AkRacingHome Tips for buying a used IQ Race Sled Ak Racing Garage
Go to the Polaris link
below and print a copy of ALL the tech Upgrade info for the 2005 and 2006 IQ.
There are about 12 upgrades for each year that should have been done to the sled
as per the Polaris recommendations. Ask if every update was made.
Take a piece of carpet or something like that with
you because you will have to flip the sled on its side to get all the weight off
the skis and track to get a real good look underneath.
Take a good flash light with you and look at every
component I mention below with a good light.
Start by opening the hood and check and ask about the
following.
1. Check the timing box (small electronic box by the
chain case) and see what letter it is switched to, it should be on "D" or "E" if
it is on any other letter ask why and ask if the timing was checked and adjusted
as per the 2005 Race manual. The 06 has no timing box so disregard this one.
2. Check the slop in the chain by grabbing the
Driven Clutch and moving it back and forth. There should be almost no free play
in the chain, it should be nice and tight, if you move the driven clutch forward
and back there should be very little slop. if there is slop or free play, check
the chain adjustment screw and see how much of the screw is showing, ask how
often they had to adjust the chain, how new the chain is and if they replaced
the gears when they replaced the chain. We went through 3 chains on our IQ's but
the gears were fine and were not replaced. Most IQs that were raced have had
the chain replaced a few times, just ask how new the chain is. The 06 has
problems in the chaincase that have to be addressed. There must be a slip gear
in the 06, make sure the slip gear was installed. And the lower bearing Must
be replaced with the self aligning bearing. If the self aligning bearing is not
installed the snap ring that holds the bearing will pop out and destroy the
chaincase. Self aligning bearings cost about $45 and will ensure no chaincase
problems.
3. Check the brake pads, IQ's had great breaks but
they would fade when used a lot. When they fade they get hot and weld themselves
to the rotor, look on the rotor for signs of excessive heat and wear. Look at
the pads and see how much pad is left. Ask if they ever experienced brake fade
or overheating. Fast aggressive riders use the brakes a lot.
4. Check the bulkhead under the engine and shock
tower mounts for any cracks or damage or weld repairs. SnoX sleds that are
ridden hard get pounded and have to be welded but if repaired properly it will
be no problem for freestyle or jumping big. Ask if they ever needed to weld the
chassis or bulkhead or anything else on the sled. If yes just look at the spot
and see if it was done properly.
5. With the hood up have a friend grab the front of
the sled where the front grab bar is molded into the plastic and lift up and
down, now look in the engine compartment and look at the black steel bumper
where it attaches to the bulkhead by the shock towers. The 4 bolts (7/16" heads)
holding the bumper are only visible from the inside of the tub. This steel
internal bumper should not move and the 4 bolts should be tight, if there is
slop or play in the bumper the bolts may be stripped. The bolts thread into the
tubing of the bumper and strip out very easily. This can be repaired by a
longer bolt and nut. Ask if they ever had trouble with the bumpers coming
loose. The 06 has a better bumper bolting system and seldom comes loose like
the 05 did.
6. Have your friend grab the handlebar and work them
back and forth, look at all the steering components under the engine and make
sure there is no play and no loose or worn out rod ends or fittings. Review the
Polaris bulletins and ask if the update was done to the lower steering stem Heim
Joint. Make sure there is no play in the bottom steering stem joint and the nut
is not loose, see bulletin. The bottom Heim joint on the steering post is very
susceptible to coming loose and or wearing out, it must be checked.
7. Look at Air Box Boots and make sure the update
was complete, refer to the Polaris Bulletin, 05 only.
8. Look for excessive fuel, grease, grime and dirt
in the engine compartment and under the engine. This will give you a good idea
how well the sled was taken of, if it is nasty under the engine you will not be
able to spot any cracks or damage that should have been repaired.
9. Check the drive and driven clutches for wear, ask
what springs are in them and if they are Titanium, if they are not ask how many
hours or laps are on the steel springs. This will give you an idea how worn out
they are. If you are not going to SnoX seriously then this should not be much of
a problem but you should ask anyway. Ask if the stock weights and Helix are
still in the clutches.
10. Do a compression check. This motor stock should
have 150 to 160 PSI of cranking compression or there may be excessive ring wear.
If you do not have a compression tester you should get one or ask them what the
compression is. This is a race fuel only motor and will need to be set up with
the low compression head and clutch tune up to be trail ridden. Low Compression
kit available from Polaris for about $140 total.
Ask if the Hot Pipe "Dragon Button" works and how
much it was used. This button should not be used at all for trail riding and
damages the reeds (even the updated reeds) if used excessively. If the hot pipe
button does not work that is a good thing.
11. Ask when the reeds were changed last. Excessive
use of the Hot Pipe button does serious damage to the reeds.
That is about all under the hood.
Ask if you can turn the sled on its side to check out
the Skid.
Turn Off the fuel valve and Shut the hood and bungy
it down. Flip the sled on either side and make sure one ski is touching the
ground, it should rest on the handlebars and the side panel and one ski, you may
have to put a block of wood or something under the handlebars but the idea is to
unload the suspension components.
