R
This is going to be a little bit of a rant so please bear with me because I do need some help at the end of my little tyrade.
I love sleds, I love riding sleds, hell I even love working on sleds, but I am about ready to pull my hair out. I have an 08' M1k ( the sled in my sig). This will be my third season on it and I am just sick and tired of chasing problems.
The first season I owned it everything was going great. Riding it here in the low, flat country had me feeling really excited to get it into the mountains. Unfortunately, the first day I had it out west I started encountering problems with the electrical system. I had just landed a big jump out of a washout straight into a side hill when it just died on me. We couldn't get it restarted until we had the tow rope hooked up and I decided to give it one more pull just in case it would start. Apparently the universe likes irony because it started at that point. It started, but it was throwing random error codes up on the gauge. I think I counted a total of 8 different codes that would cycle in random order. I took it to the cat dealer in Laramie and they told me it was the primary clutch and charged me a cool grand for a new clutch plus labor. The original clutch did have a bad roller, but that was NOT the problem. Needless to say, I spent the whole trip trying to troubleshoot my sled while the other guys were off riding.
After that (last year) I decided that I was going to go through everything and really make sure that I had a good reliable ride. I did some updates to the motor including a pipe, can, big air intake, reeds, oil delete, and I sent both the clutches out to slp to be balanced and setup to there specs (Don't do this! SLP failed to tell me that my secondary was shot when I sent it to them and they charged me full price to install rock rollers, helix, and spring. I rode it for a week and blew 3 belts. Cat dealer took it off and put it on the bench and showed me how wore it was. A new secondary and I haven't blown a belt in 300 miles. I attempted to get my money back from slp for the labor on that clutch, but they wouldn't work with me). I pulled the entire electrical system out and checked every square inch for rubs, cuts, burns, anything that might cause a problem. I replaced the CCU and sent the ECU out for a reflash. I pulled the diamond drive and replaced every bearing and seal. I even did the 09' tunnel update and the 09' e-reverse update. There was more, but I'm sure you get the picture. The first (and only) trip I took last year was to Togwotee with a few fellow snowesters that I met on the site. The sled ran great the whole trip! My happiness was short lived though because the same electrical gremlin came back to haunt me two days after I got back from Tog. I had to cancel two other trips that I had scheduled last year because the ole M1k was acting up. Finally, right at the end of the riding season I was able to get it figured out (ended up being the exhaust sensor).
This year (takes a breath to calm down) I pulled it out of storage and it was running good. I rode it about a mile before I pulled it in the shop for the pre-season inspection. During the inspection I found some cracks in the bulkhead which is not uncommon in the m series. So I tore it down to the bare aluminum and took her in to get fixed up. The welder did a great job of fixing the cracks and I was reassembling in no time. Last night I was in the home stretch and thought maybe I would have the post assembly maiden voyage today. Alas, my dreams were dashed. I noticed some 2 cycle oil on the shop floor under the engine and realized it was coming out of a breather hole that goes to the water pump shaft. At that point I decided to pull the plug on the bottom of the case where the oiler used to connect (I have a small reservoir and a line connected to it that I fill every other ride to make sure that the pump drive stays lubed). When I pulled the plug there were a bunch of brass shavings that came out. :mad2: I tore down the engine today. The pistons look fantastic. The cylinders look fantastic. Everything looks fantastic except for the brass gear that drives the water pump. Its not terrible, but the ridges are razor sharp so I am sure that it won't last much longer.
It's just one thing after another. All I wanted was a reliable sled. I loved it when it was running good, but all these problems are making me crazy.
There, rant over.
First question is about the crank. Can I get it sent out and have a new gear put in it? I am going to do a top end while I have it tore down. Can I hone the nicasil plated cylinders? What else should I be looking for while I am doing this? I have done a lot of engine rebuilds both 2 and 4 stroke, but this is my first cat.Thanks for your help.
I love sleds, I love riding sleds, hell I even love working on sleds, but I am about ready to pull my hair out. I have an 08' M1k ( the sled in my sig). This will be my third season on it and I am just sick and tired of chasing problems.
The first season I owned it everything was going great. Riding it here in the low, flat country had me feeling really excited to get it into the mountains. Unfortunately, the first day I had it out west I started encountering problems with the electrical system. I had just landed a big jump out of a washout straight into a side hill when it just died on me. We couldn't get it restarted until we had the tow rope hooked up and I decided to give it one more pull just in case it would start. Apparently the universe likes irony because it started at that point. It started, but it was throwing random error codes up on the gauge. I think I counted a total of 8 different codes that would cycle in random order. I took it to the cat dealer in Laramie and they told me it was the primary clutch and charged me a cool grand for a new clutch plus labor. The original clutch did have a bad roller, but that was NOT the problem. Needless to say, I spent the whole trip trying to troubleshoot my sled while the other guys were off riding.
After that (last year) I decided that I was going to go through everything and really make sure that I had a good reliable ride. I did some updates to the motor including a pipe, can, big air intake, reeds, oil delete, and I sent both the clutches out to slp to be balanced and setup to there specs (Don't do this! SLP failed to tell me that my secondary was shot when I sent it to them and they charged me full price to install rock rollers, helix, and spring. I rode it for a week and blew 3 belts. Cat dealer took it off and put it on the bench and showed me how wore it was. A new secondary and I haven't blown a belt in 300 miles. I attempted to get my money back from slp for the labor on that clutch, but they wouldn't work with me). I pulled the entire electrical system out and checked every square inch for rubs, cuts, burns, anything that might cause a problem. I replaced the CCU and sent the ECU out for a reflash. I pulled the diamond drive and replaced every bearing and seal. I even did the 09' tunnel update and the 09' e-reverse update. There was more, but I'm sure you get the picture. The first (and only) trip I took last year was to Togwotee with a few fellow snowesters that I met on the site. The sled ran great the whole trip! My happiness was short lived though because the same electrical gremlin came back to haunt me two days after I got back from Tog. I had to cancel two other trips that I had scheduled last year because the ole M1k was acting up. Finally, right at the end of the riding season I was able to get it figured out (ended up being the exhaust sensor).
This year (takes a breath to calm down) I pulled it out of storage and it was running good. I rode it about a mile before I pulled it in the shop for the pre-season inspection. During the inspection I found some cracks in the bulkhead which is not uncommon in the m series. So I tore it down to the bare aluminum and took her in to get fixed up. The welder did a great job of fixing the cracks and I was reassembling in no time. Last night I was in the home stretch and thought maybe I would have the post assembly maiden voyage today. Alas, my dreams were dashed. I noticed some 2 cycle oil on the shop floor under the engine and realized it was coming out of a breather hole that goes to the water pump shaft. At that point I decided to pull the plug on the bottom of the case where the oiler used to connect (I have a small reservoir and a line connected to it that I fill every other ride to make sure that the pump drive stays lubed). When I pulled the plug there were a bunch of brass shavings that came out. :mad2: I tore down the engine today. The pistons look fantastic. The cylinders look fantastic. Everything looks fantastic except for the brass gear that drives the water pump. Its not terrible, but the ridges are razor sharp so I am sure that it won't last much longer.
It's just one thing after another. All I wanted was a reliable sled. I loved it when it was running good, but all these problems are making me crazy.
There, rant over.
First question is about the crank. Can I get it sent out and have a new gear put in it? I am going to do a top end while I have it tore down. Can I hone the nicasil plated cylinders? What else should I be looking for while I am doing this? I have done a lot of engine rebuilds both 2 and 4 stroke, but this is my first cat.Thanks for your help.
Last edited:
