FINALLY HAPPENED...a first for the 600

bluemonster1

bluemonster1

LIFE MEMBER ONLY ONCE!!!
Joined
Dec 30, 2005
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68
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Howden ,Manitoba,Canada
-18 C today and nice and sunny out.Took the SXR600 into the bush to find deeper snow,rode the Rivers and all was fine.Come close to home and decided to go for one more boot along the ditch in the deeper stuff.Got around 1/2 mile from my house and then IT HAPPENED!!!..dropped the mag side cylinder..:shock::dunno::horsehock
All was done properly ,carbs cleaned good,fresh new Premium fuel,it was using oil as usual,not overheated.I am STUNNED by this.Checked compression it says nothing really,the other 2 were good.Now the plugs were all cardboard brown when I took them out today to pour fuel down to start the motor.Now that mag side plug is black.Don't know what that is telling me.Parked the sled and won't touch it till Spring time.probably will end up parting the sled as I don't want to spend anymore on it.May transfer the 144 skid and track to the SRX maybe,otherwise it will go for sale as well.

Nothing good lasts forever I guess.Took nearly 14 years to finally kill the motor.I rebuilt everything around 3 to 4 years back and always ran good,this really is a surprise to me and a mystery for sure..#$%&*:cry:

will dig into my SRX next weekend,carbs,PV's etc and get it running..hope it makes it ....
 

That my buddy is bad news. Think it would be less hassle to change cylinder than extend srx. Reall it could be done in a few hours and shes back otg for rest of winter.
 
That sucks Blue. Personally, you don't strike me as the type of guy who can just put that sled away not knowing what happened. Pull the jug and check it out. Even if you don't/can't fix it right away at least you'll know what caused it. Whatever you decide, good luck.
 
I would look at the gas first, how many people burn premium in there cars?A fuel flinch only does its job over time it wont get rid of all the water in gas.So alittle ice in one jet and suclayblew.
 
It has been cold here for a good while .Will wait till it warms up a bit to tackle the removal of the cylinder I guess.Trouble is while I had to ride it back on 2 cylinders,how much garbage fell down into the crank is my next concern.I use seafoam in my tank also to keep things clean.It is what it is,not crying over it.I have 3 more jerry cans of premium here,so when I put it into the SRX and it blows..then I'll know it was the gas I guess...
 
I poured some Sea foam in the tank today as well for any moisture issue.I took some gas from the new batch I bought and poured some into a clear bottle.Gonna see if there is any water in there.Water should settle to the bottom.Going to have to remove the carbs and strip down to see if any jets were frozen up also I guess.The station I buy my gas is always the same one,and never ever had a problem before with the gas there.When I crank the motor with plugs removed I don't hear anything unusual,also took my skinny probe led light and stuck it in the cylinder and can't see anything bad.Gonna be interesting to see what gives here.
 
Gas line antifreeze costs $1. If storing in a heated place or on a long run frost can build up and thaw pretty good. Should pour a bit in every tank if you dont already. If it was the cause or not.
 
going to pick up some from CT this week for the SRX.So I am wandering if after a ride,one should top up the tank to the top to prevent this frosting if possible.The tank on the SXR was around half full and sitting for a couple of weeks in the cold shed.But if you compare to last season,this year is not as nasty and I always keep the sleds in the shed with no heat..just was my turn I guess.
 
only was a 1/4 mile from the house..going to be -3 C on Sunday,so maybe will pull cylinder off then to see.Checked the jar of gas this morning that I poured into from one of my gas cans,no sign of water..all gas is clear.Will take a sample from the sxr tank and try also.
 
todays gasoline has enough alcohol in it without adding more. Adding gas line anti freeze is a huge no no in my opinion, and a recipe for disaster..... Seafoam also contains alcohol. When a customers sled comes in, I always check the storage compartments. If I find any additives, I remove them, and inform my customers to never use it
 
I was thinking the same..Winter gas has enough additives for the harsh cold conditions.Been riding this sled like 10 years and have gone thru every kind of conditions without a hiccup.This is why I am stumped when this happened...sure would like to find the cause anyways.
 
What pistons did you use when you re-did it a few years ago? I wonder if it was towards the top end of normal temp range and when you dropped into the snow in the ditch the coolers cooled coolant fast enough to cause a cold seizure so to speak even though sled was warmed up.
 
when taking a gasoline sample,to look for water from the tanks of your sleds make sure you shake the sled to get the water to mix with the fuel. The reason is, if your sled has been sitting for even as little as 10 minutes, any water will fall to the bottom of the tank, as it is heavier than gas. If you don't shake the sled up, you will get a false reading. The shaken fuel, if it contains water, the water will start to drop out of the fuel within minutes.
 
When you pull the motor apart, before removing the piston from the rod, have a look for any play in either the big, or small end bearings. Any looseness in either will allow the piston to kiss the head, and close up the ring gap, seizing the ring
 
I used all OEM parts for the rebuild.Doubt it was a cold seizure.Sled was ridden for 30 miles already,I was in the bush going through more deep snow pinning it.
I already had it my mind to shake the gas tank up before I take a sample of gas.Anyways I probably will have a chance Sunday to open up the motor and take a look.Maybe I just have a ring seizure and that is it.Like I said I don't see any damage on the piston top at least looking through the plug hole.Piston color is the same as the other 2 as well.
No use speculating on a cause until I remove the head,looksee and then remove cylinder..
 
well a little of an update .I really mixed the gas good in the tank and took out about 1/2 a gallon.Poured some into a jar and waited.Well the conclusion is that my gas is nice and clear and no evidence of water in the gas.So must of been a mechanical failure..like rings or something.Will try to open it up this weekend to see the damage,but also may be riding the old SRX instead...
 
Well,if you don't want to buy another sled, with the heat exchanger up in the front of the tunnel, you had better buy a fan cooled sled, cause all liquids have the main cooler there! When you stud a track, hitting the exchanger with a thrown one is the risk you take
 
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