1. Grab the ski from the side with the ski bottom
toward your waste and work the spindle forward and back. there should be no play
at all in the A-Arms or spindle, Check the upper A-Arm attachment points, this
is a very high wear area and if there is wear it will affect the handling
adversely.
2. Now try to turn the ski
left and right with the bottom ski securely on the ground, if there are any
loose or worn bushings there will be some slop on the front end. There should be
NO slop at all, if there is excessive movement in this test the sled will dart
excessively above 50
MPH.
3. Check all the A-Arm mounting points where they
mount to the bulkhead. This is a very high stress area. Make sure the Polaris
update was completed to the A-Arm mounting point, 05 only. The steel plates
that rivet to the aluminum bulkhead come loose after some pounding. These
rivets should be checked closely, you will be able to slip your fingernail under
the head of the rivet if it is loose. Look at all the rivets that mount these
brackets to the bulkhead and try to determine if any are loose or if any were
replaced. If these rivets loosen up you will have serious problems with your
front end. Also look for any cracks where the aluminum tabs are welded to the
bulkhead, this is a common area for cracks if the sled was raced hard.
4. Look for any racing scars and damage under the
bulkhead. Nothing should be cracked or damaged, ask if they had to make any
repairs in this area.
5. Grab the ski and try to compress the ski with
your waste. grab the top of the shock with your fingers at the upper shock
mounting point. Work the shock up and down (just a 1/2" is enough) try to feel
for slop and wear in the upper and lower shock mount (there is a bearing on each
end of the shock you are trying to determine if the bearing is worn out). those
shock bearings cost about $20 each (2 per shock = $40) and they wear out if
pounded.
6. Ask when the shocks were serviced last and if
they would be willing to freshen the shocks if you buy the sled. I will service
the shocks for $25 each including oil but not any damaged parts. The shocks are
very tough and there is not likely any damaged parts. The 06 front shocks are
a little better than the 05 but both perform good when set up properly.
7. Look for the tattle tale o-ring on the polished
shaft of the shocks. It will likely be at the top of the polished shaft, this
tells you if the shock was bottomed out (they bottom out all the time this is
normal). If the O-ring is missing the shocks may have been bottomed excessively.
This is not unusual but it just shows how hard the sled was ridden. Our IQ's
spit the O-rings all the time but we pounded them hard, just part of racing. The
O-ring is not necessary for the shock to perform properly it just tells you how
much of the suspension you are using.
8. Look at the skags and ski bottoms, this will give
you an idea how the sled was ridden. Skis and skags are replaceable so some
damage is no big deal it just gives you an idea what the sled went through.
9. Go to the rear suspension and grab and push
around on every component looking for anything loose. Push and grab with some
muscle, these parts are under pressure and if you dont put some effort into
moving them around you will miss something.
10. Now, use your friends help, find the pivot point
where the front arm bolts to the slide rail there is a bolt and bushing there,
kind of behind the torsion spring perch. Have your friend push in on the track
with his knee and try to compress the front arm of the skid, move this in and
out as much as possible (about 1/2" is all that is needed). Put your fingers on
the pivot point and check for ANY slop or unnatural movement, this is a very
high wear point and it is very likely this bushing is worn out. The rail could
also be damaged here. Dont be a wimp on this one, make sure your buddy is
compressing the arm in and out a little and feel for a worn pivot point. If
there is any slop here you have problems and it is likely the rails have been
damaged. Ask them if they have had any problems with this area, if they say no
then it is for sure worn out and should be disassembled for further inspection.
If they say yes then ask them what they did to fix the problem. EVERY Polaris
that is SnoX'd has this problem unless it was fixed properly or maybe a little
girl was riding it, but this must be checked.
Look under the rest of the rear skid for obvious
damage and wear.
Flip the sled on the other side
and check everything you just got finished checking on side one. Sometimes one
side will be worn and the other will not.
11. The IQ seat is very susceptible to the front tabs breaking off and making the seat loose at the front. This is no big deal but if the tabs are broken the seat front will be loose and may flop around. I have seen many different fixes to this problem but I think the best is a webbed strap that goes over the seat and attaches to the tunnel with screws or bolts.
12. Up and down movement in the steering post is normal as long as it is about Ό or less. Dont worry about this but be sure and check the bottom nut as per the Polaris tips. This bottom nut must be tight and should be checked a few times after you ride the sled to make sure it is not loosening up.
13. The steering post has a large Heim Joint at the bottom and this should be
checked regularly to make sure it has not loosened up. You should use Red
Locktite on this nut, see Polaris Tips for more Info.
14. The rear skid on the 05 will normally have a little slop in it when you
push down on the bumper. Heavier torsion springs reduce this slop but do not
eliminate it completely. The rear skid of the 06 performed better because of
the revised mounting location and the different front track shock.
15. The 05 has problems with the plastic side panel by your right knee. If the sled was ridden hard the plastic will be melted a little from the muffler pipe. This isnt a big issue and the 06 bracket can be riveted in place to prevent this.