Yes, the ski will go half speed for a variety or reasons (low fuel is one of
them). This is called "limp home mode". Anyway, a few potential reasons come to
mind:
1- The float in the gas tank has sunk, and the machine "thinks" it is out of
gas. This has been a problem with the SLT780's. Polaris had a new float that
does not sink. If you can read the display, you can rule out the float.
Replacing the float is a good days job. You must unbolt the tank from inside the
hood. There are four bolts. You will need a long extension on your socket (I
think the bolts are 12mm). Slide the tank forward as far as possible and remove
the sending unit from the top of the tank. Mark the wires so you re-install it
correctly. I replaced the entire sending unit, but now Polaris has just the
float you can replace inside the sending unit. When replacing the tank, wrap
paper over the bolt heads and force them into the socket. This way they will
stay put while you feel around for the tapped hole.
2- Could be overheating due to plugged cooling water intake grate (or other
problems, like a kinked hose inside the hull). Check the grate by looking into
the pump (back of ski) with a flashlight. The grate is about 1 square inch and
is located on the right side of the pump in about 5 inches. You can also flush
out the cooling system by installing a garden hose on the cooling rail that runs
along the top of the cylinders. The port to install the hose is directly
opposite the temp sensor. There should be a brass plug in it. You can get parts
from Home Depot to attach the hose or get the correct do-hickey from Polaris.
Remember to never run water through the motor unless the motor is running. Even
with the hose, I would not run the motor more than a minute or two at the most.
Just enough to flush out the cooling system.
3- Loose or corroded connections inside the black box. Disconnect the plug wires
and battery positive. Remove the 3 bolts holding the e-box inplace. They are
hard to get to, but it can be done. Lift the e-box out and let it rest on top of
the plugs. remove the 6 allen bolts and split the box open. Remove, clean,
e-grease, and replace all connections. Do one wire at a time to avoid
miss-wiring. Check the two fuses.
4- I'm sure there are a LOT of used Polairs LCD's out there, but none of them
are going to work. I think I paid around $300 (or more?) when I replaced mine.
They are nice to have. The SLT has a lot of features (clock, gas, oil, rpm,
speed, overtemp, etc). The only problem is the Polaris LCD actually shows the
correct speed. I can't brag about hitting mid 70's like my SD brethren
Good luck...other folks may have better ideas....
Jamie.
Bralos wrote:
> I have a friend with a 1996 SLT780 That is not running right. After being
> unwinterized it was taken out twice and ran just fine. The third trip out it
> ran fine for about a hour then would not run more than approx 15 MPH. I had
> him check to make sure nothing was in the intake, change out the gas, check
> the water separator, and put in new plugs. He then ran it another day and
> the same thing worked fine for about a hour then no power and would only run
> very slowly. He is bring it over this weekend for me to check out for him. I
> thought I would ask here for some possible insight into what the problem
> might be. He did state that the red light on the LCD was on and flashing.
> The LCD display has been blurry for years and you cant read it so I don't
> know if it states anything. If it is overheating for reason isn't there a
> safely feature built into them to not run over XX until it cools down?
> Thanks for any insight into this. Anyone have a used LCD they want to sell
> ??<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
FAQ
Search
Profile
Private Messages
Log in
