Piston/cylinder woes

[river]

here are some pic's first one is lean condition, second is rich, last is good one.

 

[94fordguy]

BTW, someone was asking if I let it warm up before riding...the answer is yes! I always let it warm to at least 100 degrees F prior to riding and never let her have it until I've been riding for a bit (unless of course it's already warm).

Your on the right track, but 100* isn't warm enough (the water you take a shower in in the morning is warmer than that). To effectively warm up the motor you need to let it warm up to 126 (the temp at which the thermostat opens). I like to let it maintain that for about 5 mins or so, then shut it off for about 5 mins, (heat soaking) and then start it again and let it idle another few minutes before taking off. This ensures that the coolant has begun to circulate and everything is waking up for the day.

And back to the main topic. Ya, that post Skibreeze linked to shows a very good example of piston wash - the fuel washing the carbon off the edges if the top of the piston at the intake ports. The bigger the wash marks are, the more rich you are running, the smaller the wash marks are, the leaner you are running.

 

[sloan188]

skibreeze/river - thanks for the pics.

Got the fuel filter on order. I'll change it out Thursday. Is there some way to check an injector? Too much money to say we'll change it out just to be safe.

Thanks for the warm up tips 94fordguy...not sure if I have the patience to wait that long!! but I'll try...

 

[Danbot]

That is good warm-up advice Seth, I take even more time than you. I am the first guy to fire up my sled when everyone is getting dressed beside the trailer.
I let it idle to 130, shut it off and let the heat soak into the crank for a while as I get dressed. Then I start it again, and let it idle to 130 again, then I warm up the belt and track on a stand, and then I ride.
Break-in, and warm-up are key to engine life.