Owners Manual
Installation instructions Öhlins shock absorber kit
AC 306 for Arctic Cat, Sabercat, Firecat 2002-03, center
© Öhlins Racing AB. All rights reserved. Any reprinting or unauthorized use without the
written permission of Öhlins Racing AB is prohibited. Printed in Sweden.
Öhlins shock absorber type 36 D
Adjusters
Your Öhlins shock absorber type 36 D features
the following adjusters:
Spring preload
Adjustments are made by turning the rings on
the shock absorber body. Use C-spanner.
The preload is carefully set for the right balance
and ski pressure in your snowmobile. Note the
original position of the rings if you make an
adjustment, so you easily can return to the
well-tried setting.
Setup data
Lenght 284 mm
Stroke 81 mm
Preload 1 mm
Free spring length 180 mm
Spring preload
adjustment
Öhlins Racing AB, Box 722, S-194 27 Upplands Väsby, Sweden.
Phone +46 8 590 025 00. Fax +46 8 590 025 80.
www.ohlins.com
AC 306. Issued 04 05 07
Before installation
Öhlins Racing AB can not be held responsible for
any damage whatsoever to shock absorber or
vehicle, or injury to persons, if the instructions for
fitting and maintenance are not followed exactly.
Similarly, the warranty will become null and void
if the instructions are not adhered to.
WARNING!
1. Installing a shock absorber, that is not
approved by the vehicle manufacturer, may
affect the stability of your vehicle. Öhlins
Racing AB cannot be held responsible for
any personal injury or damage whatsoever
that may occur after fitting the shock
absorber. Contact an Öhlins dealer or other
qualified person for advice.
2. Please study and make certain that you
fully understand all the mounting instructions
and the owners manuals before handling this
shock absorber kit. If you have any questions
regarding proper installation procedures,
contact an Öhlins dealer or other qualified
person.
3. The vehicle service manual must be
referred to when installing the Öhlins shock
absorber
Safety signals
Important information concerning safety is
distinguished in this manual by the
following notations:
The Safety alert symbol means:
Caution! Your safety is involved.
WARNING!
Failure to follow warning instructions
could result in severe or fatal injury
to anyone working with, inspecting or
using the suspension, or to bystanders.
CAUTION!
Caution indicates that special pre-
cautions must be taken to avoid dam-
age to the suspension.
NOTE!
This indicates information that is of
importance with regard to procedures.
Öhlins products are subject to continual improve-
ment and development. Consequently, although
these instructions include the most up-to-date
information available at the time of printing, there
may be minor differences between your suspen-
sion and this manual. Please consult your Öhlins
dealer if you have any questions with regard to
the contents of the manual.
NOTE!
During storage and transportation, espe-
cially at high ambient temperature, the oil
and grease used for assembling may run out
inside the packing and damage the
expanded polystyrene packing material. This
is not unusual and is in no way detrimental
to the shock absorber.
Kit contents
Before installing the shock absorber, please
check the contents of the kit, listed on the front
page of this instruction. If anything is missing,
contact your Öhlins dealer.
Description Pcs. Part No.
Shock absorber 36D 1 AC 306
Sticker Öhlins 2 00192-01
C-spanner 1 00710-01
Owners manual 1
Notes
WARNING!
1. It´s advisable to have an Öhlins dealer or other
qualified person to fit your shock absorber.
2. Instructions in the vehicle service manual are
to be followed when changing the shock
absorber.
3. When working on a lifted vehicle it must be
securely supported to prevent it from falling.
Mounting Instructions
1
Lift the rear end of the snowmobile so the rear sus-
pension has ground clearance. Make sure it is
steadily positioned and will not fall down.
40 mm
Right
Left
22 mm
CAUTION!
For certain snowmobiles it is not advisible to roll
it over or lay it on it´s side. Especially for ma-
chines with injection oil system, loss of lubrica-
tion due to air in the system can damage the en-
gine. Also fuel can leak from the gasoline tank.
NOTE!
When disassembling suspension components it´s
always easier first to loosen, but not remove all
bolts, before removing the components. Re-
versed order when assembling, tightening all
bolts is the last thing you should do.
