Author Topic: 1.5 Drifters  (Read 3462 times)

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Gravityisnotmyfriend

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1.5 Drifters
« on: February 28, 2019, 03:30:08 PM »
I bought my first Kawasaki snowmobile back in about 1994 - it was a 1980 440 Drifter. Road it until I graduated High School. Ended up parked in my dad's shed while I went off to the USAF in 1997.

When I finished my 4 years active duty, I moved back to WI to start College. That first year back, I drug the Drifter out and got it running - sort of.

https://youtu.be/gGP-KKWPBXM

It'd run fine if it was cold, but as soon as it warmed up, it would bog badly - like it was running rich. But, I was busy with college, and didn't have a place to keep it - so I parked it back in my dad's shed for another 5ish years.

Then, in 2007, I moved to Appleton for work and found that snowmobiling was pretty big up there and that there was a network of snowmobile trails right near my house - so I went out and bought a modern sled and joined the local club. It was there that I found out quite a few guys were into the vintage sleds as well.

Huh, I have a vintage sled - really wasn't when I bought it - but it is now!

So, I brought it to Appleton and got it running again. I had to clean out the old gas and clean the carb, but it started right up. Unfortunatley, letting it sit for 5 years didn't help the bogging issue when it got warmed up. So! Off to the interwebs where I found Kawasakitrax.com. Actually, I think I found Vintagesledders.com first - and there I got the advice that I should check out this Kawasaki page since I'd get more knowledgeable answers here.

The first advice I got was to replace the crank seals. Assuming they were original, they would be pushing 30 years old. So, that's good advice regardless. So, I pulled the engine and replaced the seals. I even took a video at my first attempt to start it.

https://youtu.be/qYxm8WS1EHM

It started right away. But as soon as i got it warmed up, it would bog. Still.  :-\

I had cleaned the carb a few times prior - but it looked clean. I just couldn't figure out the problem. I had cleaned all the jets, set the float height, made sure all the openings were... open. It still wouldn't run right warmed up.

For those unfamiliar with a Drifter carb - and I'm going from memory here - the main jet is actually in the bottom of the float bowl. It meters fuel through a passage in the bottom of the bowl up through a fitting that connects the bottom passage to the carb when the bowl is installed. The fitting has a fairly large opening that  leads up to the main needle. I could see through it, and I had sprayed carb cleaner through it, but I had never removed it. When I finally did, I found that the body of the fitting was actually cracked and allowing a small amount of extra fuel into the carb. I replaced that piece, and it ran great.

However, it had some other issues start showing up while I started riding it regularly. The Hex clutch was getting worn out. Sometimes, if the clutch got fully engaged, it wouldn't disengage. So you'd have to stop - which would kill the engine - then rotate the clutch backward and it would pop open. I replaced the hex bushing, but it still didn't operate properly. But, then I ran across a complete, wrecked drifter for sale. The tunnel was badly damaged, and the engine had a cracked case - BUT! It had a Comet clutch on the undamaged side of the engine. So, I figured it was worth the $35, and drug it home.

Clutch issues were resolved, but I was missing a linkage that attached the secondary clutch to the frame, and my primer didn't work. As luck would have it, I found another drifter for sale nearby. A guy had bought an acreage. Amongst the rest of the junk was a sad looking Drifter. Tank was broken, seat was shot, engine was seized - but the guy wanted $15 for it. And it had a primer and the linkage. So, much to my wife's delight, I brought ANOTHER junked sled home. Salvaged what I needed off it it, and looked at the pile of stuff left over.

My plan was to strip the two tunnels and sell the aluminum - but this thread is 1.5 Drifters. Not 1 Drifter. And that's where the plan skewed. I invited a snowmobiling buddy over to drink some beers and help my strip the sleds. Before we started tearing into them - but not before a few beers - he commented that we had enough parts to make another sled.

Well, maybe we did. One good tunnel. One good(ish) hood, a good track, a seat. Not a good seat, mind you - but a seat pan with some foam attached.

But what about an engine. The wrecked sled had a crack in the case from hitting whatever it hit. The junked sled was seized - but how bad was it? We tore into the seized engine first. The top end came off with some violent persuasion and was in rough shape. But the bottom end? It looked great. The bearings looked good and spun smoothly and there was no damage.

So, we took the bottom end of the seized engine, and the top end of the damaged engine, put them together and assembled the whole thing. Turned out pretty ugly - but actually runs and drives great.

https://youtu.be/OHgNh70iO_Q

https://youtu.be/v9dfJ8nZVz0

All was well until about 2011. I changed jobs and moved a couple of hundred miles south. Still got a little snow in the winters, but there were no trails, and i had no land to ride on. I sold my newer sled and the drifters sat. Again. For another 7 years.

But, this past summer, I moved back to WI. We have snow, we have trails so I dug the old drifter back out again. Took another carb cleaning, but she's still running great. Decided to come back on Kawasakitrax to look up some info that I had posted before - but it seems that the site has moved, and that was lost. So, here I am - reintroducing myself.

I think I logged on as Brewha or something like that before. I still recognize a few names, I think.

I'll dig out some pics and post them up later. 

Interceptor398

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Re: 1.5 Drifters
« Reply #1 on: February 28, 2019, 05:01:24 PM »
Great story and welcome back!!

rminier

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Re: 1.5 Drifters
« Reply #2 on: March 01, 2019, 02:13:58 PM »
     ^^^^^^^^^^^
    YES! What he said.    8)
75 SnoJet Astro SS, 79 Kawasaki Invader 440 (two of them), 81 Scorpion Sidewinder, 82 Blizzard 9500, 83 Yamaha Vmax 540, 97 MXZ 670....and holding...for now.

Gravityisnotmyfriend

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Re: 1.5 Drifters
« Reply #3 on: March 01, 2019, 02:30:47 PM »
Thanks for the welcome guys. Still trying to find the pics I posted up here before. Only found a few so far. Guess I'll have to take some new ones.

This is the Drifter on the trailer around 2007 when I brought it to Appleton :

Then the engine out to change out the crank seals.

Here is the missing secondary clutch linkage.


 
« Last Edit: March 01, 2019, 02:32:41 PM by Gravityisnotmyfriend »

Gravityisnotmyfriend

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Re: 1.5 Drifters
« Reply #4 on: March 01, 2019, 02:40:14 PM »
And, I found my Photobucket album. Let's see if these links work...

This is the 1/2 drifter made from the parts pile.
http://s179.photobucket.com/user/gravityisnotmyfriend/media/Drifter/100_0169.jpg.html?sort=3&o=45






Hmmm. Needs work.

Might just upload those directly to the site instead of going thru photobucket.


« Last Edit: March 01, 2019, 02:43:25 PM by Gravityisnotmyfriend »

Checkmarks

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Re: 1.5 Drifters
« Reply #5 on: March 23, 2019, 04:00:42 PM »
Brewha,

I remember your screen name.  Yes the Admin did switched servers (?) and some of the materials posted were not brought over.  Fun that the site is still up and functional.  Thanks Admin!

A drifter joined my herd this year.  440 and screams for a fan cooler.  Fun with no suspension so if a rookie gets stuck it is not a burden to pull them out.