another thing is i dont think it will stay at 150 far a very long time. i am pretty sure it will get up to temp after i start to ride it and start to put under a load. i guess i will have to weight and see what happens. we are going on a ride friday.

 

a cooler engine is a tighter engine...tighter means more friction..more friction means more wear....i remember my old 2-stroke yamaha snowmobile...lots more power just as i started it up...but many mechanics told me to NOT run it hard 'til it warmed up to "optimal" running temperature to avoid premature cylinder wear.

 

A cold engine is a loose engine......if anything. As metal heats, it expands, and the engine becomes tighter. The reason the guy told you to take it easy until up to operating temperature is to prevent a cold seizure.....not because the engine is tight when cold. Upon startup, if run hard, the piston will expand from heat quicker than the cylinder, and can seize. This is more likely to happen with a forged piston than a cast piston, due to the high silicon content in the cast piston. The silicon in a cast piston resists expansion more. It is fine to run a 2-stroke once the engine has reached 150..........it works well for me anyway. I have a digital temp guage that I use, and try never to run it hard until it reaches 150.

 

sorry i didn't make myself clear, but that is what i meant....when the engine is cool, if run hard the expanding piston is tighter in the cylinder causing what you indicate....cold seizure...thanks for clearing that up walexa.

 

Bearings! Bearings are chosen not only based on size, but on the operating temperatures. As stated before, hot metal expands, cold compresses. So bearings, which are are very precise, were chosen for running at a specific temp range. However in this case, I wouldn't be too concerned about it running too cold unless were talking about high HP, high rpm, etc...

Maximus, I'm not too sure how you hooked up the second radiator, but if possible could you put an inline valve so you can regulate the flow a little? Just a thought.

 

i thought about that. i dont know. i guess i will just try it and see if it will rize above 150. we are going on a good long mud ride and i will see how it runs. if it will get above 150 then i will be happy. i just dont want to run it for a long time before it gets to 150.

 

o.k. i have now installed a in line cut off valve. now i can shut of the water coming from the first radiator to the next one. now all i have to do is weight till it gets to 15o and open valve.

 

maximus,

Your temp sender is outside the head of your engine, therefore you should not shot off the flow to the second radiator. Your coolant flows through the second radiator before it goes back to the engine, and if shut off, there will be no coolant flow. You will overheat the engine with the valve shut, and you will never know it because your temperature pickup for your guage is mounted in a radiator hose. With no coolant flow, the temp sender will show very little rise.

Also, all this talk about it needing to run at 200 is not correct. My manual specifies that the overheat light comes on at 205. The fan kicks on at 185 and kicks off at 157, per my polaris manual.

 

i installed a petcock valve where i can screw it down to where i want it. this will let the water still circulate but i can restict it down. i did not think about the temp gauge not reading thou i am glad you brought that up. this is all in the r&d stage.