# snowmobile tune up?



## Bhilly81 (Oct 18, 2009)

I have a snowmobile that could use a tune up but I'm not sure where to start after it warms up it will die on idle but if the throttle is not pushed at least a little bit so I'm not sure what to do with it.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

Take care of all the simple things first. Make sure you have good FRESH fuel in the tank. If it sat long enough, it may be a good idea to drain the lines. If it has a carb, open it up and flush it with some carb/choke cleaner, being careful not to knock anything out of adjustment. 

Then change out the spark plugs. You'd be surprised how little build-up it takes to foul those things. Inspect the plug wires for cracks, and make sure they are all attached. Do this one at a time so as to not screw up where they attach to the distributor and which cylinders. 

Once you have done these things, try starting it up. Follow the whole routine of choking/not and holding down the throttle. This should get it to pop. If it doesn't, pull one spark plug at at time and spray some starter fluid (about a 2-3 second shot) into the cylinder, and quickly replace the plug and wire. Don't bother tightening it down fully until you get it running, as you may need to try this a few times. Oftentimes there is a carbon buildup on the inside of the cylinders, and it takes getting the engine pretty hot to burn it all up. You'll have a smoky mess until it does. To prevent this in the future, run the machine on high RPM for a few minutes before shutting it off, and when you winterize, be sure to fog the cylinders to protect them.

If all that doesn't work, it may be a matter of jet adjustment. If you're feeling brave, you can try it yourself, but I wouldn't do it without someone knowledgeable to assist. If it is a fuel injected sled, you may be better off taking it to a dealer to look at.


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## hyperduc (Sep 18, 2009)

I think I read that right, but not sure so correct e if I'm wrong.

The sled will warm up just fine and then die at idle if you don't hold the throttle ?

If that is the case it may be as easy as adjusting one screw, there is a throttle stop screw that limits the minimum open position of the carbs. Turning that screw in will open the carbs up enough to bring up the idle, if that doesn't cure it your problem is the pilot jet circuit. Start with the pilot screws then if you can't adjust it enough to correct the issue you will need to swap pilot jets. 

Unless you have made some major modifications your main jet is not your issue, and FYI it usually isn't as it doesn't affect fuel intake at idle. And any modifications you make at home will result in an overly rich idle mixture at the elevation you would be riding at.


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