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1972 panther 440

11K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  CagedBear187 
#1 ·
I have a 72 panther w/ kawasaki f/c 440. It has 200 orignal miles on it. Finally got it going after it sat since 1973. After it is ran for about 20-30 mins, engine looses all power. When cold, track will brake loose and dig to the ground, once warm it will hardley move. Engine seems to bog out!!! I have installed new plugs, points, condenser, fuel line and filter in tank. Any ideas of what is wrong? Also carb is spitting fuel out. Anybody know what might be wrong and where I can get the parts to fix it???? Thanks
 
#2 ·
Ah yes, the good old 440 Panther 1972 vintage. I bought one new and still have it. When mine was new I had the same problems you described on and off. I used to carry different heat range spark plugs and change them out on the trail. My motor was picky on the brand of plug and NKG worked best, then Bosch, then Champion and only Autolite as a last resort to limp home. Usually 2-3 spare pairs would get me back home after several hours of riding. Those spare plug caddies that Arctic Cat sold back then were not just a novelty. I depended on them to carry my plugs safely. They would be fouled with oil when I checked them after experiencing the same problems that you accurately described so well. I noticed that when I used Arctic Purple Lube oil from the dealer, it ran better with less fouling. When I used other oil brands, I was not so lucky. Yes my gas/oil mix was correct and I still have that 6 gallon Arctic Cat gas can on the shelf. You were lucky to get it running after that many years. I would suggest that you may want to be cognizant of the cylinder head temperature on the motor. I was not and paid the price with the chrome bore lining flaking off after mine sat for several years, albeit I though I had those cylinders fogged. Mine got stuck and I could not get it free. I pulled the motor out and looked at the top end. Not a pretty sight. I looked at the bottom end and I about died when I saw the mass of rust on the crankshaft. I have been looking for a good running used motor for it but the prices are so high, it's not worth it in my opinion. Now that I am reminded about the problems with it bogging down, maybe I don't even want to get it back on the trails with that Kawasaki motor. When it was new I could run 80mph on radar. To me that was impressive in 1972 with such a heavy machine. Good luck.
 
#3 ·
It more than likely has the original crank center seal. This was a problem back in the day and can be easily cured with the newer style seal. If it's sat that long, I would highly suggest pulling the motor down to see what's inside. Core motors can be had pretty cheap and if your selective with what you get, you can get a complete engine for $50 with all good hard parts with exception of the crank. There's a local guy here that will rebuild the crank for $150 not including parts. Bearings can be found for less than $20 each. The center seal $5. Complete gasket/seal kit $40. Points $10. That's pretty reasonable for a rebuild. If your going to ride it and not show it, I would look for a bottom end with CDI. The only difference is the Mag Chop on the crank and the ignition parts. It will all interchange though. That way you don't have to worry about points, all the parts are OEM and available and it's easy to start ALL the time and it removes all the issues associated with points/condensers. Those bottom ends are common on the 73-75 models.

Waldo
 
#5 ·
I AGREE WITH UNCLE WALLY WHEN THOSE OLD KAWIES SAT FOR A WHILE THE SEALS HAD A TENDACY TO STICK TO THE CRANK.THAT IS WHY IT HAS POWER WHEN IT IS COLD AND NONE WHEN IT IS WARM. THE CYLINDER THAT HAS THE BAD SEAL SHOULD BE WET.WHEN YOU TAKE IT OUT YOU WILL SEE THE BAD SEAL IT WILL BE VERY EASY TO SEE.TO SAVE YOUR THE MANY HEAD ACAHES GET A COMPLEAT GASKET KIT AND BE DONE WITH IT.
 
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