1995 Polaris Indy 500 question

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rocky367

Member
So, I have a 95 500 as the title says, and I'm having an issue where it lacks power to the point where it seems like it isn't getting fuel.

Background:

Bought it and ran fine for several hundred miles until one night when my boy was riding and we stopped to wait for the group to get back together and it just died, would not restart and after getting it back to the shop we found that a piston went down with no warning at all. Not sure whether gas or oil issue that caused it to go down.

Rebuilt the top end and while test/break in riding noticed a slight hesitation when giving it gas or taking off, then one day on the trail it started to bog down and eventually died and would not restart. Went and got a trailer and when we got back to the sled (20 minutes passed) it restarted and ran fine, loaded it onto the trailer and it ran fine in the yard.

Took it out on some fields and it would run fine but then after a bit will bog down, but if on ice/snow covered drive it runs fine and goes but then as soon as you hit a hill it loses power.

Have taken it to a repair shop where they started it and it idled fine (this was after the snow melted, late March) for them but they couldn't test the sled driving but the repair person suspects a bad crankshaft.

Yesterday, had to load it onto the trailer and it started fine and idles but when I tried to move the sled forward to the trailer it would not move. I didn't see if the clutch was engaging as I was baffled and in a rush (my bad). The sled did eventually sputter out and I couldn't get it to restart.

So, my question is what do the people on here suspect? Where do I start to look for where the issue is? Haydays is coming up so I figured now would be the time to ask this question. Thanks all!!
 
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snoeatr

Member
I would suspect the fuel pump needs a rebuild. That would explain the piston going due to lean condition. Also the bogging. I had a 98 indy 500 do similar things and tried a new coil first. No luck then rebuilt fuel pump for around $10-15. All good after that. It would idle but not take off.
 
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skutr

New member
Just a thought but in addition to rebuilding the fuel pump - clean and rebuild the carbs. Dig out the factory specs and make sure that the jets and needles match. When putting them back together make sure to put the needle clip in the "C" (or middle) position. Be sure to sync the carbs and that the throttle cable is properly adjusted. Replace the spark plugs with new properly gapped plugs and replace the plug wires (or at least the boots). Check the carb air intake boots for cracks and replace them if needed. This will give you a good middle ground to start with.

Make sure the oil pump is set correctly and just to be sure add a few ounces of oil to the gas tank.

I've got a 2001 Indy 500 and a 95 Indy Lite and I love those old Indy's. The engines are bullet proof and easy to work on. I don't know how old your boy is but let your kid do the work and you can sit back with a beer and your boy will love it.
 
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rocky367

Member
Thanks guys! I will take an aim at the fuel pump and see if that helps.. Oldest boy is 15, but I have a daughter(12) and another boy (10) who will be learning to ride and it is the perfect sled for a young kid so that's why I'm hoping to get it up and running good again.
 
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G

Guest
It could be burned down again. That is why it won't stay running and lacks power. It might have stuck a ring. When that happens it will die but usually start up again when it cools off. Check your compression. Also check crank runout. It could be out of index. Usually when the crank goes out of index the sled just gets slower. In 1995 a bunch of us bought new Pols. That particular year there was trouble with the cranks. Bad vendor. We took 8 new Pols to Wisc and 4 of them went down. All crank problems. With the sled being that old I would check the entire fuel system from the pickup line in the tank right up and through the carbs. It will be the perfect sled for your kids. Around here any model of older 500 is getting snapped up just for kids like yours. Cheap horsepower for learners.
 
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