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2001 RMK 800 Newb Help

F
Dec 5, 2016
5
0
1
Hi Everyone. I'm new to the forum and snowmobiles Too. I have a slight home mechanics background (hillbilly fixer). Me and 4 friends bought some snow mobiles after a drunken weekly Wednesday night poker game and a crazy idea to use snowmobile to find shed (animal horns) which we usually snow shoe in for. they are all rmk sleds (800,700,550) 98 to 2001. Mines the 2001 800 rmk. Please bare with me here i have lots of questions.

1. are the maintenance parts interchangeable between all these. ( spark plugs, Jets, belts etc.)

2. What do i need to go through before our first ride on these sled? (Part numbers and tools needed)

3. What should we carry thats a necessity tool and part wise for usual problems or break downs?

4. whats the good sites to buy the stuff from?

we are not planning on driving off the roads. using roads to get in then snow shoeing from road to find sheds. so not doing anything crazy. I'm the mechanic in the group so i usually buy the crap they pay me back and i do the work. Is there a source for picking up a service shop manual and will it work for all these machines? I've road dirt bikes and quads and utvs etc. is there any tips or things i should know before our first ride.

thanks in advance
 

retiredpop

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
Jul 3, 2001
1,349
295
83
Calgary
The carbs are all different. 2001 used flat slide Mikunis, the 550 will be Mikuni round slides and the 700 will be Keihin D slides. Jets are common between the Mikuni carbs but Keihin is different. If the sleds were ridden at the same elevation as you intend to ride at your jetting should be close to what you need. Carry a spare drive belt and spark plugs for each sled.

Pull the skid on each sled and check for bad wheel bearings. Replace as required. While you have the skid out pull the cross shafts and clean out the tubes and grease them. Check for bent shafts. There are grease nipples in the suspension but on an unknown sled it would be wise to do a thorough check instead of just greasing them. Check the hifax for wear and replace if worn badly. Drain and replace chain case oil. Check and adjust chain tension. On the 700 check the water pump belt which is under the recoil starter. If it goes the oil pump will quit. If the clutches engage smoothly and shift out okay you are probably good for now. If not and you know someone who has worked on clutches before get them to help if you think you have clutch issues or take it to the dealer. If you want to do it yourself you will need a clutch puller to remove the primary clutches and each sled may need a different puller. You can check that on the website for application. Primary clutch springs can be changed without removing the clutch from the engine by removing the 6 bolts from the cover of the clutch. . There are some specialized tools that are required if you really get into clutch overhaul. Check the wear bars on the skis and replace if necessary.

All parts can be bought from the dealer but other sites such as Ronnies http://www.ronniesmailorder.com/, Polarispartspitstop http://www.polarispartspitstop.com/, dirtcheapsnow http://www.dirtcheapsnow.com/ and others all have parts. Starting Line Products http://www.startinglineproducts.com/have clutch tools. There are lots of other places too.

You may be able to find a copy of service manual on line although you may have to pay a small fee to download it.
 
F
Dec 5, 2016
5
0
1
The carbs are all different. 2001 used flat slide Mikunis, the 550 will be Mikuni round slides and the 700 will be Keihin D slides. Jets are common between the Mikuni carbs but Keihin is different. If the sleds were ridden at the same elevation as you intend to ride at your jetting should be close to what you need. Carry a spare drive belt and spark plugs for each sled.

Pull the skid on each sled and check for bad wheel bearings. Replace as required. While you have the skid out pull the cross shafts and clean out the tubes and grease them. Check for bent shafts. There are grease nipples in the suspension but on an unknown sled it would be wise to do a thorough check instead of just greasing them. Check the hifax for wear and replace if worn badly. Drain and replace chain case oil. Check and adjust chain tension. On the 700 check the water pump belt which is under the recoil starter. If it goes the oil pump will quit. If the clutches engage smoothly and shift out okay you are probably good for now. If not and you know someone who has worked on clutches before get them to help if you think you have clutch issues or take it to the dealer. If you want to do it yourself you will need a clutch puller to remove the primary clutches and each sled may need a different puller. You can check that on the website for application. Primary clutch springs can be changed without removing the clutch from the engine by removing the 6 bolts from the cover of the clutch. . There are some specialized tools that are required if you really get into clutch overhaul. Check the wear bars on the skis and replace if necessary.

