Dragon fix kit disaster

[tinkerjohnson]

So I just installed a fix kit on a 10 dragon 800 1500 miles sled ran perfect so I decided to update the top end as a precaution everything looked great inside checked everything out all was great installed the kit fired right up ran smooth sounded great took it out and it seized 4 times in a 1/4 mile both pistons toast and cylinder ruined, they say no fuel controller required but this thing was apparently lean after install of the kit nothing was changed other than the pistons and spacer plate and both gaskets no leaks water full and circulating heat soaked it three times temps never got over 125 (wouldn't run long enough to get hot) anyone else have this happen?

 

[Pownar]

Were the rings and pistons both installed in the correct direction?

 

[2XM3]

what was your piston clearance? what did you set the ring end gaps to? how much oil did you add to the tank for initial break in? What did you use for assembly lube? And the biggie, why did you run it more after it seized the first time?

 

[Justin_Sane]

did you warm it up to operating temps several times before running?

IIRC when mine got done, instructions said to run it up to 50 degrees c from cold 3 or 4 times before riding, and also they said to put oil directly in the gas or directly in the cylinders (cant remember exactly at this moment) in the initial run.

 

[mountainhorse]

Man... Sorry to hear of your woes.

This is not something that is common.

If it was that lean... you could have been sucking air past the injector seals of not installed "just right".

Before riding, did you check for vacuum leaks?




.

 

[hillking]

^ ^^ What he said , 2007 700 s need new intake boots , everyone I seen at this age are long gone . And will suck air .

 

[tinkerjohnson]

Everything was checked ring end gap .020 cylinder to piston .006 heat soaked three times 125 temp before I rode it no vacume leaks no injector leaks it locked up 4 times beecause I was trying to get back to the truck

 

[diamonddave]

Can you post some pics? What brand was the kit?

 

[tinkerjohnson]

Can you post some pics? What brand was the kit?

Not real computer literate not sure how to post them and my phone takes crappy pics but both pistons scored on the intake side tore the cylinder up in the exhaust port area and cracked the cylinder skirt the cylinder was cherry before the kit it is a fix kit with snow x pistons

 

[2XM3]

that all sounds good there

 

[retiredpop]

Had you run it this season before installing the kit? Did the DET light come on? Is it possible the fuel filter is almost plugged and/or injectors not flowing properly?

 

[jeepin270]

Do you think there was a chance that you over looked the crack in the cylinder? Sometimes they are very hard to see. Did you hone the cylinders before installing the kit?

 

[Hawkster]

Had you run it this season before installing the kit? Did the DET light come on? Is it possible the fuel filter is almost plugged and/or injectors not flowing properly?

That's kind of interesting , not saying it can't happen but what are the odds that the engine will nuke because the fuel filter is plugged or an injector fails ? If the injector does fail and the filter is plugged wouldn't it still get oil ? In a way wouldn't it be like fogging the engine ?

It's not like their full blown mods

 

[IDPOLARIS]

Well not trying to be rude but that's what happens when you buy the knockoff Fix it kit.

But there could be other issue's other then that as well.

I know a lot of people that have bought that same kit and had almost the same thing happen.

Call the manufacture and see what they have to say about it.

 

[tinkerjohnson]

Was not rode this season before this ride but fuel was completely drained and fresh non ethonal fuel was put in its not my personal sled a good friends and it ran perfectly last season I talked him into doing the top end so it wouldn't drop a skirt and explode his whole engine, he couldn't afford so we went this route it's lean for sure, installed one last season on another sled and it run great but we did have a fuel controller on that sled with other mods and we did have to add fuel on that one but figured it was from the other mods (that sled burned down three times in a row with polaris pistons installed) so we added the kit and a fuel controller and it was really good, we had planed on getting a controller for this one but was assured by the company and others with the same style kit that it was not needed so we figured we would run it and see turned out not to be a good idea. Expensive lesson if I were guys out there I would install a fuel controller even if they say it's not needed these sleds are really lean on the mapping

 

[retiredpop]

That's kind of interesting , not saying it can't happen but what are the odds that the engine will nuke because the fuel filter is plugged or an injector fails ? If the injector does fail and the filter is plugged wouldn't it still get oil ? In a way wouldn't it be like fogging the engine ?

It's not like their full blown mods

Yeah, highly unlikely but just throwing possibilities out there. It can have all the oil in the world but a lean fuel/air mixture will burn it down.

 

[Justin_Sane]

I agree on the fuel controller for sure. I am running one no matter what now.
The mid range is lean from the factory as well. I lost my top end from a failed voltage regulator though. But either way i dont want to have to spend that kind of cash to fix the motor again. For what I spent, I could have bought another motor lol.

 

[alien]

If it wasn't sucking air and the pistons were in, in the right direction so the rings weren't catching on the ports it sounds like an oil problem.
It's easy to get the oil line kinked down by the motor mount and right side throttle body. An extra 5oz. per gallon in the fuel tank is extra insurance.
For what it's worth I always break-in a re-build on petroleum base oil for the first tank than switch to synthetic if you want.

 

[alien]

You torqued all the head and cylinder bolts and got all the antifreeze out of the bottom of the crankcase from when you remove the cylinder didn't you ?

 

[tinkerjohnson]

You torqued all the head and cylinder bolts and got all the antifreeze out of the bottom of the crankcase from when you remove the cylinder didn't you ?

Oh for sure I have built lots of these motors over the years