2
Release the spring preload of the rear suspen-
sion springs by loosening the nut on the right side.
Hold the spring in a firm grip and pull the shaft out
approxiomately 40 mm. Remove the spring
bracket. Release the spring carefully. It is advis-
able to have a second person assisting.
WARNING!
The springs are very heavily preloaded. It is of great-
est importance to hold the spring in a firm grip when
it´s attachment is beeing removed. There is risk for
damages from squeesing. Use protection gloves.
4
Remove the rear suspensions four attachment
bolts. To loosen the rear bolts it might be neces-
sary to use a 22 mm open-end wrench to hold the
inside nut.
3
When releasing the spring on the left side the two
front idler wheels inside the skid will be released.
When the shaft is removed out on the left side of
the snowmobile, a replacement (i.e. a screwdriver)
must be inserted from the right, to prevent the
wheels from moving away.
Reinsert the shaft when the left spring has been
released. Hold the spring in a firm grip and re-
lease the spring carefully.
2
4
3
Notes
6
9
10
8
5
5
Loosen the track straining wheels as much as pos-
sible.
NOTE!
Note the track deflection, so it can be reset to
the same position.
11
6
Press the rear suspension unit together, hoist the
rear end of the snowmobile high enough so it
can be pulled out from the track.
7
Loosen the two limiter straps. Loosen the shock
absorber from the upper attachment.
NOTE!
Take note of the lenght of the limiter strap.
8
Remove the forward, left side idler wheel.
9
Loosen the bolt holding the lower shock absorber
attachment. Remove the shock absorber to-
gether with the spacers by turning the unit, to
free it from the slide rails. To do so, you may have
to loosen the other screws that holds the rails
together.
10
Remove the shock absorber by pulling the hol-
low axle out of the spacers.
11
Fit the Öhlins shock absorber in reverse order,
The cylinder head shall be mounted downwards.
Start by reassembling the lower bracket.
12
Put the suspension unit back inside the track to-
gether with the straining wheels.
13
Fit the unit to the chassis by the four attachment
bolts. Preload the springs and fix them in posi-
tion. Set the track defection according to the Artic
Cat Owners manual.
NOTE!
Make sure that all bolts are tightened to the cor-
rect torque and that nothing fouls or restricts the
movement of the shock absorber when the sus-
pension is being fully compressed or extended.
14
Continue your work according to the Öhlins Owners
Manual, regarding adjustments.
Rear ride height and suspension comfort
It is very important that the rear ride height is
adjusted correctly. Due to the coupling device in
the rear suspension, the rear ride height and com-
fort are linked together. If the ride height is not
within the right range, the center and rear shock
absorbers may start working parallel in unwanted
situations, thus creating a too stiff suspension
and a harsh ride.
Recommended rear ride height
When you sit on the snowmobile in riding posi-
tion, wearing all your riding gear, we recommend
the coupling adjuster free play to be equal in both
directions, assuming that the coupling adjuster
is in its standard setting.
Equal distance
NOTE!
It is of importance that this adjustment is carried out
on a flat surface and the most correct setting is made
indoors when the snowmobile is thawed out/ warmed
Spring pre-load
is adjusted by
turning the
spring seat.
Increase or decrease the spring preload until you
have reached the middle position of the coupling
adjuster.
Of course, if you carry heavy luggage, or a pas-
senger on a 2-seater, you will need to do this
adjustment with these in place.
NOTE!
The spring preload affects the ride height, it does
not affect bottoming.
It might be necessary to increase the rebound
damping somewhat when using more spring
preload than the delivered setting.
If you experience the suspension bottoming out
too often, do not increase spring preload. It will
not fix your problem, and your ride height might
make your coupling adjuster run out of the range
described above, thus creating a harsh ride. In-
stead, change to a stiffer spring and again ad-
just your spring preload as described above.
If you experience that the suspension is too
stiff, do not decrease spring preload. It will not
fix your problem, and your ride height might
make your coupling adjuster run out of the range
described above, thus creating a harsh ride. In-
stead, change to a softer spring and again ad-
just your spring preload as described above.
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