General Suggestions for those who own Diablos

[Go Go Diablo]

Hello Diablo Owners.

I've put together this little document that I often share with new Diablo owners. It give them little tricks and thoughts about their Diablos. I'd like to you read it and pass along anything you think would be good to add.

Thanks all,

Bruce

Bolens Diablo Care

In addition to information found in the manuals, here are some suggestions to care for your Diablo.

Starting:

Short pulls of the recoil: Hirth cable recoils do not have a dead end clip on the end of the cable within the rewind. Continuous hard pulls to the end of the cable length could pull the cable out of the rewind. Short pulls are best.

Verify fuel to carburetor: The fuel system is not originally equipped with any sort of fuel primer and if the check valves leak within the carburetor, fuel can drain down the fuel line back into the tank. When this happens, extra pulls of the recoil or turning over the engine with the electric starter is needed to get fuel up to the carburetor. Verify fuel is being pulled up the hose. If fuel is not being pulled up the hose, disconnect the fuel line from the carburetor and blow a shot of compressed air into the inlet to “pop” the needle off the seat within the carburetor.

Cold Starts: A couple of shots of good old fashioned flammable Carburetor Cleaner down the throat of the carburetor will help get a cold engine fired up. Carburetor Cleaner is better than starting fluid because it does not dry out the cylinder walls and score the surfaces. When starting, apply a full choke and full throttle until the engine fires. Then push the choke in and with a full throttle, turn the engine over till it starts.

Fouled Plugs: Champion D14 plugs work best, but all plugs foul at times. If the unit does not start, don’t hesitate to put a clean plug in. On rare occasions, a motor will start and not rev up in RPM. Again, change the plug first as they can partially foul.

Operation:

Fuel Mixture: Recommended Mix is 2-cycle oil (not injector oil) with gasoline at 24:1.

Tillotson Carburetors are finicky: The fuel mix to your engine will change dependent on temperature and usually affects the top end performance. Typical adjustment of the Low Speed Jet is out 3/4 turn. Typical adjustment of the High Speed Jet is out 1-1/4 turn.

Adjust the Low Speed Jet and Idle Screw to get the engine to run smooth at a low idle to where the Primary Clutch is not trying to engage. Operate at top speed to know if the High Speed Jet needs adjustment. Tweak the High Speed Jet in or out 1/8 turns or less to get the engine to run at the best top speed of about 30 MPH.

Avoid hard cornering: Hard turns tend to thrust the tracks right or left under the chassis. This can damage sprockets.

Maintenance:

Track Adjustment: Tracks that are too tight will damage sprockets. Adjust the tracks so that they do not slap on the bottom of the chassis when driving. Always adjust the track tensioners equally on each side to ensure the gearbox is straight in the chassis. This is done by measuring the exposed adjustment bolts on each side and making them equal.

Gearbox Lubrication: If after driving the unit, oil can be seen on the chain through the upper gearbox hole (under the plug), then there is enough oil in the gearcase. Do not overfill the gearcase as this will cause it to leak more.
Drive Belt: The drive belts are very narrow at about 15/16” on the widest edge. When worn, the Diablo looses power or the belt slips. Keep a good belt on hand in case it’s needed.

Bogie Stations & Sprockets: Inspect the Bogie Stations looking for damaged tires or bent wheels. Verify all cogs are intact on the front and rear sprockets.

Brake: With the arm on the brake assembly adjusted straight vertical, tighten the castle nut far enough inward to adjust brake lever travel.

Recoil (if equipped): Once or twice a year, remove the recoil and spray some silicone spray into the spring area. There is no need to disassemble the recoil to do this.

Storage:

Fog the motor. Fogging spray is available at places like Fleet Farm or Snowmobile Supply Companies. Spray into the carburetor as directed. Pull the plug and spray down into the cylinder too. Pull the recoil a few times and reinstall the plug.

Drain gas from tank through fuel line. If your tank is not lined, you may want to drain as much fuel as possible, and then drop a rag in the tank and remove to soak up the remainder of the fuel. Then store with the gas cap off so the tank dries out.

Remove the Drive Belt and spray down the clutches with silicone spray or similar. WD40 will evaporate, so that is not a good choice.

Lubricate the bogie wheels. If you do not have lubrication zerks, spray lubricant behind each wheel rim as this is where the bushings are. If you have zerks, pumping oil into the bogie tube is best. 30W motor oil works well.

Check oil in gearbox. If dry, put in about a cup of oil and rotate to lubricate the chain. Put a dab of oil on the ski seater ball joint in front of the fuel tank too.

If you have mice, cover and protect the muffler outlet. For some reason, mice like to get into the mufflers and build nests. Also cover and tape up the carburetor to keep mice and their food out.

If your ski seater skis do not have the UHMW Wear Strips on the bottom, block them up off the floor or the wood will soak up the moisture from the ground or concrete and rot.

Transporting:

Use ratchet straps outward from the front and rear axel of the Diablo Tractor to the trailer. To insure stability in case one strap breaks, double up the straps. Tighten the straps snug, but do not crank them too tight as an axel could bend. Do not attach to the front bumper or handlebars as they both could get bent easily if driven over a large bump or pothole.

On 500’s and 502’, turn the key to the on position so it does not rattle out of the key switch while on the road. For the 503 model, remove the key.

[Barrie2777]

I also have a few suggestions of what to do with Diablos but this probably isn't the place to share them.

[Bart_Bolens_Diablo]

I also have a few suggestions of what to do with Diablos but this probably isn't the place to share them.

Barrie is on a roll .......

[Go Go Diablo]

He does have quite a sense of humor that Barrie.