Strange rings around my piston?? - Snowmobile Forum: Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

JarHead · 07-25-2008, 04:03 PM

Hi there! Any input would be ever so helpful.
Checken over my snowmobile the other day. I thought I would pull my cylinders off to have a look around. This is all new to me. 1st sled, 1st year etc. So I thought it would be good practice and time for inspection. So the clutch side comes off fine and I see what I expected/hoped for. Nice smooth cly walls and smooth clean piston and ring. Then I pulled the mag side and the piston has about 20 fine rings machined in it below the ring. I thought both pistons were supposed to be the same? I was told the sled was stock and all original parts. What are they and why only one piston? Is this normal and/or from factory or was this engine opened up before? Have a look at the pictures. I think I got them attached. This kind of bothers me. Maybe I didn’t the whole story about this sled. (2000 Formula Dlx 700) I just hate it when strange rings just show up around my piston.

JheLrey · 07-25-2008, 10:02 PM

Huh... Never seen that before!

IndianRvrShiver · 07-26-2008, 09:18 AM

Obviously, that piston has been replaced at some time......never seen machined grooves like that before. BTW...you're getting a lot of "blow by" past the rings on that side.

IRONDOG · 07-26-2008, 04:51 PM

Lots of the SkiDoo factory and aftermarket pistons have the grooves- very common. Your motor had to have been apart at one time- look inside the piston skirts and report back what wording is on the inside of both pistons. It's there, it may be difficult to see. A factory piston will clearly say "Made in Austria" and "ELKO". Other brands will differ.
Jerry

JarHead · 07-29-2008, 05:26 PM

Hey there!
Sorry about the slow reply. We were away for the weekend and this was the first I got back to the engine. Both pistons say "ELKO" and "Made in Austria". There is a "D" near the top. The piston with the rings in it has a "011" and the number "78-4++++". The center part of the casting has a cross hatch pattern. The other one has "R011" and the number "78-4++". The smooth piston also has a "G9" stamped in where the pin goes through.
On top the smooth one has "B 77.89" and "ELKO 2243h" and the one with the rings "A 77.88" and ELKO 2243e". Both have "AUS" with an arrow below.

Whatever these mean I have no idea.

Also are the needle bearings suppose to fall out when you pull the pins because all of mine did.

Thanks for the help. This is beginning to become a large project. Look out. I am going to be the sled of the month soon. When I am done of course. Hopefully Oct at the very latest. I will post the progress.

J

skidoosledder · 11-10-2008, 07:35 PM

while you have it open you should put new rings in it. it will be worth it