Snowmobile Reliability Rant

Snowmobiles have to be the biggest money pits of any piece of recreational equipment I have ever encountered. For some context, I have a 2013 Polaris 600 with 3,000 miles and a 2011 arctic cat 600 with 4,400 miles. I bought these used with low miles from seemingly normal guys in 2016 and 2017 after our Polaris 550 fan with 1600 miles lost all compression.

I typically put on a few hundred miles a year with 1 or 2 specific trail riding weekends and a few weekends dragging my portable around to remote fishing spots. In the last 5 years I would guess my group of around 8 guys has averaged 1 sled going down and ruining their trip per year. My ‘Cat has had the recoil go out, reverse switch/throttle body break, overheating issues due to coolant leak, and now today a limp throttle and CCU code.

This is coming off a trip to Vermillion meant to be a hybrid trail/fishing adventure a few weeks back. The Polaris just completely dies half way out to my spot on the first day. Start it up again, ride for a few minutes then same thing. Now its fully seized. After talking to my mechanic who keeps them tuned up, it sounds like that 600 engine has an issue of running too lean if you run consistent throttle at about 30mph and likely burned down the top end. This sled has not been problem free in the past either.

So with that all said, I am not sure what my next move is. I want to keep 2 sleds in the mix so my family can ride with me and just for safety reasons (not sure what I would have done without a second sled next to me to tow in the Polaris). The prospect of dumping $14K into a new one seems crazy considering I don’t use them a ton to begin with. I will probably just fix them and keep rolling the dice, but have definitely thought about upgrading to some lightly used 4 strokes (likely Yamaha’s, but damn they hold their value). My other thought is to just give up on snowmobiling and buy a Yamaha or Honda side-by-side. Snowmobiles are a blast when they work, but the headaches they have caused me and my friends in the last few years (especially for someone who isn’t a super serious rider) cannot be overstated.

Anyone out there with similar experiences or who wants to share some words of wisdom?

mnfisherman18 wrote:

The prospect of dumping $14K into a new one seems crazy considering I don’t use them a ton to begin with.

New snowmobile prices are insane for sure, but Arctic Cat has an “mid sized” machine that is like thousands less than that. Came out a couple years ago. They have multiple models. Its called the Blast.
Its no speed demon since its a single cylinder 400cc 2 stroke. I have heard they have been very good. This engine is basically 1 cylinder from their 800. Might be something to check out.
Otherwise, yes, snowmobiles break down. I mean they are being operated in the worst conditions we could expect something to work. Cold, snow, etc.
Most of the issues are from not enough use and poor gas (not yours however).

When I was a kid, I used to cross country ski and loved it until one day I tried downhill skiing. I thought “damn, why would anyone cross country ski”? Then I tried snowmobiling and thought “Damn, why would anyone downhill ski”?

As I aged and realized the challenges with snowmobiling, I have since returned to cross country skiing.

Full disclosure all my sleds have been ski doo and yamamha. Anything from a mxzx 600 to 800 and older yamaha max. They all like to be maintained daily. But I owned sleds to bang ditches. They were beat on. Hard. And I never had anymore issues that I didn’t cause. The early mxz lines are amazing sleds and I wish they were still that simple. But again these sleds needed daily maintenance just like any cold weather small engine. They loved full throttle, is you putted They would bog out and foul a plug.
I couldn’t even imagine paying a new sled price. And that’s the reason I have other toys now

Bearcat89 wrote:

Full disclosure all my sleds have been ski doo and yamamha. Anything from a mxzx 600 to 800 and older yamaha max.

With the name bearcat and you dont own an arctic cat?

My dad had one for years. It’s 1 aled I wish I could find

Non oxy gas when possible and always use a good oil. Rode sleds for 25 years and owned a lot of them over the years and got sick of chasing snow more and more every year. My last sled was a Yamaha 4stroke and was a awesome sled but they are still a lot of maintenance if you want to take care of them correctly and make them last. Owned side by sides for about 5 years now and not going back!

Thanks for the reminder of why I don’t want one, almost did this year

Reef W wrote:

Thanks for the reminder of why I don’t want one, almost did this year

HAHA! x2!!!

CaptainMuskie – Definitely not a bad suggestion for some people, but I know I would get left in the dust up on the U.P. trails with a 400. The 600 class 2 strokes or 1100 4 strokes seem like the perfect balance of power for me, but yes they carry a price premium.

Definitely agree on the all the points related to quality gas and oil, along with no use being worse than consistent use. Sounds like even the good ones require consistent maintenance, I just don’t have the skillset beyond replacing a belt or slides or cleaning a carb (which is irrelevant now with the EFI engines). Was thinking Yamaha due to the reliability factor and maybe a 4 stroke engine being able to handle towing my ice fishing stuff around better.

Oh well, I have all summer to think about it!

