Sent the 700's in for tune-ups and now i need help

indy_500

Well-known member
They called and said we have this this and that wrong with our sleds. $1800 for both sleds for the repairs. there was stuff like idler wheel bearings, primary and secondary clutches on both sleds needed repairs and so on and so on. What i'm asking is, how can i trust all of this stuff is really wrong? and if it isn't in good shape, would it be that bad? i have 4000 miles on each sled. 99 700's. I'm confused and my mom is furious. lol
 

indy_500

Well-known member
my mom finally said that the guy told her the clutches were all off balance. one of the things was they need something with the rear shocks, and they wanted $160 for each sled.
 

blvette

New member
Looks like time to get a snowmobile manual and start doing your own repairs. Anytime you take older sleds to the dealer they are going to need something. Get involved in the snowmobile club around there and get in good with someone that can teach you a few things, I have found out snowmobile people are very helpful to each other. I have been in a few tough spots and they have always helped me out. oh if they're fox shocks they can be rebuilt for like $30 a peice
 

mr_fusion_ho

New member
Hey Indy 500,

There is a Polaris guy out by Dale that is great with sleds and a lot cheaper than a dealer. I do all my own work on my sleds and I would be willing to take a look as I had those same sleds at one point and time. Just let me know.
 

fredster

New member
At 4000 miles and 10 years old, $900 each to the dealer on maintenance items is not that unreasonable.

I had a 2000 Indy triple and still have a 2000 600 XC SP. 8200 miles on the triple and over 5000 on the 600. These sleds are reliable and easy to work on, but things DO wear out.

It's not unusual to have a couple of idlers go out each year on the suspensions. Best advice is to pull it once and replace everything and you'll be good for another 10 years (maybe!). You can get the shocks online, or look on ebay or at swap meets. I bought shocks from Dennis Kirk for both sleds for around $150 each and they have worked well. Or, pull the rear shock and just have the dealer rebuild it (if possible).

Clutches.....do you clean then each spring or fall? Removing all the belt residue helps maintain ramps and keeps them operating smoothly. Again, after 10 years getting a little clutch work done is the norm. Lots of stress on the clutches and they need to work correctly in order for the sled to perform. Getting the clutches rebuilt may make your sled run better than they have in a long time.....

I would say $900 per sled equates to $300 in parts and $600 in labor. You can save $400 of that labor if you do stuff yourself and only have the dealer do clutch work.

And...if you can find a reputable 'local' to do work for you...and you don't want to do it yourself...definitely hire him/her. You will get the work done for a little less and have someone to turn to when problems arise...and they will......

Another way to look at it. $900 for repairs to a 10 year old sled works out to $90 a year....from that perspective, it's a relative bargain....

Good luck!
 

xcr440

Well-known member
How do the clutches get off balance, unless they were taken apart and put back together wrong?

That is easy to check yourself, with each piece of the clutch having an X on one specific side (Usually the clutch is broken into thirds) that may need to be cleaned to find those little X stamps in the aluminum.

But as mentioned above, a clutch rebuild is not always a bad thing.
 
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jimfsr

New member
Ask them how they know the clutche are out af balance! did they take them off and spin balance them to check? Clutches are balanced from the mfg. unless you have some expensive equipment, you cant check the balance. Niether can the dealer. They may need a re-build, thats common. New springs, rollers and bushings is all it takes. Unless the spider is worn out. For about 350$ you can get a new clutch from comet (same as oem polaris as far as function). Idler wheel bearings... you need a snap ring pliers and a hammer to change the bearings. Drive out the old ones, gently drive in the new ones. They're just plastic wheels. Also, make sure its the bearing thats bad, you would have to take it off the mount and spin it on your finger. should spin freely, not bound up or all loose and moving side to side. There is a lot of wobble on some idler wheels, but it can be caused by the mounting shaft being worn or too small to fit in the bearing tightly. Check it out for yourself before you take any dealer or shops word for it that they are all bad. And, always ask for the old parts back!
 

cmharcou

Member
Make sure your carbs are clean that's the most important thing. Check your hyfax, clips on the track, change your plugs, other than that ride it until she breaks!
 

famousguy

New member
Indy...

