I would recommend just feeling the air temperature leaving the ducts after idling the motor for 10 minutes. If its warm then the reciprocating parts are hot enough. There is no set time for warm up Vs. outside temperature. I depends on how efficient the cooling system of the motor is at extracting excess heat.
Warming Up The Engine
Just curious as to how long you warm up a fan cooled engine before driving to avoid cold seize (piston warming faster than the cylinder)?
at 0 C?
at -10 C?
at -20 C?
at -30 C?
at 0 C?
at -10 C?
at -20 C?
at -30 C?
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until you can feel some warmth in the heat exchanger.
My opinion on this may vary from others. Personally our 800's HATE to idle, they always load up and foul up. This is the procedure that we follow. " My mechanic asked me one time..Would you like me to set up your sled to idle or GO." I picked go 
Two gentle pulls with ignition off to loosen things up.
Pull with choke on full, usually starts between 1st and 3rd pull
turn choke off once stsarted and flick it up to half way mark a couple times if the motor starts to bog.
Put on helmet and ride...The trick here is no WOT action...just easy going for the first few minutes till you can feel that is has warmed up.
Our sleds are just like our diesels...
Permafrost
Two gentle pulls with ignition off to loosen things up.
Pull with choke on full, usually starts between 1st and 3rd pull
turn choke off once stsarted and flick it up to half way mark a couple times if the motor starts to bog.
Put on helmet and ride...The trick here is no WOT action...just easy going for the first few minutes till you can feel that is has warmed up.
Our sleds are just like our diesels...
Permafrost
When after say a minute or two of running ( you shouldn't idle a 2 stroke for more than a couple of minutes at most ), ride it nice and easy for a couple of miles to ensure all the pistons and internals are thoroughly heat soaked. Riding it easy like this keeps the engine under load creating heat and ensuring that all the internal components are heated up, or "heat soaked".
This is a good and easy way to warm anything up and especially important if you are running forged pistons that have a greater piston to wall clearence or "looser" fit. But this is a safe way to ensure all engines are properly warmed up.
This is a good and easy way to warm anything up and especially important if you are running forged pistons that have a greater piston to wall clearence or "looser" fit. But this is a safe way to ensure all engines are properly warmed up.
until you can feel some warmth in the heat exchanger.[/b]
Sorry but no heat exchanger on a fan cooled machine.
When after say a minute or two of running ( you shouldn't idle a 2 stroke for more than a couple of minutes at most ), ride it nice and easy for a couple of miles to ensure all the pistons and internals are thoroughly heat soaked. Riding it easy like this keeps the engine under load creating heat and ensuring that all the internal components are heated up, or "heat soaked".
This is a good and easy way to warm anything up and especially important if you are running forged pistons that have a greater piston to wall clearence or "looser" fit. But this is a safe way to ensure all engines are properly warmed up.[/b]
I agree and this is what I have always done. Warm it up for a few minutes and then ride it very easy until I am sure it is warm.
I rode a fan cooled machine last week and was told by the local dealer that I should have let it idle for at least 20 minutes before I took off. It was -20 C that afternoon.
Well with all my sleds ive owned I always go out side start the sled up come in get all my gear on ushally takes 5 or so minutes give ot take then just make sure the ski's arn't froze in let the jackstand down and off I go nice and easy for first 10minutes then I get on her. If its really cold I ushally give it another couple of minutes to warm up but thats just my opinion.
Grant.
Grant.
20 min.. that dealer is looking for you to idle the clutch off that sled so you have to buy another one from him...Even at -20c letting it warm up for 5 to 10 min would be plenty, just have to go easy for the first 10 min of the ride..
I asked almost the same question a few weeks back. Here's a link to the responses I got.
Warm up Time
Hope this helps you out.
Warm up Time
Hope this helps you out.
Sorry but no heat exchanger on a fan cooled machine.[/b]
You should have cooling fins on the heads of an air cooled engine....same idea.
My buddy with a race engine setup waits till he sees 100*F on the EGT's before riding. Like said previous, no WOT for the first mile or so.
until you can feel some warmth in the heat exchanger.[/b]
that's what he does and so do i. i used to make sure my son's old hairblower was pushing some heat out of the fan though before he took off. when i wasn't there??? who knows?Sorry but no heat exchanger on a fan cooled machine.[/b]
Thanks everyone.
With my 05 GSX the temperature gauge comes up within 2 minutes to off the cold position and is running warm within another 5 minutes of riding.
With my 05 GSX the temperature gauge comes up within 2 minutes to off the cold position and is running warm within another 5 minutes of riding.
It depends on how far the walk is if the engine craps from lack of proper warm-up.
Mostly though, it's 5-10 minutes when it's snowy out. When it's -20º F or so, 15-20 minutes doesn't hurt a thing. I have found that a fan seems to work well when it's warm enough that it will go strong without any special throttle manipulation. 20 some thousand miles on the old RMK fan which still runs strong with the original pistons in the original holes suggests to me that no harm comes from longer engine warm-ups. I'm not about to change what works.
Mostly though, it's 5-10 minutes when it's snowy out. When it's -20º F or so, 15-20 minutes doesn't hurt a thing. I have found that a fan seems to work well when it's warm enough that it will go strong without any special throttle manipulation. 20 some thousand miles on the old RMK fan which still runs strong with the original pistons in the original holes suggests to me that no harm comes from longer engine warm-ups. I'm not about to change what works.
We have fan sleds and usually let them warm up about 5 minutes, then take it very easy on the throttle for a few miles.
It makes sense to take it easy for the first few minutes. An example is liquid cooled motorcycles. Until they're fully warmed up, they sputter. With a 2 stroke, it doesn't sputter. You just have to play it smart. With dad's Suzuki, since new, the first few minutes riding you have to take it easy and leave the choke part ways on. Then (basically only down the road) after some riding you can turn the choke off all the way and she's good to go. Snowmobiles are similar, but they'll give you oomf even if they're not running good if you ask for it. Until damage is done (perhaps 2,000 miles down the road? lol). So just play it smart, learn your machine.
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