Engine question
- Thread starter byeatts
- Start date
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onesnowdawg
New member
Good question? I just grenaded my 2012 with less than 1300 miles due to the cylinder skirt and am wondering if I should put a fix kit on my 2015 to prevent the same thing from happening.
2013 and newer have thicker cylinder skirts and I believe they opened up the crankcase a little for them to fit.
That being said, pistons are a maintenance item as far as I am concerned, depending on riding style, Carls recommends replacing the 860 big bore pistons every 1200 miles. Stock 800 CFI2 ridden in mountains I would replace them at 1500-2000 miles... and I would do the mtn tek fix kit regardless for the extra reliability.
Just my opinion.
That being said, pistons are a maintenance item as far as I am concerned, depending on riding style, Carls recommends replacing the 860 big bore pistons every 1200 miles. Stock 800 CFI2 ridden in mountains I would replace them at 1500-2000 miles... and I would do the mtn tek fix kit regardless for the extra reliability.
Just my opinion.
X2, just bought a Pro also, (The Rev is the Wifes sled now) its a 2012 with New 2014 engine and every 14 running component and a New 15 track swapped to the 12 chassis, less than 300 miles ago, lots of mod parts and goodies like the 36in Zbros frontend/ dual rate springs, 14 Burandt running boards, etc... Only thing on it left 12 is the tunnel chassis and the rear skid and guage panel, still has the chaincase. which I like.
Anyway also would like to know like Byeatts asked, what can we do to the 13 and newer engine to improve reliability?
Wildcard
Sweet ride! I pulled the pipe of my 2015 to put on skid plate and ultimate bumper, and the inside of the y-pipe was not what I typically expect of a 2 stroke... it was kind of a light yellow-ish, and dry as a bone.
Turn up the oil pump is one of the recommendations I heard. I would agree! And I am going to do that when I quit riding long enough to work on it. Some also add a bit of 2 cycle oil to the fuel every fill-up. Although some synth oils may cause issues with the fuel filter, I am going to add some conventional 2 cycle oil to the fuel tank to avoid that problem.
Sorry to hear that.
Fix kit won't make the cylinder skirts thicker, but on 2013 and newer they are thicker and should be less prone to cracking and failing. Fix kit should reduce the piston rocking / slapping the skirt though, I am planning on putting one in as preventative maintenance when the sled gets 1500 miles or so on it and after warranty expires. Today may be my last ride under warranty as it expires October.
I'd be a wee bit scared to ride an year model without warranty. My '12 was pretty bulletproof, but my '14 may have the worst warranty record in Polaris history. Scuffed pistons at 1,100 miles, crank broke on clutch side at 1,400, crank broke at 2,400, crank broke at the exact same spot at 3,300. Polaris has been great with long block motor and clutch replacement, but I'm afraid to go to the other side of the mountain when my motor has more than 40 hours on it, It's been a real GEM. It still has another season of warranty left, Thank God. Should be worth another long block or two. I used to praise the reliability of the Pro motor.
Ouch. Here is hoping (for my sake with my 2015) that your 14 was an exception to the rule... everyone I have talked to locally and based on non-scientific observations on posts of premature engine troubles here on snowest would imply to me that 2013 and newer are GENERALLY more reliable than 2012 and older Pro motors. Speaking to people I have known for many years at my local Polaris dealer (who have nothing to gain as I don't buy new sleds from them, just parts and occasionally service) who observe what sleds come in and out with issues, and who also ride Pros, have also said that the newer Pros are much less prone to catastrophic failure (they sell quite a few and have had very very few go down). Was even considering buying extended warranty from them while my sled is still under factory warranty and eligible, they told me they wouldn't do it as the 2015's they have sold have been solid (with 2 dealership outlets they sell quite a bit).
I have a 2015, bought it this past fall and got the extended warranty. 1000 miles in one season without more than manual guidelines maintenance and still running like new.
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Hoping for the best on mine, No warrantee buy like mentioned earlier, 2012 with less than 300 miles on a complete 2014 engine conversion.
Wildcard
Wildcard
I think you will be good to go for quite a while... just throw a set of pistons and rings at it every once in a while to keep it fresh... and turn up that oiler...
If I were a betting man; I'd have to draw a conclusion of dealer error with that many crank failures. They should have balanced or replaced the clutch the first time around. Just my two cents.
I'm not sure what the deal is with this sled, but it sure is getting annoying. When the crank breaks the stub is stuck in the clutch. Polaris has been providing a new long block motor and clutch. The sled is on it's third clutch which kind of takes the out of balance clutch out of the equation. We have some conditions in NE Nevada that are not synonymous with anywhere I've ever ridden. We get a good dump and then a week later the mountain is 100% traction and generally hard as hell. Out of every 1,000 miles, 350 to 400 are spent climbing some of the steepest, nastiest biggest traction pulls you'll find anywhere. I'm 250 lbs. with gear on and have a feeling that motor is not strong enough to pull 250 lbs. upslope all season long. The 160lbs. folks I ride with don't ever have any issues. I've been destroying Polaris crankshafts at one or two a season since 2001. I love the Pro Chassis and couldn't ride a Skud if my life depended on it. I kind of stuck dropping off the wounded sled at the dealer once or twice a year until my warranty expires.
What is your clutch setup. Just interested.
Thanks, the previous owner said he turned the oil pump like he does on all his pro`s I believe 2turns, should we add some oil in the tank also? this sled engine has been on Redline out of the box
Wildcard
Redline oil is great stuff, with the oil pump turned up I think you should be good. Carls recommends redline for all their big bore motors (like my 860 Dragon) and they have the pump turned up too, that motor has been trouble free for me as far as wear goes (pulled out pistons with about 1500 miles on them and they looked almost like new - maintenance replacement).
I have read about bad results adding oil to the tank if the oil is a synthetic that is intended mainly for injection systems... clogging up the fuel filter. If you want to add oil to the fuel I personally would add a semisynthic or conventional that specifically says for premixing, and not get too carried away with it (and make sure it is mixed in good). My oil pump is not turned up yet as far as I know, and the inside of the pipe when I pulled it off to do the bumper and skid plate was light colored and dry as a bone, so I added in some semisynthetic to the tank (about a pint) last ride, it will be off warranty as of fall so I think I may switch it over to redline as well, will check and turn up the oil pump (if not already done) for sure. Too busy riding it now. That will probably end tomorrow though - last ride most likely.
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Polaris book clutching for 10,000'. 10-58's, stock primary spring, Black/Purple in secondary w/2 Delrins and stock 56/42 helix. Rpm's at 8,000' hold steady at 8150, rpm's from 9,000 to 11,200 hover between 7,900 and 8,000 depending on snow and temperature.
15 seem to be better....the front track shock bolts sheer off if rode hard (woops) around 3,000 miles. Pistons need replaced BEFORE 3500 mile(2,000 or so is best)if ran too long the top of the piston breaks off by the exhaust port then the ring breaks damaging head and scouring the cylinder and may also get into the bottom end. The 14/15 have been the better years for the Pro Ride.
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