pitz0022
New member
Well, I've got my case being welded and have a bunch of parts on the way. I need to hurry up and finish the deck i"m building on the house so I can work on this more without causing world war 3 on the homefront. I took the sled to the carwash tonight (don't worry, it was dark so I couldn't work on the deck) and pressure washed the engine compartment. My 2002 looks like a 2012 without much elbow grease at all. Now time to get out the tooth brush and finish cleaning the nooks and crannies.
Now that everything is clean, is there anything I should do while I'm in this far?
I was thinking I should pull the chain case and inspect it along with all the bearings, and the speedo bearing.
I was also going to inspect the wiring harness and maybe wrap it with some plastic conduit stuff (I don't know the official name) since I have read that the harness' can short out under the engine.
Is it worth changing any steering parts while I'm in here - just to be safe, or could I just create a bigger headache?
Now that everything is clean, is there anything I should do while I'm in this far?
I was thinking I should pull the chain case and inspect it along with all the bearings, and the speedo bearing.
I was also going to inspect the wiring harness and maybe wrap it with some plastic conduit stuff (I don't know the official name) since I have read that the harness' can short out under the engine.
Is it worth changing any steering parts while I'm in here - just to be safe, or could I just create a bigger headache?
Do you have any inclination as to why the motor burned down in the first place? Dirty carbs? You might want to get to the bottom of that while everything is apart. Burning enuf oil? Needles richened up a little, especially for the ethanol issues. Do you have a rear cooler for cooling? Might want to ask the previous owner what was going on when it went down. Just my $.02
You may want to see if it has a torqe limiter. I'm putting an SRX torque limiter in my vipers becaues evidently you can end up with increased belt wear / and eventually broken engine mounts. Just an idea and I'm definitly not the most knowledgable about it. Maybe someone could reply on this subject.
pitz0022
New member
I've got a pretty good idea what happened to it. I haven't pulled the carbs apart yet, but I'd be willing to be they are very dirty. He said he crossed a road accelerated and it "Went clunk and died". He said he hadn't had a chance to ride it until February. He couldn't remember if it was his first ride of the year, but I'd be willing to bet it was. It sounds like he made it between 20 and 40 miles before it finally blew on him.
This guy was not the master of maintenance. There were belt chunks all over inside the sled which made me think the motor may be misaligned. I grabbed the clutch and wiggled the engine. the PTO side motor mount was missing one bolt and the other was broken off in the case. I haven't removed that yet but it shouldn't be hard to weld a nut on it to get it out. Then I'm going to put a SRX torque limiter on it.
After the engine is back together I'm going to pull the skid and go through it. I already know it's got one bad bogie wheel and I'm sure it hasn't had much grease in it's life so I'm sure it'll take a full BTV treatment to get it back to acceptable condition.
I also need to put a rear cooler on this thing since it doesn't have one yet. After that and the Opticool Headgasket, it should be ready for a test ride. The timing should work out that there's snow just about the time I get the sled finished.
This guy was not the master of maintenance. There were belt chunks all over inside the sled which made me think the motor may be misaligned. I grabbed the clutch and wiggled the engine. the PTO side motor mount was missing one bolt and the other was broken off in the case. I haven't removed that yet but it shouldn't be hard to weld a nut on it to get it out. Then I'm going to put a SRX torque limiter on it.
After the engine is back together I'm going to pull the skid and go through it. I already know it's got one bad bogie wheel and I'm sure it hasn't had much grease in it's life so I'm sure it'll take a full BTV treatment to get it back to acceptable condition.
I also need to put a rear cooler on this thing since it doesn't have one yet. After that and the Opticool Headgasket, it should be ready for a test ride. The timing should work out that there's snow just about the time I get the sled finished.
Sounds like you've got a good "Master Plan" for your rebuild. There's a lot of helpful people and info. on this site, just ask.
gil7247
VIP Member
When you get to doin your skid. I got really good bearing prices from www.vxb.com for the wheel bearings. Lots cheaper than oem and guess what?? They are the same manufacturer and part number. It's stamped right on the seal. I paid 2 something apiece from them as opposed to $6 something ea from my dealer. Also mountain performance has a great deal on all your bushings. They are OEM and it's 90 or 95 for all 30 bushings. While your at it do the coffee can shim fix as well as the other skid fixes that viper has in the tech section. Gil
Heck, for this math I'd just fix the motor, replace the crank with a rebuilt one. Then make sure you have the underlying issue fixed as to why it blew in the first place, i.e., gummed up carbs or whatever. Then you'll have a great reliable sled. Your in this far now, gotta go all the way.sxr1000 said:
pitz0022
New member
I picked up a like new case and head at Haydays. Got a used crank here. Got a decent deal on 2 remanufactured cylinders and had one deglazed/honed. I've got new pistons and Opticool on the way as well as new seals and gaskets. I'm sure I'd lose money if I tried to sell it, but I'll have a sled that will last me many years and that is really what it is all about.
gil7247
VIP Member
I think you got the right idea and with the price of the new sleds you could dump a whole lot of money in your's and still not hold a candle to the price of a new one. Everytime I start to doubt how much I'm sinking into mine I just go to the dealer and look at price tags, lol!! Besides, maybe it's just me but the style of the new ones just don't do it for me.
Gil
Gil
pitz0022
New member
Thanks to everybody who gave advice or provided parts. I got the sled running last night. I was following the break-in procedures from Bill Bune Enterprises. I've run it through one heat cycle so far. Before I go any further, Does anybody have advice on breaking in a new engine or feedback on this procedure? I don't want to open a can of worms since I know this is probably one of those issues like "which oil is best". Here's the procedure the engine shop gave me.