Just have the carbs cleaned.

Get them home and grease everything. After that, check them over for anything wrong.

Best thing you can do for those sleds is get them out there and ride them.

They love to be ridden.
 

crskidoo

Member
Indy 500 how is the new sled shed working out? I believe you had pics earlier in the year with a sled shed. Anyway just as everyone else said get some help and do it yourself. Nothing wrong with a dealership we gotta have them. Just not for yearly tune-ups. You will learn alot about your sled fixing it yourself and prolly enjoy it as much as riding it. The group that I ride with will help each other pull suspensions before the snow comes. Doing this will give you a really good idea as to what you need to fix.
 

indy_500

Well-known member
The clutch is misaligned famousguy and the mechanic said it's to the point where it is starting to hurt the engine. just a heads up everyone, we just bought the sleds. fredster, it sounded like u thought i've had the sleds a while, but i just got them about a week ago.
 

indy_500

Well-known member
Indy 500 how is the new sled shed working out? I believe you had pics earlier in the year with a sled shed. Anyway just as everyone else said get some help and do it yourself. Nothing wrong with a dealership we gotta have them. Just not for yearly tune-ups. You will learn alot about your sled fixing it yourself and prolly enjoy it as much as riding it. The group that I ride with will help each other pull suspensions before the snow comes. Doing this will give you a really good idea as to what you need to fix.

and the shed's working great, i have to shovel out in front of the doors but other than that it works perfect. i might get a pic soon of my sled/shed/and the snow
 

famousguy

New member
The clutch is misaligned famousguy and the mechanic said it's to the point where it is starting to hurt the engine. just a heads up everyone, we just bought the sleds. fredster, it sounded like u thought i've had the sleds a while, but i just got them about a week ago.

Ok, have them align it, but what are they charging you for that?
 

polarisrider1

New member
ya, i ain't having the dealer do the bearings or the shock for sure

Indy, if you wasn't 393 miles away from me I would say bring your sleds over and I will go through them for free. You buy parts. A 700 Polaris is not rocket science after all. I have all a clutch puller, lift, tools etc. I had a 98, 2000 45th anniversary, 01 and an 03RMK 700. If the Manitowac/ Ludington ferry was running you would be about 160 miles away counting the big lake miles.
 

indy_500

Well-known member
they aligned my 500's so i don't see why they can't align these and say u r good to go. i'm realy starting to think they're screwing me over. we've brought in 5 different sleds in the past 4 years (94 classic 500, 99 indy 500, 99 xc sp 700, 99 xc 700, and 01 sport touring 550) and they want $600 to fix the clutch on every stinking one of these! and polarisrider 1, i'm the master at replacing bearings, lol, and the shock i might have recharged after this riding season. thinking about putting new springs and bushings in both clutches ourselves and just ride!
 

fredster

New member
Sorry I didn't realize these sleds were 'new' to you. In any event, if you like to do the work buy the Polaris Service manual, a few tools, and you'll be able to handle 80-90% of it yourself. It sounds like the engine is out of alignment with the secondary, and you DO need an alignment tool for that, otherwise - pretty straight forward....

The only thing I had the dealer do on my Pol's was engine work and shock rebuilds. Most everything else I did myself....
 

jimfsr

New member
Motor mounts get loose and move, It can be mis aligned upon installation, The secondary shims, if it has them, could be in the wrong place. Even a tweaked frame can throw it out of alignment. Suspension parts are easy to replace, but most dont realize how much the frame can absorb in an impact. A few degrees of frame torqe can really mess up the clutch to motor alignment. I do a lot of frame straigtening in the shop (I have a rack for sleds/atvs) and most all need some alignment when done. I usually have to pull the motor to fix 'em, so the alignment is just part of the job.
 
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