[AT] Bad Gas in my ATV wheelchair

[Cecil Bearden]

I tore down the Arctic Cat 2019 700 VLX yesterday.  I bought a lift 
table at a sellout of a cycle upfitter.  The fuel pump suction strainer 
had disintegrated in the tank.  The tank had some sticky red crap in the 
bottom that would not mix with the gas.  I dumped the gas and mopped up 
the red stuff with towels.  Then found that methanol would make the red 
stuff mix with the leftover gas and pour out the tank.  I think what 
fuel was in it caused the fuel pump to liquify.  Then the carburetor 
throttle plate was frozen.  I worked with carb and choke cleaner and 
finally got the throttle shaft pulled and the throttle shaft had the 
same sticky stuff.  This only had maybe 10-12 hours on it if that much. 
  It has been sitting 2 years.  I never put anything in the tank but 
gasoline.  I try to buy only premium unleaded no ethanol.  I buy from 
the same place.   I have it nearly all back together and I tried the 
starter and it fired with the little fuel in the fuel line.   Now I have 
my 2012 Arctic Cat 700 with power steering to find the problems.  The 
power steering, 4wd, lights, fan all quit working.  I have checked all 
relays and fuses.  The fan was the first to go then the power steering, 
then 4wd and last the lights.   Arctic Cat has become very hard to get 
correct parts for.  Textron bought them and now they are producing their 
own brand of ATV and letting the Arctic Cat division go hungry.  It 
doesn't make sense, but I have 3 of them.  My first Arctic Cat was a 
2008 366 model.  i bought it when I first started consulting and it was 
what I could afford.  I paid for it in 4 months, financed it with my 
credit card.  I bought that 2019 model when the 366 would not run above 
idle.   I bought the 2019 700 to use while the 366 was being worked on.  
It took 2 weeks at least before the dealer would get it into the shop to 
work on it.  When I picked up the 366, it ran good for about 30 
minutes.  I put an Ebay carburetor on it and it would not start.  When I 
was working on it I found all the rubber connections on it were cracked 
and leaking.  Why the dealer did not change these I don't know.  They 
charged nearly $500 to rebuild the carburetor.   It turns out that the 
dealer I bought all these Arctic Cats from is no longer an Arctic Cat 
dealer.   The closest one is over 120 miles away.   I had done a lot of 
business with them for service over the years. I messaged them about the 
problems I was having, and got the response that they were sorry for all 
the problems I was having.    So, I bought a lift table and will do all 
my own work like I used to do.  The last time I put a fuel pump in my 
old 700, my back was killing me for days.  I have to be able to work 
while sitting in a chair.  now that i have tried the lift table, it 
needs a little modifications on the safety stops to get it at just the 
right height.  It works great though, as it will run off a small 
compressor.

Cecil