Hard Steering

[rmkrazi]

Just picked up an 800R Summit and upon taking it out for a short rip the steering will bind up when accelerating/skis in the air. I disconnected the tie rod ends and confirmed the bind isn't in the steering system. With the rod ends disconnected, there is still a considerable amount of binding on both skis. So where is this occurring is my question. My first thought was it may be that the sled was wrecked and things are twisted/out of alignment. But upon closer inspection that doesn't really seem to be the case as the bulkhead looks straight with no signs of damage other than maybe a small wreck that damaged some plastics/bumper at some point. I also disconnected the upper control arm on one side and after doing so the ski would move freely. Is this indicative of worn ball joints/spindles/control arm bushings? If so, is there a good kit out there that resolves this. Thanks!

 

[EternalWinter]

One thing that will do that is having too long of a shock on the front. Fully extended the XM/XP would catch a bit when all the weight was of the front end....
Might also check that the steering rod ends are flat/parallel at the attachment areas and not twisted up so one might look fine but puts the other end at a bad angle to catch, mainly the ones that attach to steering tube.

 

[rmkrazi]

One thing that will do that is having too long of a shock on the front. Fully extended the XM/XP would catch a bit when all the weight was of the front end....
Might also check that the steering rod ends are flat/parallel at the attachment areas and not twisted up so one might look fine but puts the other end at a bad angle to catch, mainly the ones that attach to steering tube.

Now that I think of it, the seller mentioned something along the lines of narrowing the ski stance from stock. How is this usually achieved and what components are necessary to make this work correctly. I've confirmed the shocks are stocker 16.5" but not really sure about the rest. Another thing I read somewhere is the upper control arms being installed opposite.

 

[EternalWinter]

Now that I think of it, the seller mentioned something along the lines of narrowing the ski stance from stock. How is this usually achieved and what components are necessary to make this work correctly. I've confirmed the shocks are stocker 16.5" but not really sure about the rest. Another thing I read somewhere is the upper control arms being installed opposite.

The ski stance is just the moving of the black spacer from one side of the ski bolt to the other. Ideally, the ski should be centered in the ski. Steers better, ski rubbers last longer, and spindle bushings last longer. One way to see what is binding is to set the front end up on a milk crate (or similar) so the skis are off the ground. Take the shocks off so you can cycle the suspension freely. Put a board under and across the skis and jack up the board to simulate suspension movement. See where it looses the binding. You could try this with the shocks on but might be harder to tell. Soften the shocks all the way down might work better if leaving them on. I would check the steering rod ends first though and make sure the ones on the bottom of the steering tube aren't just crooked/cocked in an incorrect way at full extension.

 

[bnorth]

Are the tie rods attached to the spindle in the right spot? Ie on top of the spindle.