Hello all!
I am a new owner of a 1974 Merc 440 Max...The price was right, but its not running, so I figured the least I could do is to make a good attempt at restoring it to its former glory. Its not a basket case by any means, but it certainly wont win any contests in its current state.
First things first though before the mechanical questions are some basic overall impressions. Firstly, I am not a novice to 2 cycle engines or mechanical repair(I keep running several outboards from the 50's on to the 80's) but I am a total novice to snowmobile repair, and this is the first sled that I have to tinker with. I don't have any time line that I am trying to work towards. I am just wanting to be the proud owner of a well running and maintained vintage sled. Having said that, I am asking for any good guidelines that may be available for me to refer to. Don't be afraid to offer me some general newbie advice on snowmobiling. If you have favorite URLs or links pertaining to vintage Mercs, feel free to point me in the right direction. I think I am probably starting off in as good of a place as I can find for my first effort.
Before I start on getting the engine back to running again (its a no spark issue that I am pretty sure is due to a badly corroded ignition switch and also possibly a safety switch), I need some owners previous experiences. Where there any particular issues with this year model that I should be aware of? Any commonly failed parts to this model? Any maintenance issues that I need to keep an eye on?
Would "NOS" parts be a better bet for repair or are aftermarket parts the way to go or is this even an issue? (it is on some vintage outboard engines). Who carries a good stock of parts and supplies for the Merc? Do I need to be camped out on Ebay looking about?
I'll eventually need a repair manual of some sort for checking tolerances and setting clearances, torque and timing and such. How is the availability of owners manuals and or repair manuals that have wiring diagrams? Are there "Chilton style" manuals available for this sled and if so are they any good?
Basically, I looking for some good initial foundation information for me to build my skills on. If you have any general riding experiences on the Max, please feel free to share those as well!
Thanks everyone for your help!!
Dave
N5XL
Merc 440 Max...Many Questions
Well some good news... 
Basics that most of you probably know already, but as I stated before, this is my first sled so bear with me. Verified the engine as being a CCW Kioritz 440/22 which I believe is correct for this year sled. The engine serial number does not match the sled serial number. I dont think that they were necessarily the same back then, but I am not totally clear on if they should match or not.
As an FYI, and you probably already know, this particular engine was shared by several in the John Deere line, most noteably, the 1974 JDX8 and the 1975 John Deere 800. This particular engine went from being a points motor to a CDI unit around this time, and is differentiated by the suffix at the end. The /22 means its a reed valve design as opposed to a piston skirt port motor, and a /22a or later would be a CDI ignition system. (correct me if you know differently). As I said, this is more for me than anything else so I was quite excited to learn about the engine and the Canadian Curtis Wright history.
I did find a "Chilton type" manual by Intertec on ebay and have that on the way, so in the interim, I am troubleshooting and fiddling by experience I have with other engines and on a LOT of trial and error. It was KILLING me not to have this engine running so I did some basic troubleshooting with what little I know of this style engine.
I disconnected the ignition switch completely and the kill switch on the handlebars to isolate the basic ignition system. I traced the wiring from the exciter coils back through the wiring and figured out the basic wiring was intact. I then verified that the ignition coils were giving some sort of reasonable ohm's reading. I checked the points and the contacts looked good. Put everything back together and put the plugs on top of the cylinders. After a few pulls on the rope, I managed to get it to spark!
So my first victory...the ignition switch was bad after all. I put two new plugs in and hooked up the fuel lines and pulse line to the HD carb, and after a bit of fiddling with the idle and high speed mix screws, I coaxed it to start and actually got it to idle well.
It looks like all the major systems work on the sled. The engine now starts and idles, the track is cracked but intact and the sled does move when you open up the throttle. I think the easy part is done. Now for the hard part...finding all the stuff I need to get it back to original condition.
Looks like I'll need the brake and throttle levers on the handlebars for sure..both are cracked and badly damaged. I have some damage to the lower right side rear belly pan, and the top hood is cracked between the headlights. Anybody have any leads on body parts for the Max? How about brake and throttle lever assemblies? THe switches on both the brake and throttle assembly are probably shot, so I was hoping to get the entire assemblies.
Anybody know anything about the ignition switch? Is this a standard "lawnmower type" unit or is this a proprietary mercury switch? Anybody have any leads on replacements?
Dave
N5XL
Basics that most of you probably know already, but as I stated before, this is my first sled so bear with me. Verified the engine as being a CCW Kioritz 440/22 which I believe is correct for this year sled. The engine serial number does not match the sled serial number. I dont think that they were necessarily the same back then, but I am not totally clear on if they should match or not.
As an FYI, and you probably already know, this particular engine was shared by several in the John Deere line, most noteably, the 1974 JDX8 and the 1975 John Deere 800. This particular engine went from being a points motor to a CDI unit around this time, and is differentiated by the suffix at the end. The /22 means its a reed valve design as opposed to a piston skirt port motor, and a /22a or later would be a CDI ignition system. (correct me if you know differently). As I said, this is more for me than anything else so I was quite excited to learn about the engine and the Canadian Curtis Wright history.
I did find a "Chilton type" manual by Intertec on ebay and have that on the way, so in the interim, I am troubleshooting and fiddling by experience I have with other engines and on a LOT of trial and error. It was KILLING me not to have this engine running so I did some basic troubleshooting with what little I know of this style engine.
I disconnected the ignition switch completely and the kill switch on the handlebars to isolate the basic ignition system. I traced the wiring from the exciter coils back through the wiring and figured out the basic wiring was intact. I then verified that the ignition coils were giving some sort of reasonable ohm's reading. I checked the points and the contacts looked good. Put everything back together and put the plugs on top of the cylinders. After a few pulls on the rope, I managed to get it to spark!
So my first victory...the ignition switch was bad after all. I put two new plugs in and hooked up the fuel lines and pulse line to the HD carb, and after a bit of fiddling with the idle and high speed mix screws, I coaxed it to start and actually got it to idle well. It looks like all the major systems work on the sled. The engine now starts and idles, the track is cracked but intact and the sled does move when you open up the throttle. I think the easy part is done. Now for the hard part...finding all the stuff I need to get it back to original condition.
Looks like I'll need the brake and throttle levers on the handlebars for sure..both are cracked and badly damaged. I have some damage to the lower right side rear belly pan, and the top hood is cracked between the headlights. Anybody have any leads on body parts for the Max? How about brake and throttle lever assemblies? THe switches on both the brake and throttle assembly are probably shot, so I was hoping to get the entire assemblies.
Anybody know anything about the ignition switch? Is this a standard "lawnmower type" unit or is this a proprietary mercury switch? Anybody have any leads on replacements?
Dave
N5XL