Yamaha 4 strokes are nice machines. Bit don’t look past the ski doos as well.

mnfisherman18 wrote:

CaptainMuskie – Definitely not a bad suggestion for some people, but I know I would get left in the dust up on the U.P. trails with a 400. The 600 class 2 strokes or 1100 4 strokes seem like the perfect balance of power for me, but yes they carry a price premium.

I hear ya. I’ve had bigbore sleds for years. The arm stretching pull of a big 2 stroke is awesome. To be honest though some of the most fun I’ve had snowmobiling was on my buddy’s 2 440 jags! Not even kidding. We could ride them wide open through corners! It was a blast. We would tap skis on snowflaps going through corners etc. Absolute riot.

Bearcat89 wrote:

My dad had one for years. It’s 1 aled I wish I could find

I found a 97 widetrack afew years ago and it’s amazing for ice fishing. They are a unicorn though and hard to find regardless of year. I rode this thing through the field behind my house and the snow was coming over the top of the windshield a few years back. If you get stuck wait til spring however. Lol

Dang just bought my first sled and you guys a making me regret it. Only using it for ice fishing though. 96 Trail Tour 488

The newer 4 stroke machines have very reliable engines. Consider what 4 stroke motors did for outboards. The rest of the machine still needs to be maintained like any snowmobile.
Never use ethanol blended fuel in anything that sits for more than 5 days at a time. Even with non-ethanol, do not run the machine if the gas is over 90 days old. Fuel will take on water over time, and can eventually break down. Run out or drain the fuel when you know the machine will be sitting.
Side by Sides, and even traditional ATV’s are a liablility once there is a foot of snow on the ice. And getting them unstuck is challenging.
You can add a set of tracks to an ATV or UTV, but now your cost goes up substantially, and they take up a LOT of space.
Based on the age of your machines OP, I suggest rebuild and sell what you’ve got, the market is good now. Then buy a newer machine with lower miles and not have to worry about what will fail next.
Touring sleds seem to be more conservatively tuned, and have a better record of reliability. They also tend to have longer tracks and a bit softer suspension, so they are difficult to get stuck and they ride very nice, but can be adjusted to give a firmer suspension for sportier riding.

The other problem I’ve heard is finding a snowmobile mechanic with time to look at it anytime soon.

mojo wrote:

Never use ethanol blended fuel in anything that sits for more than 5 days at a time.

5 days? What do you do when your gas in your car or truck gets over 5 days old?

Read where Yamaha Venture 4 strokes with 25 thousand miles on them ? First sled i ever drove was a brand new 1964 Arctic Cat. Drove around the field once , got it stuck . Fast forward to 1968 Polaris Colt 16 HP Sachs cleated track , go anywhere and light enough to get unstuck . Looking at a Ski Doo Expedition Sport 600 ACE. If they can even be had ? Almost forgot the 1967 Skidoo 8 hp , turn the skies left or right and it would just go straight LOL

I gave up on snowmobiling in my mid 20s. I loved it, but I don’t miss it.

Maybe 1 of 3 years has more than a weekend of riding locally, with more and more mid winter thaws. The other issue is that locally when the trails are open, it’s 70+mph from one bar to the next for many riders and I’m not going against the flow of that as a dad with kids. I lost a high school buddy on one to a drunk rider and it really opened my eyes to what goes on with too many (not all) riders.

I also don’t have the time to trailer a $12k+ machine 3-4 hours to chase decent snow every weekend. I’d rather spare no expense and take one trip a year out West and rent mountain sleds with a group to scratch the itch for a collective fraction of what one sled costs.

I’ve had good luck proactively servicing them every year. But I am a sport rider. I understand your pain. They can be maintenance queens and not hold up to periodic use as much as you would think.

Back in 02 I custom ordered a brand new Polaris 800 X Edge for the 03 model year, it had the big bore twin in it, man, what a stump puller that thing was!!
It didnt have electric start, it was heavy enough without it and even though I was fairly stout that thing was a bear pulling it through when it was very cold out but it always started very easily until I got about 1500 miles on it.

As that year went by it got harder and harder to start and it pinged when you had premium in it with the switch set to that fuel setting, wth??
In two years time both crank seals on that Fuji engine took a crap and I had been using the best fuel and oil money could buy.
When I split the case both seals were harder than concrete, found out that was very common issue on them, that peed me off as my old 73 Suzuki Xr440 NEVER had a seal issue in twenty years!!
What really griped me was I paid 250 for the old Zuki and I paid shy of 8 grand for the Polaris!!

I would love to go snowmobiling again before I croak but I cannot justify the cost even on a used sled for no more snow than we get around here.
The cost of fun per mile is just too high for me.

I rode ski doos for years and was always good with maintaining them. Never really had an issue except for a 2002 800 mxzx had the crank seal pop out due to a factory issue with that was fixed under warranty. Life got too busy with basketball tournaments and dance competitions and got out of it in 2007. After the kids were out of school and sports I got back into it a couple years ago and bought a polaris 800 due to a friend being an engineer for them and I was able to get a really good deal on one. It has been great and trouble free. I plan to buy a new one next year. Maybe I have been lucky. When I was a kid it was work on it a few hours and ride for a few hours and it would break and start the process over again. They have come a long way since I started riding in the early 70’s.