BREAK-IN PROCEDURES
1- Start your engine and let it idle, occasionally blipping the throttle for four to five minutes. Allow the engine to cool completely. Repeat this heat cycle process four more times.
2- Warm up the engine again and ride the bike five to seven minutes at a very easy pace. Very the rpm, and do not ride at one speed. Do not ride at more than 1/3 throttle or more than 1/3 rpm. Let the engine cool down completely and repeat the initial break in ride. Let the engine cool down.
3- Check the base and head nuts for proper torque. Check the coolant level and coolant as necessary.
4- Ride the bike for five to ten minutes at a moderate pace. Very the rpm, and do not ride at more than 3/4 throttle or more than 3/4 rpm. Then let the engine cool completely and repeat this secondary break-in twice.
5- Replace the spark with a new one. Ride the bike for five to eight minutes at a moderate pace. Vary the rpm, and shift up and down gears. Once the engine is up to operating temperature, you can make a jetting pass. Start in second gear and ride at full throttle at fourth gear, fully revving out fourth gear. With the throttle wide open in fourth hold the kill button down, pull the clutch and stop. This is called a plug chop.
6- Read the spark plug. With a pocket flashlight and a magnifying glass, look at the porcelain part of the plug only. As you view the plug from the center electrode, look down on the length of the porcelain to its base. There should be a dark chocolate colored smoke ring. There was not sufficient time to thoroughly color the whole plug, so the nose of the insulator may still be white. As long as there is a visible dark ring at the base, everything is OK. Remember, we want break-in jetting, so the plug should read rich/dark. Richen the jetting as necessary. If you are having a hard time reading the spark plug, follow the proceeding steps: Put the plug in a vice and hacksaw around the plug at the washer. Break the threads off with vise grips and the porcelain will be easy to read.
7- Complete the break-in by riding at an aggressive pace for fifteen minutes. Vary the rpm and do not cruise at part throttle. Ride hard without revving the engine too high. At the end of this final break-in session do another jetting pass/plug chop as described above. Check the spark plug for the correct dark/rich condition. Wiseco piston equipped engines will require another one or two break-in cycles. If your engine is equipped with a Wiseco piston, continue with the following steps: Ride at a s recreational pace not revving the engine hard. Full throttle should only be used for very short periods. Fifth and sixth gears should only be used to cruise. Ride one tank of gas through the engine in this manner to complete the break-in.
8- Replace the spark plug with a new one. Ride the bike aggressively for eight minutes and do a jetting pass/plug chop in fifth gear. If the porcelain is still dark/rich, lean the main jet size one at a time until the smoke ring at the base of the porcelain is light brown. If the porcelain base is white, do not run the engine and contact Bill Bune Enterprises. If the plug color looks good, continue riding at a race pace for ten minutes. Stop and let the engine cool. Check the torque on the cylinder base and head nuts.
BREAK-IN PROCEDURES
1- Start your engine and let it idle, occasionally blipping the throttle for four to five minutes. Allow the engine to cool completely. Repeat this heat cycle process four more times.
2- Warm up the engine again and ride the bike five to seven minutes at a very easy pace. Very the rpm, and do not ride at one speed. Do not ride at more than 1/3 throttle or more than 1/3 rpm. Let the engine cool down completely and repeat the initial break in ride. Let the engine cool down.
3- Check the base and head nuts for proper torque. Check the coolant level and coolant as necessary.
4- Ride the bike for five to ten minutes at a moderate pace. Very the rpm, and do not ride at more than 3/4 throttle or more than 3/4 rpm. Then let the engine cool completely and repeat this secondary break-in twice.
5- Replace the spark with a new one. Ride the bike for five to eight minutes at a moderate pace. Vary the rpm, and shift up and down gears. Once the engine is up to operating temperature, you can make a jetting pass. Start in second gear and ride at full throttle at fourth gear, fully revving out fourth gear. With the throttle wide open in fourth hold the kill button down, pull the clutch and stop. This is called a plug chop.
6- Read the spark plug. With a pocket flashlight and a magnifying glass, look at the porcelain part of the plug only. As you view the plug from the center electrode, look down on the length of the porcelain to its base. There should be a dark chocolate colored smoke ring. There was not sufficient time to thoroughly color the whole plug, so the nose of the insulator may still be white. As long as there is a visible dark ring at the base, everything is OK. Remember, we want break-in jetting, so the plug should read rich/dark. Richen the jetting as necessary. If you are having a hard time reading the spark plug, follow the proceeding steps: Put the plug in a vice and hacksaw around the plug at the washer. Break the threads off with vise grips and the porcelain will be easy to read.
7- Complete the break-in by riding at an aggressive pace for fifteen minutes. Vary the rpm and do not cruise at part throttle. Ride hard without revving the engine too high. At the end of this final break-in session do another jetting pass/plug chop as described above. Check the spark plug for the correct dark/rich condition. Wiseco piston equipped engines will require another one or two break-in cycles. If your engine is equipped with a Wiseco piston, continue with the following steps: Ride at a s recreational pace not revving the engine hard. Full throttle should only be used for very short periods. Fifth and sixth gears should only be used to cruise. Ride one tank of gas through the engine in this manner to complete the break-in.
8- Replace the spark plug with a new one. Ride the bike aggressively for eight minutes and do a jetting pass/plug chop in fifth gear. If the porcelain is still dark/rich, lean the main jet size one at a time until the smoke ring at the base of the porcelain is light brown. If the porcelain base is white, do not run the engine and contact Bill Bune Enterprises. If the plug color looks good, continue riding at a race pace for ten minutes. Stop and let the engine cool. Check the torque on the cylinder base and head nuts.