M1000 engine problem

[MrHankey]

So I'm now on engine number three ,the first time the crank bearing went out had it replaced along with new pistons ,next trip out made it 2km up Allan trail squeaked a piston and cylinder returned to builder who is very good at what he does said the piston looked like it cold seized anyway he rebuilt on his time and I paid parts .New years day we did a trip on the pembina it lasted about an hr. this is the first time out since getting it back this spring over the summer I started and heat cycled it a few times as I was told this is a good way to seat rings and what not .the oil leval did drop so I know it was getting oil . Any suggestions would be great cause it's getting expensive

 

[Luke The Drifter]

What happened the second time it went down? If you took a crank bearing out originally, maybe this time around it would be good to get it trued/balanced? How long do you warm it up for? It could be poor reassembly too.

 

[MrHankey]

Crank was a rebuilt unit from rec. supply ,it was plenty warm as I had heat in the rear exchanger ,warm up had to be plenty I was taking it easy could it be leaning out at mid throttle ?

 

[MrHankey]

I guess it could be poor reassembly ,the mechanic is a certified arctic cat done the fairview schooling and has been for a long time and seems to take pride in anything he does as this is his livelihood

 

[Luke The Drifter]

It could be leaning out, what did your plugs look like after it died?

 

[glengine]

What is all done to the sled for mods? Is it stock? exhaust?

 

[MrHankey]

thats what my mechanic told me it might be leaning out (possible fuel pump) No engine mods have been done just a d&D can ,and the cutler secondary kit and a supreme four tower primary spider with cutler adjustable weights

 

[Modman]

Stop guessing and get an air/fuel gauge or get some EGT's at least. If you are squeeking pistons its either fuel, oil or cooling. Cooling is cycling because you have heat in the rear exchanger so its getting hot fluid from the motor. You said its using oil so its getting oil. Its either not getting enough fuel or getting too much air. Do a leak down test or, if you are comfortable, take some ether, spray it around the base gaskets, air intake boots, crank seals etc. If there is an air leak then the motor will rev up. If it checks out, then its probably not getting enough fuel. You can power the fuel pump with a 9V battery I think (double check specs on that and do some more research but I know mphfreak or someone on here had a procedure for it - do a search on this site), you just have to hook up the leads that come out of the tank to a separate power source. Put a fuel pressure gauge in, this will tell you if its getting enough fuel pressure.

 

[MrHankey]

He said that he was going to check fuel pump, also forgot to mention i installed that cutler air horn could that be enough to lean it out ?i have put a few rides on it after the air horn but on the stock pistons ,unit now has i think he said SPI (coated)??? could the clearence's be tighter on a aftermarket piston??? air fuel gauge will be installed prior to riding again.

 

[moyiesledhead]

SPI pistons worked fine in mine. I doubt that's the problem. They do have a lean spot at about 5800 ish rpm where the power valves start to open. EGT or AFR will show you that. Don't ride it much in that range.

 

[Modman]

He said that he was going to check fuel pump, also forgot to mention i installed that cutler air horn could that be enough to lean it out ?i have put a few rides on it after the air horn but on the stock pistons ,unit now has i think he said SPI (coated)??? could the clearence's be tighter on a aftermarket piston??? air fuel gauge will be installed prior to riding again.

Doubt the air horn would be enough to cause the issue. I have more mods than that... LOL....and the stock maps are rich. Do you have a fuel controller on it? The SPIs are cast pistons I think so the thermal expansion should be pretty uniform. If your mechanic is good it should not be a clearance problem. Injector failing? Get pics of the pistons that blew and post them if you can. What were you doing when it blew both times? 2 Kms up the trail sounds like maybe potential oil issue on the one or bubble in the cooling system that cold shocked the motor? after riding for an hour though in Pembina, if it was cooling or oil on the last one it should have blown long before that I would think.

Tough one, hope you get it figured out.

SPI pistons worked fine in mine. I doubt that's the problem. They do have a lean spot at about 5800 ish rpm where the power valves start to open. EGT or AFR will show you that. Don't ride it much in that range.

The AFR will show you the lean spot, but its only there in a very short range, i doubt you'd see it with EGTs unless you got fast probes. I've seen 16-17s but only momentarily when passing through the 5600-5900 RPM and only on mid-throttle load. It falls right between the fuel circuits on the ECU i think.

 

[MrHankey]

No fuel controller ,will try get some pics I do have some video from when it did pile up as I was trying out my new gopro I got from Christmas lol

 

[0neoldfart]

What year is the M1? The 07's were mapped a bit lean, a restriction in the exhaust (dented outlet), low fuel pressure, or an air leak (crank seal or reed cage leak) could be the culprit. I never rode mine at a cruising rate - always played with the throttle on trail up to the alpine even when it was mildly modded as EGT's would climb at steady cruising speeds, and you could hear it in the exhaust note.

 

[white ghost]

I had one and traded it for 2010 m8 best thing i ever did. same power to weight raitio so why not go with something that wont beat you up every ride and is 10 times more reliable.

 

[MrHankey]

What year is the M1? The 07's were mapped a bit lean, a restriction in the exhaust (dented outlet), low fuel pressure, or an air leak (crank seal or reed cage leak) could be the culprit. I never rode mine at a cruising rate - always played with the throttle on trail up to the alpine even when it was mildly modded as EGT's would climb at steady cruising speeds, and you could hear it in the exhaust note.

It is a 07,so if what you say is true it makes sense ,going to install some pyro meters before riding it.

 

[KatMan]

I have an 07 that squeaked one side after i opened up the air box with a new y and pipe, got EGT's and controller, dumped fuel in till it was bogging, then leaned out. No problems since. Mid range on the trail is the trickiest to dial in, seems to run around 1150, but cracking it open on the straights cools it down. EGT or A/F will let you know if it a leaning issue.

 

[Modman]

I had one and traded it for 2010 m8 best thing i ever did. same power to weight raitio so why not go with something that wont beat you up every ride and is 10 times more reliable.

LOL .....sure

 

[moyiesledhead]

SPI pistons worked fine in mine. I doubt that's the problem.

I now have to take this statement back. Just squeeked a second SPI piston in mine in 100kms......on the other side. Was not lean by the EGT's and plug colour, and shows classic indications of 4 corner cold siezure on an engine I know darn well was warmed up properly. It's going back together with Cat pistons this time. I've used SPI pistons in quite a few smaller engines with no problems, but I don't think they like this size bore.

 

[MrHankey]

I now have to take this statement back. Just squeeked a second SPI piston in mine in 100kms......on the other side. Was not lean by the EGT's and plug colour, and shows classic indications of 4 corner cold siezure on an engine I know darn well was warmed up properly. It's going back together with Cat pistons this time. I've used SPI pistons in quite a few smaller engines with no problems, but I don't think they like this size bore.

Thank you ,you may have saved me another engine as it was getting put together as I read this .phoned my mechanic and told him to hang tight on putting those damb pistons back in ,got a set of arctic cat on the freight truck

 

[MrHankey]

Mine was a four corner squeeze aswell, mechanic said he has used these lots in 900's 800's but mine is the first 1000