575 replies to this topic

[bar549]

I have owned this sled since new and have 2000+ miles of fun, making improvements with updated components and tuning. By no means with what I am about to share with you, is an absolute and you may or may not experience the same results. I will be giving you my true findings with performance and evaluating the products and service I received from the vendors. All of the parts and expense involved has come out of my own wallet. My wife cannot understand why I cannot leave any thing stock, but she is very supportive. Most of the testing has been done by seat of the pants field testing. I plan to have DYNO results for you with regards to overall state of tune, muffler / can comparisons before the season starts. Some may ask why a 900 ACE and not a 1200? Because I have always liked working with smaller displacement engines and getting the most out of them. Let me give you a little back ground about me. I am 62 years old and semi retired as of this year. Been sledding since early 70's and have owned and/or ridden many sleds from Polaris, Yamaha and Ski Doo. I was in the automotive field for 28+ years (ASE Technician, Service Writer, Service Manager, Service Director for Parts and Service). Worked for G.M. Proving Grounds in the 80's as an Engineering Tech. I worked on proto types 10 years into the future, was on the Baja 1000 Factory Race Team - this was way cool! While at G.M. Worked on many cool projects (GM80 front wheel drive Camaro, yes front wheel drive, it would out run a Corvette in the slalom course and drag racing. It was funny, once the Y Car Team (Corvette) got wind of it, all hell broke loose. GM cancelled the project because they would not have any other car that they produce, beat a Corvette. Also worked on a Fuel Injected Turbo Charge Chevette - 20 psi boost, this thing was a rocket). I am a self taught (welder, lathe & mill operator). Had my own flow bench and dyno when I built kart engines. I have drag raced cars. Raced go karts on the local, regional and national circuit (WKA - World Karting Association). I owned my own kart shop and built race motors for many clients all over the united states. My engines have been on many winning local, regional championship winners, also three WKA National  Champion Title Wins. Before WKA allowed ground cams in the stock class, we along with many other engine builders built a fixture for twisting cams, to get the specs we where looking for (we had a 7 degree tolorance we could play with (stock factory specs), what a difference a little twist in the right direction would make). I had the opportunity to be a WKA Regional Race Director and Tech Official for three years. This is not to be taken as to beat my chest but to let you know that I have have been around the block a few times. In no way do I claim to be a professional and or expert at any of this, just have had some great experiences over my life time and have learned alot and still have the desire to learn alot more. I have always done most of my tuning and testing in the field, although I have used a flow bench and dyno, the real results are from field testing. I have a six sense when it comes to tuning and have been successful at it. So stay tuned as this will take some time to document for you and to answer many questions I am sure you will have. UpDate 2018: Now use a Turbo Dynamics Data Collector for testing in the field.

 

Thank You for tuning in.

 

Bob

 

 

Edited by bar549, 29 April 2019 - 10:33 PM.

[grover]

Look forward to it Bob and tuned in!

 

-grover

[moon]

Thanks for sharing your findings and taking the time to answer which I think will be a lot of questions. Can't wait to see your findings !
Thanks Bob
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Edited by moon, 20 August 2017 - 08:22 PM.

[snow dance]

Also looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

[bar549]

This sled for me, is the best trail sled to date, Ski Doo has ever built. Its light, nimble and just plain fun to ride. I nut and bolted the sled when new and with this sled, I did not find one loose bolt, well done Ski Doo! I like to keep my sled well maintained and after every trip and I mean every trip, I clean it, lube it and check it over. I plan on keeping this sled for a while, unless Ski Doo, decides to come out with some thing new, I just have to have. Lets start out with suspension bushings (Front Suspsension A Arms and Rear Suspension Arms). I must say that Ski Doo has done an excellent job with with these bushings for the average rider, they are tight and thick from the factory. The average rider will get many years of service out of the stock factory bushings. They could last the life of the machine if they had grease fittings. In saying that, there are exceptions, like for us gear heads and for us non average riders that can put thousands of miles on in a single season, ride hard and demand the most from our sled. I like to keep things well lubed so that they do not bind and stay tight. That is why I decided to go with Mainway Solutions Bushings front and rear. These bushings are manufactured from high quality materials with tight tolerances and are grease-able. These bushings are designed to take a beating and keep on going as long as you keep them lubricated. Customer service is excellent (Val is great to do business with), and the instructions are very detailed and accurate. I highly recommend these bushings and tools. Here are some important tips for installing these bushings. The bushings from Mainway Solutions are to precise specs unlike the factory I.D. of the suspension arms bushing holders. You will find that some of the bushings slide right in while others are a very tight fit. I highly recommend that you use emery cloth or sand paper to polish the inside of every bushing holder that is tight (machined undersize or has paint overspray in them from the factory)​. To make the job easier I would also recommend purchasing the bushing remover and installer tools from Val at the same time you purchase your bushings. They are very inexpensive and will make the job so much easier. Some of the bushings will slide right in with very little effort due to factory tolorences, use Lock Tite #742, the Blue removable lock tite when installing the bushings, this will keep the bushings tight and in place. 

