I was wondering how I should break in a new piston?

 

Hey RAJ,

I actually only joined the forum so I could get some Q's answered, but I'll try to help you out too.

I use Wiseco's in all my skis, so I know quite a bit about breaking those in! Many people will recommend to use a richer oil mix ratio, but I never do, and I never worry about that either. Do pretty much everything as normal.

Fire the engine up for the first time and run it until the engine is at operating temp, and for about a minute after that. Check EVERYTHING over for tightness, no leaks, etc. Then, let the engine cool down completely. Do this two more times, and you'll finally be ready to put some time on it. This is important because the piston expands once warmed up to within .0001" and then cools again - this "bounces" the piston into its normal operating fit before you ever put any load to it.

After that, feel free to ride it like normal, just don't sustain any one throttle setting for too long. I usually ride in 20-30 minute sessions, and check EVERYTHING over... again. Be careful not to overload the motor, such as towing anything, huge hillclimbs, sustained full-throttle, etc until *after* your break-in period. You'll also want to avoid abusing the engine with such things like repeatedly blipping the throttle, constanltly having to restart it, or revving out in neutral (or with the clutch in). Let the engine cool completely before riding it again. Each time you ride, you may bump up your maximum allowable throttle setting. For example: you might restrict yourself to only 1/3 throttle for the first 20 minute ride, 1/2 for the 2nd, 3/4 for the third, and so on. I'm not sure of the fuel range of your tank, but we jetskiers usually go through 2 or 3 tanks MINIMUM before we ever try full throttle.

In truth, the only thing you are "breaking in" is the seal between the rings and (hopefully) a new hone job - a new piston just needs heat and time to "settle" in to its new surroundings (pun intended). You could actually just hop on and ride like a scalded-*** ape if you really wanted to, but it's best not to give new parts undue stress in the first few hours of their life. If you follow my break-in procedure, I guarantee any failure afterward will not be the result of a messy break-in.

Good luck and have fun!

 

Sounds good to me. I have not got it back together.......still waiting on some parts. It has tore down since sunday.......starting to have withdrawls now..lol....I hope to have put back together by next weekend...Thanks for your help.