I had a couple AC snowmobiles when I was MUCH younger. A lot of late nights working on them so a guy could ride.
Back then all snowmobiles were considered to be a female machine. You know “work on them all week to ride them on Saturday night”.

mojogunter wrote:

I rode ski doos for years and was always good with maintaining them. Never really had an issue except for a 2002 800 mxzx had the crank seal pop out due to a factory issue with that was fixed under warranty. Life got too busy with basketball tournaments and dance competitions and got out of it in 2007. After the kids were out of school and sports I got back into it a couple years ago and bought a polaris 800 due to a friend being an engineer for them and I was able to get a really good deal on one. It has been great and trouble free. I plan to buy a new one next year. Maybe I have been lucky. When I was a kid it was work on it a few hours and ride for a few hours and it would break and start the process over again. They have come a long way since I started riding in the early 70’s.

Yessir!! I started riding back in the late 70s as well.
My Dad had been around a few sleds in his day and he was often full of useful wisdom.

He said, son, snowmobiles and women have a tremendous amount in common.
I asked him what he meant,his reply??
Ya gotta work on em all week to be able to ride em for 10 minutes on the weekend.
That old boy was right way more times than he was wrong.

Coletrain27 wrote:

5 days? What do you do when your gas in your car or truck gets over 5 days old?

Sorry, I thought it would be understood that meant small engines since they are the topic of discussion.

mojo wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Coletrain27 wrote:</div>
5 days? What do you do when your gas in your car or truck gets over 5 days old?

Sorry, I thought it would be understood that meant small engines since they are the topic of discussion.

So the fuel knows what size engine it is going into? It only stays fresh when used in large engines?

Snowmobiles are winterized jet skis and vice versa. Both are super fun but expensive as hell to own and always breaking down. Best to know people that own them….

I own ski doo and yamaha both and to tell the truth they are super reliable and a load of fun. My newest is a mxz 500 fan cooled and it has 4500 miles of basicly trouble free riding. My 99 yamaha has elec start and reverse and also about 4500 miles. I had to have the carbs cleaned once in 20 years. I’m not running premuim gas and not running them out in a week or even a month but I do add seafoam at the end of each season and start the sleds multiple times in the summer. I kind of like the smell of two stroke anyway. I own about 10 vintage skidoos that run as near daily drivers and I have a great mechanic.

Mike

They never break down in a convenient spot either, not that there is one but I blew a motor out by garden island on a 01 super sport and a another motor went on me pretty much smack dab in the middle of mille lacs on a 440 sport. I grew up on them and rode all the time when I was younger. My dad sure did spend a of time working on them but us kids sure did beat the urine out of them. Got away from it for a little bit but bought a couple a few years ago. Polaris 05 Indy 500 and 07 600 IQ, both have been great and no issues. I only run non oxy premo and do the proper storage. Better yet, if a guy has time, start them during storage months and let them run for 15-20 minutes. I will always have one around for ice fishing purposes and for the kids to play around in around. Also, for the guys using a sled for pulling there fish houses, It’s better to get some mphs behind them as slow speeds pulling stuff isn’t good in the clutches unless you have one that’s meant for pulling.

Iowaboy1 wrote:

Back in 02 I custom ordered a brand new Polaris 800 X Edge for the 03 model year, it had the big bore twin in it, man, what a stump puller that thing was!!
It didnt have electric start, it was heavy enough without it and even though I was fairly stout that thing was a bear pulling it through when it was very cold out but it always started very easily until I got about 1500 miles on it.

As that year went by it got harder and harder to start and it pinged when you had premium in it with the switch set to that fuel setting, wth??
In two years time both crank seals on that Fuji engine took a crap and I had been using the best fuel and oil money could buy.
When I split the case both seals were harder than concrete, found out that was very common issue on them, that peed me off as my old 73 Suzuki Xr440 NEVER had a seal issue in twenty years!!
What really griped me was I paid 250 for the old Zuki and I paid shy of 8 grand for the Polaris!!

I would love to go snowmobiling again before I croak but I cannot justify the cost even on a used sled for no more snow than we get around here.
The cost of fun per mile is just too high for me.

Polaris had domestic twin engines in 03. Fuji was only offered as a triple in the XCR 800 for the last time that year. I had an 02 XC 800 and my wife had an 03 X 700. It took me a few years to tune my 800 clutches to beat my wife’s sled. The 700 was set up well from the factory. I don’t mess with tuning anymore. My 18 Rush 800 does everything I want. My wife is riding a 15 600 Indy fuelie and it’s plenty snappy in the trails
Put on a quick 40 miles last night. Probably 3 times that today if we ever get going!