Restoration of Liquifire

[jrambler]

A few days ago I posted my first message about my Liquifire. Against my better judgement I have decided I want to spend the time to get the sled in good mechanical condition so I can ride it around my place and the neighbors farm.

Please keep in mind I'm very new to snowmobile mechanics as I describe my intentions and ask for your advice.

Last year I had it running but it was hard to start and the bolts on the block behind the clutch kept coming loose and binding on the back of the clutch. (??) I can't see anyway to pull that clutch without getting the engine out of the sled. With that in mind my plan is to pull engine, determine why those bolts keep coming loose and recondition the rest of the engine. By that I mean check any and all know areas of wear and tear and replace them. I've been reading other posts (trying to get familiar with snowmobile lingo) and things like seals are mentioned frequently. I also plan on rebuilding the carbs, etc.

I need input on what to check and what to replace if necessary.

Is there a Restoring Sleds for Dummies book? I bought a "How to rebuild Ford Smallblocks" and used that to rebuild a 289.

Also, where is best place to get these seals or whatever else is needed?

I guess what I'm trying to avoid is saying "If I had it to do over again, I would have............first"

Sorry for the long post.

Thanks for any and all input!!!

[harleysportster]

jrambler ,
There is no need to remove the engine to remove the clutch. The clutch is removed by first removing the mounting bolt in the end and threading in the proper clutch puller which pushes the clutch off of the crankshaft. There is a hole in the side of the belly pan which may still have the original block-off plug in it, which allows a socket using a extension to remove the mounting bolt. The bolt is removed best with a air impact wrench, but can be removed by hand but holding the clutch from spining is another issue. The loose bolts sound like they are the small bolts holding the outer seal cover in place. Use locktite and reinstall them.
The crankshaft has outer seals on both ends. These seals dry out and allow a air leak which causes a lean condition and can burn down or melt a piston. Given the age of the machine, I would replace both crank seals anyway.
The crank seals are labeled to there location. The seal behind the clutch is known as PTO(power take off)side
The seal behind the flywheel is called the MAG ( magneto) seal
There are aftermarket engine and suspension parts available from vendors like:
http://www.centralsnowmobile.com/
http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/common/Front...TKSM4VMDK0NKIV0
http://www.mfgsupply.com/cgi-bin/cat.cgi/i...tml?id=sD9ePEmi
http://www.shadetreepowersports.com/
If you are serious about restoring the sled, I highly recommend getting a factory service manual from John Deere, 1-800-522-7448.
You will need the serial number stamped on the right side of the tunnel and a credit card.
As an alternative, ebay has a generic service manual,
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ARCTIC-CAT-...bayphotohosting

Hard starting is usually carb related. The carbs should be cleaned thoroughly every year to function properly. Check this link out for a break down of the carbs.
http://home.comcast.net/~psshd/carbpicture/mikunicarb.jpg
Basic diagnosis starts with checking
compression
fresh gas and filters
clean carbs
check for spark(this engine has a cdi ignition. Do not turn engine over without having the spark plugs plugged in, laying on heads or threaded in , or cdi damage is possible.)
fresh spark plugs
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask or email me direct at psshd@yahoo.com
Harley