Imp operation

[airdale]

I run a 1969 1404 Imp with the Ford v4 at 10,000 feet. It has 12 gears, but I can only use first gear in the OC-4 and First or second in the three speed Fwd trany. Rarely going down hill I can use third gear. When I push in the clutch it seems to come to a halt quickly...it don't coast at all. I've read some operators are getting 15 to 25 mph! Whats wrong with my orange turd?

 

[slowcatdriver]

I have an identical Imp (#483) and have about the same performance. At sea level I can cruise in 2/2 gear at about 10 mph but only on fairly flat packed trail. On rare occasions I can use 3rd in second range. On climbs and in deep snow oftentimes I have to stay in 1/1 gear. How's your fuel useage? Last winter on one trip to my cabin in 3 feet of fresh snow with drifts I burned about 24 gallons in 12 miles. Usually on packed snow it uses a quarter tank to make the trip. I learned to carry lots of extra fuel.

 

[pixie]

I had an Imp. Don't know about the fuel but it took a bit of a downgrade to be able to keep rolling at all when changing gears . It's not just Imps; no tracked vehicle keeps rolling very well.

 

[cloudcap]

I'm operating at about 3,000 feet and am able to pull a moderately steep hill in 2/2 with 1,000+ pounds of people on board (6 adults and a bunch of kids). Of course, that's on a packed trail. If we were pushing through fresh snow then it would be quite a bit slower. I have no idea how fast we're moving, but I'm happy with the pace.

It sounds like your engine may be a little anemic. Mixture? Timing? Left the parking brake on? I'm not an engine guru, but I think you ought to be able to do better.

Ron

 

[300 H and H]

I notice Imp's don't have a great deal of ground clearance, due to the rather short track profile. In deep fresh snow it would seem to me they would push a fair amount of snow with the front of the tub...Add to this going up hill and one begins to see why the lack of power and excessive fuel consumption come into play.

So what is the ground clearance of an Imp anyway? A Snow Trac has 15" I think..ya I am one of those guys, but Imps always turn my head!

Regards, Kirk

 

[Snowtrac Nome]

snow tracs roll pretty good weasles can just about be pushed by a couple of people. there is alot of resistance with tracks and the thicker the belts or deeper the grousers the more horsepower the track system will suck up.

 

[airdale]

Thanks for the help, i got some ideas of what to look at.

 

[Dick]

1simple thing are the tracks to tight?

 

[airdale]

How do ya know if they are too tight. Mine seem to have a lot of slack in them.

 

[Woody_1]

1simple thing are the tracks to tight?

I've got my new belting a tad snug. I've got the right amount of growsers and spaced correctly. And yes I have some of the same symtoms. Alot of factors are in play. Track tension, Brake band adj., Eng. timing, Valve adj. and lack of horse power. It's a small Eng. I think it's called Imp vs. Super Imp syndrome... Also I have noticed a difference in the octane of the gas. Supreme works better. Yes, I think the tension on my tracks is a contributing factor. I am hoping they will loosen up after some time as the belting is new and only has a few hours on it. If your tracks seem loose then I would start with readjusting your brake bands. Not to mention a good tune up!

 

[Woody_1]

My Imp acts very similar to CloudCaps and SlowCatDriver's posts. This is the first trip up to the cabin. It's a 20 mile run on hard pack. If I remember right It burned under 20 gallons. And my tracks are snug fitting. I broke a steering band at the cabin. It was late last year so I am going back soon without hauling the wide track LX.

 

[Snowtrac Nome]

it makes me wonder if his steering bands are dragging a bit