Fogging Engine- Best Practice

[Venomous]

What is the recommended/ best practice for fogging the motor for summer storage? Thanks.

 

[SledFreak]

You don't need to on a 4 stroke. Charge the battery with battery tender. Grease the sled and put stable in the gas and you are good to go.

 

[tkuss]

Always a big debate on this, but I don't fog either, just occasionally start it up and let it warm completely up by running it for 15 or so minutes.

 

[yamadoo]

I tried to fog with the old spray can directly into the throttle bodies and the motor died instantly, I then restarted and same hapened.

I decided I was more likely to foul a plug than help prevent oxidation.

Don't know if that is right or wrong. But I store in a dry shed and have never had problems in past with out fogging(should be better with 4 strokes). A friend of mine, car / Polaris dealor in 90's said they did not fog all the sleds on thier floor.

So opinions vary but I treated the fuel, greased, oil./filter, drain refill chain case, optimate(fabulous little battery tender) the battery at least once a month, and wash wax and dream of next years early snow and riding.

Yamadoo

 

[**sj**]

do not fog...start and run until warm every couple weeks....also...I used the drop in fitch fuel catalysts to keep the fuel fresh...

 

[blue er]

the manual states to put a couple drops of oil in each cylinder after removing spark plugs and crank over a couple times and reinsert plugs.
I find this a big PIA, Instead use a good fuel stabilzer (i use Yamaha) run sled for 15 minutes. change your engine oil, chaincase oil, and grease your skid i check and repair any damage that i find while I am at it, and like everyone else start it up every couple weeks

 

[snowdreamin]

I fog all my angines Including My cars that I store over the winter.
Unless you live in the dessert you will get condensation in the cylinders.
At least a couple of them.
There is anough overlap in the cam`s that the intake and exhaust valves can be open at the same time and you can get condensation in the engine from it.
Just cheep insurance if you cant run the engine now and then.

 

[LazyBastard]

Do NOT start during the off-season. Change the oil right away in the early spring, and LEAVE IT ALONE.

If you want to protect the cylinder and rings, forget about spraying crud into the intake, pull the plugs out and pour some oil down into the cylinders (just a little bit to coat everything) and turn it over a few times by HAND, then put plugs back in and DON'T TOUCH IT until winter.

Plug the intake and exhaust with rags, or even better, with plastic bags and elastic bands.

 

[mikeb]

Always a hot topic

I don’t believe in starting and idling an engine. I just change the oil, fill the gas tank, add stabil (be sure and run for a few minute to get it into the carbs), clean, grease, cover, put on stand, and drag the bike out and enjoy the summer.

I do charge the battery monthly with a battery maintainer.

Same process with car, bike, and tractor. So far no problems.

 

[Iceman57]

I always fog the intake because the head is aluminum and it is susceptible to corrosion. The intake valves are made of Titanium but the exhaust valves are made of steel and are exposed in the intake ports and can rust in a damp environment. Ceramic composite cylinder "bores" are a "liner less" design with the ceramic coating sprayed directly on the aluminum block and will not rust. But the rings are made of cast iron and steel and most likely will be coated with Chromium, or Nitride-possibly Plasma sprayed or have a PVD (physical vapor deposit) ceramic coating to increase the wear but I spray them as a preventative measure. I’m just giving you another opinion on the fogging.

 

[bashley]

I love this debate. It's hard to say who's right and who's wrong. Seems like everybody does something different, but they all seem to work.
I do start mine every 3-4 weeks and idle 'til warm then rev it up and spin the track a few times, ( I keep the back suspended in my garage).
I've never had a battery/ trickle charger on it, have never fogged it, or added Stabil, (not needed here, our unleaded is different) and I've never fouled a plug or had to jump start it.
Sometime in Oct. I take it to the dealer to have the oil changed and a full service/ inspection done, so they can't argue with me on warranty issues, (and so I don't have to do it).

It's an '06 Attak that I bought new in Jan '06. I only have 1890 miles on it but it has never failed to start or perform the way it did the since the day I bought it so I figured I must be doing something right.

 

[Venomous]

There seems to be a wide range of what is done to "summerize" sleds. I have already greased the skid, added stabil to the fuel, changed the gear lube and finally the oil and filter. I was thinking fogging the cylinders to prevent condensation on the inside of the cylinders. In the spring and fall condensation occurs on metal. Just like how condesation forms on a cold beverage on the outside the same thing is happening to the inside metal of an engine. I have always fogged the motors of my boat for winter storage and I thought this would be no different.

I did not want to spray the fogging oil though the air box but rather spray directly into each cylinder and crank the engine (since you can't hand pull a four stroke). I wanted to know if this was a common practice for sleds and it appears everyone has a solution that has worked for them.

Thanks for all the feedback!