 

Mainway Solution Bushings on top, Factory Bushings on the bottom.

 

Anther view, Factory Bushings on top, Mainway Solutions Bushings on bottom.

 

I found to make installation of the lower front suspension control arm easier, was to grind a chamfer on the washer, its a very tight fit.

 

Val will also supply you with some stainless steel shims to shim your idler wheels out so there is a little more clearance between the idler wheels and the replacement bolt with grease fitting. The shim goes between the bearing and spacer to push the idler wheel toward the center of the skid away from the bolt head and grease fitting. You will also have to move one idler wheel back one bolt hole location for clearance. I forget what side, but you only have to move one. They are staggered from side to side from the factory for noise control, I found no difference after relocating the wheel. As I stated above, Val is excellent and has made sure his product fits and works as designed and includes every thing you need.

Edited by bar549, 21 August 2017 - 03:40 PM.

[thesnow]

Really cool.. got a good vibe... I think I'm gonna like you... Lol

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[bar549]

I fabricated my own tool to remove the rear suspension most rear bolts, its a tight fit. Its been a while since I have been fabricating and welding so please do not be to critical ! LOL! I fabricated it from some pieces of metal I had laying around (1/2 inch round stock and a large 1/8 thick washer. I cut an opening in the washer to 22mm, ground a flat on the 1/2 inch round stock for the modified washer to fit and braze welded together (Gas Torch was out so I used it instead of my mig welder). A tip for you, and I hope this makes sense. When removing and installing the rear suspension bolt, apply your turning torque to the bolt head and not the nut, other wise you are going to round out the wrench or nut because it is thin. Believe me, it makes a difference! 

 

 

Edited by bar549, 21 August 2017 - 03:47 PM.

[nbrenegade]

Thanks for taking the time to do this bar549 I will be watching with interest as I just finalized the deal today on a 2018 900Ace Blizzard.....

Edited by nbrenegade, 21 August 2017 - 07:32 PM.

[bar549]

I added additional grease fittings to the rear suspension, I like to lube things!

 

 

 

 

 

With the front suspension and rear suspension, I have a total of (20) grease fittings. After last season, I pulled the rear suspension and inspected the front suspension control arm bushings, all bushings that I installed from Mainway Solutions where as tight as the day I installed them. The additional bushings that I installed grease fittings where as tight as they came from the factory. I should never have to replace any suspension bushing for the life of the sled. I used 1/4 x 28 grease fittings. Some I had to ad washers to keep them spaced out so they did not bottom out on the internal bushing or shaft. Look close at the photos to see all fittings. Again, thanks Val for a great product!

Edited by bar549, 22 August 2017 - 12:00 PM.

[bar549]

I replaced my stock factory torsion spring bushings with Hygear Bushings. I would recommend replacing yours when you have your suspension out, very easy to install, they do exactly what they claim, straighten the spring out for better spring action and I found, there is a slight difference in tension after installation. Another quality product.

 

 

 

[bar549]

Slides, Hyfax, what ever you want to call them, they are a wear item. With a Ski Doo, I find they wear quickly to a point and stay there for a long time, but with marginal snow, higher lug tracks, the wear has become an issue.  Dupont Slides / Vespel Inserts have been on the market for a few years. Yamaha started using them first because of there Hyfax issues with their sleds. These Hyfax for Yamaha have been modified to fit Ski Doos and now Ski Doo has them in the parts catalog. I ran them all last season for a total of 1500 miles in all types of conditions from marginal snow, plowed roads, icy hard packed trails and they showed no wear other than scratching of their wear surface. They are not cheap, but in the long run they will save you money and you will not have to worry about running in marginal snow conditions or using a high lug track. They are worth the money! Be sure to order the correct ones for Ski Doo when you purchase them. The part # below is the one I purchased that fit my sled, but its been brought to my attention that there is another part #SMA-DPSSR-BR-00.

 

 

 

Edited by bar549, 30 August 2017 - 08:45 AM.

