Storage Question

[Iceman31]

OK well today I had to put my sleds away for the season. I have some work to do on them and they are being stored on concrete, covered of course. I was wondering I have the tracks sitting on 2 x 8's as well as the skis sitting on 2 x 8's. Would my track be OK as is or am I better to lift the back end of the sled off the ground and not have anything touching the track? This is my first shot at summer storage as both units are new to me this year. Tomorrow I am going to top of fuel, stabilize and run the engine - then fog both machines. In the near future when it warms up more I will change chaincase oil on both as well as the motor oil on my Phazer. Grease both machines where needed. I am also going to clean the Powervalves on the SRX. Finally a good cleaning and put them to bed until the snow comes again. Anything I may have missed?

 

[spike337]

Sounds good. I think all you'd have to do is turn the key off, but doing a little extra like you are goes a long ways.
Your track will be fine either way. Some guys take their belt off too. Maybe tape up the intake and the exhaust so if a critter does get in, at least you'll know it. Don't run that fuel next fall. Siphon it out and put it in your car.

 

[yamahas]

Maybe change the oil before you fog the engine so you don't have to fog it again?

At the start of the season there are always those posts about no starting and those kinds of issues that seem to be fixed by putting in some new plugs. I have always put fresh plugs in at the end of the season and fill the tank up with fuel stabilizer and run the engine for at least 10 mins to be sure it gets through the system.

I store the sled in the garage. There is no sun and stays cool and I have been able to use the gas that was in the tank in the fall, never had a problem.

Like spike said I am one of those guys that takes the belt out and i just hang it on a nail. That way it does not get "stuck" in the oval shape of the clutches and i think it will last longer.

 

[Iceman31]

good call on fogging the Phazer - I will wait until I change the oil.

 

[snofreak500]

Sounds good. I think all you'd have to do is turn the key off, but doing a little extra like you are goes a long ways.
Your track will be fine either way. Some guys take their belt off too. Maybe tape up the intake and the exhaust so if a critter does get in, at least you'll know it. Don't run that fuel next fall. Siphon it out and put it in your car.

My father and i have owned and summerized many many of our sleds since i was like 7 and weve always ran the proper stabilizer just make sure you let it run all the way through the system and use a good brand Sta-bil or yamaha fuel stabilizer and you can run it next fall I've never had a problem with my phazer 3 seasons and my dads never had issues with his 2 vectors 6 seasons

Or any of our many Doos and Polaris before that.

 

[spike337]

Gas will lose it's octane rating in as little as 3 or 4 weeks. People that can't get their sled to start in fall, it is not the plugs, they didn't magically go bad sitting in storage, it's the stale gas with low octane. The Phazer will re-tard the timing when it senses lower octane or bad fuel. This is where the starting problem is. You can run old gas if you want, but i sure wouldn't. Old gas will gum up and tarnish jetting in carborators, doesn't that alone tell you the gas is bad?
I'm not saying you can't run the old gas, it's not like you're lying to me, just seems to be enough sleds blowing up from running bad gas, 9 month old gas? I'll get it out of there.

 

[Iceman31]

In everything I have ever owned I have always topped off the fuel and stabilized it and ran it through the engine. Boats, Seadoo and now sleds. I have never had a problem as long as the fuel tank is full. From my understanding is that people who have problems with old fuel is because they aren't stabilized properly and also leave room in the tank.

 

[Jeffz]

I still had last seasons gas in mine at the beginning of this year, and it would not run right. It cut out on me a bunch while on the way to the gas station. I will probably just leave the half a tank that I have in there now and drain it in the fall when I get the sled out again.

 

[spike337]

I guess i don't want to take the chance. If your engine has a hard time starting, or misses a little and doesn't run right, i can't imagine what it's doing at 12,000 RPMs. I take it easy on the first tank regardless. I think people expect too mush out of Sta-Bil and SeaFoam. I use it too, but i just go ahead and put the gas in my truck in spring, because i siphon mine out this time of year. My 08 WR250r duel sport bike has a metal tank (i know, weird hey) so i keep that full so it doesn't rust, but in a week or 2 i'll siphon that out before i fire it up. Just 'habbits' a guy gets into i guess. What ever works, stick with it.

 

[rx1mtn]

I always raise the rear, get the track off the floor. I also run StaBil in my fuel, then after I let it run for a while, I drain the carbs. Remember to remove the belt, it will draw moister and corrode the clutchs.

 

[snofreak500]

well between our 08 Phazer 2 06 vectors 2 98 Skidoos 86 Ovation Searay and 04 yamaha waverunner weve always used premium gas Fulllll and stabil completely through the system and NEVER siphoned gass and always had no trouble whatsoever i can honeltly say that i would NEVER NEVER leave a tank partially full for storage Moisture will kill you thus the spitting. even stabil cant fix that. Its moisture when partially full not fuel breaking down or loosing octane. Oh we use the same method in our chainsaws and snowblower no issues. Btw the doos were bought brand new and have been around the block with this method of storage and NO problems i dont think im just lucky.

 

[spike337]

It's not going to collect anymore moisture during the summer being empty. Guys debate this for ever, and it ends up being a draw, lol. Like i said, whatever works for you, keep doing it. If i had problems, i try something different myself. Stabil is over rated too.

 

[yamahas]

It's not going to collect anymore moisture during the summer being empty. Guys debate this for ever, and it ends up being a draw, lol. Like i said, whatever works for you, keep doing it. If i had problems, i try something different myself. Stabil is over rated too.

X2, Storage procedures are like what kind of oil to use. If it works for you, great. Sorta got to take everyone's opinions and pick and choose what you like best.

 

[spike337]

It's not going to collect anymore moisture during the summer being empty. Guys debate this for ever, and it ends up being a draw, lol. Like i said, whatever works for you, keep doing it. If i had problems, i try something different myself. Stabil is over rated too.

X2, Storage procedures are like what kind of oil to use. If it works for you, great. Sorta got to take everyone's opinions and pick and choose what you like best.

You bet. He obviously has a good system going, on a number of sleds.

 

[snofreak500]

well one more thing i do is use Isoheat in the first tank and ocasionally octane boost but i mean just get good gas and make sure its full and ive never had problems but what i am most worried about usually is gas breaking down in the engine and Stabil does do its job to help it keep its composure. I just dont like to do more work than it has to i think Good gas and having the tank FULL is the key But if your siphoning it out how full it is dosnt matter

And Back to the original question i put the track in the air but i also put a 2x4 about a foot ish long under the front of the frame to take any tension due to the lifted track off the skis Saves life of your front shocks taking a couple hundred pounds off my buddy has a frame lift so his whole sleds off the ground i like that idea.