Guys,

I traded in my 95 Pantera last week for a new model. I've been a Cat guy all my life. Even worked at a Cat dealer growing up, so I just couldn't look at any other sled manufacturer. I got the '03 Pantera 600 BEFI. It's VERY nice. Very strong, and rides soooooo smooth. Amazing power with 2 people on it.

So, here goes.....The dealer added 8 ounces of oil in the tank, and his guy said fill it with fuel. This was for the engine break-in. Now mind you, this is the first BRAND NEW sled I ever bought, and over the weekend we ran it around 85 miles on the trails and a few ponds, never more than 1/2 throttle, with the occasional full throttle short burst as the owner's manual recommended. It's running fine. So, here's my question......

I read through the break-in section again. The book said to mix 8 oz of oil to 6 gallons of fuel for a 100:1 ratio. This tank holds about 11.5 gallons(13 max rated). If I filled it, I'm really at 200:1 ratio, right? I filled it up with fuel again yesterday at the end of the day. It was at about 1/4 tank before the fillup. I checked the plugs and they do seem a little black, so it seems the premix is working.

Should I add a premix again, and this time should I add 16 ounces if it's a full tank? What have you guys done for the best break-in treatment.

Thanks.

As far as I know the pre-mix in the first tank is more of a fail safe to make sure the oil injection is working fine. I could see it being useful for the first few minutes as extra lube, but after that it's only a fail safe. IMO.

If you've made it this far without any problems you're probably fine. However it's a brand new sled, lots of $$, no harm in playing it safe. Just don't mix it too rich, you can gum up the smart valves in the tank.

Glad to hear you like the new Pantera...Just bought an '03 ZL 600 EFI (no reverse, electric start or smart suspension) and pondered the pre-mix question myself...I mixed up two 6-gallon cans of 89 octane gas with 8 ounces of AC APV oil for my 'break-in' mixture...Still have about 2-3 gallons left after filling the tank, so I'll throw that in later...Have'nt put any miles on it yet (going out this weekend)...I saw something somewhere which advised against adding oil to the gas tank (to create your pre-mix) so I did it in a gas can...I see a lot of riders in here touting the benefits of using Amsoil injector oil instead of the AC APV oil, which they indicate can lead to build up on the power valves...People are saying that the Amsoil reduces valve build up to near zero, as well as being considerably cheaper...One problem I'm having already is the locking nut on my ignition switch won't stay on, my dealer says this is a common problem this year and he'll give me a new nut...I'm really glad that I upgraded this year and cannot wait to get this thing on the trails!! BTW, I'd like to know what ZRT800 was referring to when he mentioned the "smart valves in the tank"... :D

There's a valve at the end of the fuel line (inside the tank) - called a "Smart Valve". My sled is too old to have them, but from what I understand, they operate like a roll over valve (if sled rolls , valve shuts off fuel supply). That's what I've heard, but don't know for sure. What I do know, is if you mix your 1st tank richer than 100:1, (say 50:1) you can plug up the valves & your sled won't run.

If you have a new sled, I'm sure they will mention something about them in your owners manual.

I know it's not a full out technical explanation, but I hope it helps. :p

I bought 03 f-7 mechanic at dealer told me to add about 1/2 the oil in tank as recommended in the owner manual. I would say you're good to go

You've run 85 miles on the original "premix" tank. You have probably no more than a1/4 of a tank left of the "premix" 100:1 ratio mixture. You just need to top off your tank with the (87 min oct) fuel and your good to go. In spite of what others may say to the contrary in these forums, try to give your sled a few hundred miles before you really start ripping it open.

Have fun with the new toy!

All.....I think I'm going to ride as it is, and not add any more oil to the fuel. It seems the owner's manual, and the dealers don't agree totally. Since the ratio of the break-in tankfull was around 175:1 by my figures, and the fact that I really didn't try to push it much beyond 1/2 throttle for the first 85 miles, I should be ok. Seems the consensus here is that it's ok as is.

I definitely don't want to clog anything in the tank, especially any special valves.

BTW, the oil my dealer uses and recommends is Spectro, and he worked with AC on the early APV problems, where he said that the early AC APV oil was gumming the valves up. He said AC is now using the same oil that he uses(Spectro), only repackaged in the AC bottles. This dealer is the #1 sales dealer in North America, and he's said they often contact him for "real world" info.

Thanks for the Replies! Can't wait to put more miles on this weekend.

The last two sleds i had were efi the first one was a zl 600. I added oil 100:1 on first tank then just added gas had no problems ran very good. My last one a zl 600 is a 2001 i was told not to use pre mix I have about 4000 miles on it no problems at all runs great. I used apv oil from cat until this year i went to ams oil because of the power valves, was getting a lot of build up