All parts can be bought from the dealer but other sites such as Ronnies http://www.ronniesmailorder.com/, Polarispartspitstop http://www.polarispartspitstop.com/, dirtcheapsnow http://www.dirtcheapsnow.com/ and others all have parts. Starting Line Products http://www.startinglineproducts.com/have clutch tools. There are lots of other places too.

You may be able to find a copy of service manual on line although you may have to pay a small fee to download it.


Thanks for the detailed help. couldn't ask for more. the 700 has an oil leak around the exhaust. ordered gaskets for that. my 800 is hard to start cold but once warmed up it runs great. we went for our first ride yesterday. what a learning experience its not like I imagined. any time we tried to go off trail we got stuck. there was 2 feet to 4 ft of powder does that make a difference. guys on newer sleds we did watch and they did not get stuck. riding on the trails sucks its so bumpy that i would rather ride off trail and I imagined us being able to go anywhere. i guess we need some tips or got the wrong sleds or it's the snow conditions.

we went with what we had for gear. first thing we all need is googles and a helmet that will not fog up. what's the lightest and best to get? second the throttle sucks. it's like you can only grip the grips with your fingers the whole time unless you could go full throttle which on the bumpy trails does not work. is there a twist throttle or smaller throttle so you can be comfortable with throttle?

thanks again.
 

retiredpop

Well-known member
Lifetime Membership
Jul 3, 2001
1,349
295
83
Calgary
Thanks for the detailed help. couldn't ask for more. the 700 has an oil leak around the exhaust. ordered gaskets for that. my 800 is hard to start cold but once warmed up it runs great. we went for our first ride yesterday. what a learning experience its not like I imagined. any time we tried to go off trail we got stuck. there was 2 feet to 4 ft of powder does that make a difference. guys on newer sleds we did watch and they did not get stuck. riding on the trails sucks its so bumpy that i would rather ride off trail and I imagined us being able to go anywhere. i guess we need some tips or got the wrong sleds or it's the snow conditions.

we went with what we had for gear. first thing we all need is googles and a helmet that will not fog up. what's the lightest and best to get? second the throttle sucks. it's like you can only grip the grips with your fingers the whole time unless you could go full throttle which on the bumpy trails does not work. is there a twist throttle or smaller throttle so you can be comfortable with throttle?

thanks again.

You'll get used to the thumb throttle with a bit of seat time. You don't want a twist throttle for sure! It will be easier on you when you relax a bit and don't use a death grip on the handlebars. Seeing as how all sleds are RMKs you do have the right sleds for deeper snow. Try to keep your momentum in deep snow. Also stand up as it really helps with your balance. When you stop try to loop back onto your track so you have a path to get going. Don't stop in deep snow facing uphill. Don't just pin it when taking off or it will just bury itself. As far as helmets and goggles there are lots of choices. Some people prefer closed face and others the motocross style with goggles.
 
F
Dec 5, 2016
5
0
1
You'll get used to the thumb throttle with a bit of seat time. You don't want a twist throttle for sure! It will be easier on you when you relax a bit and don't use a death grip on the handlebars. Seeing as how all sleds are RMKs you do have the right sleds for deeper snow. Try to keep your momentum in deep snow. Also stand up as it really helps with your balance. When you stop try to loop back onto your track so you have a path to get going. Don't stop in deep snow facing uphill. Don't just pin it when taking off or it will just bury itself. As far as helmets and goggles there are lots of choices. Some people prefer closed face and others the motocross style with goggles.

I noticed on the 800 rmk that the frame of track (hyfax? or rails?) that the rollers attach too. that on the 800 it's raised in the back of snowmobile slightly. maybe 2 in. it starts to angle up slightly right at the back. on the others when they sit on level ground they are flat all the way back. is this a problem? is it normal? if not will it effect the sled in any way?
 

Scott

Scott Stiegler
Staff member
Lifetime Membership
Nov 1, 1998
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They came with tipped up rails for a few years.
Makes it handle more like a shorter track sled.
 
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