Issue on Sidewinder... need some help or ideas.

[MrSled]

Don't know if I answered you - piston damage only. Head gasket was perfect (I have ARP head studs!). In center, there was aluminum stuck to very top of cylinder wall which I easily removed with muriatic acid without affecting the nicasil. Head also had some aluminum stuck to it but I was able to chip it off. Only slight cosmetic blemishes.
Center piston had both corners with severe deto, especially at the mag side intake valve. Enough piston material was gone that I could see the top ring in the void area. Engine was only down about 25 psi in compression but I could tell when it cranked that it was hurt. It still ran good.

What made you rip it apart? What are you going to do for those to remedy the problem? Repair, remove the tune? detune? Thicker head gasket? Lower compression pistons?

 

[theCATman]

You can call it what you want but if it is designed and build from the ground up with a turbo how do you consider this a modified engine. This 3 cyl is the most technically advanced engine in snowmobile history. It is turn up the boost and make more power to a certain point. I do agree that some aftermarket company's are worse than some but a lot of times there is more to the story to some of this stuff and when it fails they want to point a finger and never take responsibility themselves.

Lol. "It is turn up the boost, make more power." Lol, lol, lol. You told me enough right there. You haven't the 1st clue.

Keep popping headgaskets, melting aluminum, and pounding out rod bearings. I'm gonna sit back and laugh at you fools.

 

[Turboflash]

What made you rip it apart? What are you going to do for those to remedy the problem? Repair, remove the tune? detune? Thicker head gasket? Lower compression pistons?

I could tell (audibly) when it cranked that it had one cylinder hurt. I could hear it. It still ran fine.
Remedy (for me) is relatively simple - gonna turn it down. As I said, 18+ psi tune will not run reliably long-term on the pump gas I can get. Sometimes, there was no deto but sometimes the knock light would occasionally flash. When I saw light I would always let off.

So, I'm dropping down to 15.5-16 lb tune. I love the 18 lb power but I don't want to have to wrench and I'm not gonna run C12 mix or carry bottles of octane boost (do they really work?). I am installing fuel system upgrade too. That will also help. I never ran sled hard below 1/2 tank.

My new pistons are out at Swaintech (https://swaintech.com/race-coatings/race-coating-descriptions/piston-domes/) right now getting domes ceramic coated. I have done this with every engine I've built. It ALWAYS helps to keep heat out of piston.
Stock engine components are just fine for 15.5 lb tune.

 

[MrSled]

Lol. "It is turn up the boost, make more power." Lol, lol, lol. You told me enough right there. You haven't the 1st clue.

Keep popping headgaskets, melting aluminum, and pounding out rod bearings. I'm gonna sit back and laugh at you fools.

This is not a pissing match of wit.. so please back off. This was my thread looking for help..dont need all this other crap because you or whoever knows more then the rest.

 

[MrSled]

I could tell (audibly) when it cranked that it had one cylinder hurt. I could hear it. It still ran fine.
Remedy (for me) is relatively simple - gonna turn it down. As I said, 18+ psi tune will not run reliably long-term on the pump gas I can get. Sometimes, there was no deto but sometimes the knock light would occasionally flash. When I saw light I would always let off.

So, I'm dropping down to 15.5-16 lb tune. I love the 18 lb power but I don't want to have to wrench and I'm not gonna run C12 mix or carry bottles of octane boost (do they really work?). I am installing fuel system upgrade too. That will also help. I never ran sled hard below 1/2 tank.

My new pistons are out at Swaintech (https://swaintech.com/race-coatings/race-coating-descriptions/piston-domes/) right now getting domes ceramic coated. I have done this with every engine I've built. It ALWAYS helps to keep heat out of piston.
Stock engine components are just fine for 15.5 lb tune.

Our plan is to turn it down unless you have something to bring up the octane. I guess that's the perk of having a multi map tunes, you can just drop it and not have to worry. I have learned, To much compression. Big Boost and Heat are not your friends.. lots to watch even with good fuel. But if you want power, somewhere along the line it will hurt and hurt you good... 3 motors in the Apex for me.

 

[theCATman]

Turboflash..... got a question.

You say the light would occasionally flash.....

Do you, or anyone else know at what point does the factory idiot light flash? Is it as the slightest hint of detonation? Is it after it's pulled XYZ # of degrees of timing to try and stop it? And when it can't, it flashes to say, HEY STOOPID QUIT BEATING ME TO DEATH!!

If you guys are only gonna rely on that dumb light to tell you there's engine damage occurring, unfortunately it's obviously too late from the sounds of it. Even "light" detonation of "only" pulling a couple degrees of timing to stop it, over time is still gonna take its toll. Still means it's detonating, no matter how little it may be.

There is no way on Gods green earth I would be modifying these things without a standalone device to monitor real time data of the engine, and at this point I don't think anything of the such exists?? Please correct me if I'm wrong...

 

[MrSled]

I have a questions, those that did see this so called light on precision tunes, is it like TD and Hurricane where it shows Temp and Oil light at the same time?

 

[TPAY243]

Lol. "It is turn up the boost, make more power." Lol, lol, lol. You told me enough right there. You haven't the 1st clue.

Keep popping headgaskets, melting aluminum, and pounding out rod bearings. I'm gonna sit back and laugh at you fools.

So sorry Cat Man I had no idea that you had all this experience with the Winder or any of the other turbo sleds. By the way my buddy just put a tune in his new chevy diesel and changed nothing in the motor other than different cai intake. Would this fall under what your talking about head gasket, melting aluminum, and pounding out rods( sounds like a porno movie) or would this fall into a different categories I guess some of us are not familiar with what your saying could you elaborate.

 

[theCATman]

This is not a pissing match of wit.. so please back off. This was my thread looking for help..dont need all this other crap because you or whoever knows more then the rest.

Hey, brutal honesty isn't always pleasant.

Yeah, it's really unfortunate your engine is hurt, as are others as we've come to find out. I guess it's a tough lesson learned. I really do hope everyone gets their engines fixed and they hold together from here on.

I'm just a know nothing hillrod from bum-phuck nowhere WI who will now back off. Peace out.

 

[MrSled]

Hey, brutal honesty isn't always pleasant.

Yeah, it's really unfortunate your engine is hurt, as are others as we've come to find out. I guess it's a tough lesson learned. I really do hope everyone gets their engines fixed and they hold together from here on.

I'm just a know nothing hillrod from bum-phuck nowhere WI who will now back off. Peace out.

Yes you are!! LOL

 

[MrSled]

Thread is closed due to egos and ignorance.