dude i can get you a brand new cylinder for 350 both valves for 100 and a piston kit for 125 then the head gasket and base gasket are 32. and this is only a 3 hour job at my shop at 25/hr. If i was you i would shop around or consider doing it yourself. you can save even more money by getting an LA sleeve installed.

 

$1200-$1400 seems about right for a top end rebuild like they are talking. My first thought is "did they remove the head to diagnose the bad valve and flaking cylinder?" If not I would like to know how they did it? I know you can see a little bit of the valves if you remove the exhaust and the carb and look downthe repective holes but how do they know the cylinder is flaking nickel? especially since the plug is coming out black?

My second thought is you mentioned you have NOT had the valves adjusted? Might give it a try as it is not too difficult and could help. The Troubleshooting guide in every manual I own for an ATV has for Hard Starting, Poor idle listed first, a Valve adjustment.

I would look into this before I dropped $1200-$2000 on a rebuild or engine swap.

Also, is it just me or does 15hrs for an engine swap seem wayy to high? Last time I took an engine out of an AC500 and swapped it it took a little over 5hrs and I had to replace the entire front axle as well.

I am pretty sure you could do an engine swap yourself.

Swampy

 

The whole thing sounds weird to me. First off, if the cylinders can't be bored/honed, why does the factory sell oversize pistons? Also, I was talking to an Arctic Cat tech who told me the most common problems he has seen on these engines are collapse rings (from engines that sit alot) to some that recess valves. If you don't have a factory service manual yourself, download one off of the internet, they are cheap.

 

I don't have a compression gauge that fits the plug threads so I used the thumb over the hole method and the compression seemed low. I went to the shop and talked with the mechanic about what was going on. He felt it was likely a valve adjustment as well and said that was a $10 job. He had the adjustment tool and I didn't have to go out in single digit weather and mess with it or bend up feeler gauges, so I took it to him. He checked (reset) valve adjustment and confirmed the low compression and I had him pull the head and see what was going on.

I do have the service manual. I thought it weird myself that the manual talks about boring and honing the cylinder.

Yes, swampy, I thought 15hrs was a bit long myself and I haven't ever pulled an ATV engine. I would swap that myself if I changed engines. It looks like a rather simple process on the '01 250.

 

ok heres the deal with the engine. that engine does not have nickasil. it is a standard steel sleeve. so it can be bored and honed. and you dont have to pull that engine to rebuild it. it can be completely done in the frame. you only have to pull of the cylinder head and cylinder to do it. and also it is a suzuki engine so you can probably get the parts cheaper by buying suzuki parts instead of arctic cat parts. when arctic cat parts come they are even in suzuki packaging. these guys are really trying to hoo doo you. where do you live? you could send all the parts to me and ill fix it for way less than 1200 bucks

 

"hoo doo" that's a good one HillClimber!

I agree with you that this engien can be honed. Especially since the service manuals I own show you how and talk about doing it.

I believe some engines for sleds are plated though?

Swampy

 

some utility cylinders are but not this one. usually its the higher performance 500s and higher that are plated cuz of the extra heat.

 

Could it be that the piston is plated and we had a miss-communication about which part it was that was flaking?

I have them doing the job now, I really don't believe they are trying to put anything over on me or they wouldn't be doing it. This guy has been an Arctic Cat mechanic for over ten years.

While I don't enjoy paying $1200 for this to be done, I do not currently have the time or facility to do it, so it is worth it to me.

 

good luck with it.