[bar549]

I liked the TS Pilot Set Up, it works very well as designed, but with all conventional carbide runners, they have the same issue, they can become dull very quickly (one weekend of riding and they will need sharpening to be able to grip in those icy corners. No matter what brand you buy, they all do it! Until a few years ago, that is all we had to use, then Sno Trackers came to market. I was very skeptical and was turned off from the price. I kept hearing about them over the years and some where having very good results, while others where not. Finally, several sleds ago I tried a set of Sno Trackers and I was pleasantly surprised how well they worked, minimal wear and they stayed sharp, yes they stay sharp. They are self sharpening, they will out wear any other carbide on the market while staying sharp. I run the aggressive versions, very easy steering and the grip in icy corners is like you are glued to the ice, they rail. With them lasting 3 to 4 seasons or more per set, you will save yourself money and will always have sharp carbides, no other carbide on the market can do this. Be sure to follow the directions to a T, set your toe as close to 0 as possible. I like a very aggressive steering so I tend to have heavy front set up, but you would not know it with using Sno Trackers, they make your steering really feel like power steering. Excellent product that you will not be disappointed with!

 

 

 

Not the best picture of a side view of the carbide. It is a thin piece of carbide in width, but is deep in the steel body carrier for long lasting wear.

 

 

When replacing the TS Adjustable Carbide Runners, you will need to remove the adjusters and be sure to pull out the rubber insert where it sits in the spindle. Also you will need to install two of these stoppers to take up the space from the TS Adjusters.

Edited by bar549, 26 August 2017 - 09:33 AM.

[bar549]

I'm on a roll today. One last posting and I have to get back to my projects. I love it when somebody tells me it can't be done, it will never work. This just gets me going to prove to nay sayers, you have to keep an open mind and give things a try. Some times you will fail, but in most cases you will have success if you are persistent, even if you do fail, you will have learned something along the way. Ski Doo does not put a drain plug in the chain case and has not done so for many years. Well as you know by now, I am a maintenance freak. So I decided to put a drain plug in my chain case, many said it can't be done, it's to thin of a case. Well, I am hear to tell you, it can be done and the pictures will prove it. I located the hole at the lowest point in the cover. Drilled and taped the hole, using the plug Ski Doo supplied in the chain case cover located about a 1/4 of the way up the face of the chain case (fill level plug for the 2 cycle crowd). It is magnetic and is exactly what you want. I replaced that plug with just a plain pipe plug (see photos). Now please take note as this is very important. Be careful where you drill the hole (I located it right above the drain hole in the footwell), tap the hole very carefully, use teflon tape on the pipe plug threads to seal it to the chain case cover. You will have a depth of three threads in the case, which is plenty. The biggest thing I can tell you is, DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN THIS PLUG, JUST SNUG IT UP, ITS ALL IT NEEDS, PERIOD. Rotate the chain and gears by hand using the secondary clutch or pushing / pulling on the track once you have the cover back on to make sure you did not install the plug in the wrong location or to deeply. Take your time in locating the hole and you will be very happy you did. It makes for changing the chain case lube very easy. It sure beats removing the self tapping screws and prying on the cover to change the lube. Oh, I almost forgot, make sure you fill the chain case with lube!

 

 

 

 

Edited by bar549, 22 August 2017 - 01:51 PM.

[Craze1cars]

You are an asset here.  Great info.  Thank you for taking the time...and yes I know that this sort of thing takes a whole LOT of unpaid time to document, photograph, and post!

 

It is noticed.  And appreciated!

Edited by Craze1cars, 24 August 2017 - 05:52 AM.

[bar549]

I did a little rerouting under the hood. When I removed my hood to install header, I found coolant from the overflow hose on the bulk head and nose cone area. This is no place for coolant to dump, close to the exhaust, coolant can be flammable. I decided to take advantage of the extra nipples Ski Doo provided to vent to the outside. I had a little concern about the coolant getting on the outside of the sled with the reroute and discovered that that was not an issue after running it like this for a season in all types of conditions, I did not see any coolant on the outside of the sled. It also cleaned up the engine bay area. I took the protective sleave from the chain case overflow tube and cut a section of tygon tubing and connected it the nipple on the right front of the sled. Then I rerouted the chain case over flow tube to the left front. I purchased some aluminum tape used for furnace ducts and wrapped the hose.

 

 

Black hose is coolant overflow hose.

 

 

New hose and protective cover from chain case hose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by bar549, 23 August 2017 - 09:16 AM.