go right onto it- primary is more protected so it should be fine-but adding never-seeze or something like that whouldnt hurt.