any ideas on why this piston failed catastrophically?

Jan 6, 2011
347
12
60
wichita ,ks aka tha 316 or ICT
i ported this out to match the intake ports and skirts to match the transfer area of the jug. it was a 66.5mm bore that was on its third piston in the same bore. i purchased that now destroyed wiseco at a very good discount under the assumption that it was the next size over. I assembled it and did the warm up for 10 to 20 minutes at a time at least 8 times before riding it. it had low compression from the get go.Even though it ran very well i knew it was low on compression and needed bored. i even used xado directly on the cylinder hoping the rings would seat better. while riding it after warming it up it made an awful racket and i shut it off quickly. i then put it in neutral and kicked it slowly. I immediately knew it was the skirt by the sound of it. then i said screw it and turned on the spark it fired up and sounded like something was rattling in the exhaust. th exhaust eventually quit rattling and the bike still ran pretty fast. today i tore it apart to check my port timing and replace the piston with a larger one and lone behold a trashed piston. I've ran 2 of my port jobs with wonderful success this is the only one that had a wore bore. The ultimate question was it the loose bore, hogged out piston or both? Thanx you guys rock !!!!
 
piston slap and no strength bc the way you took all the matterial out of the piston. stop half assing things and take the jug to have it bored to a specific piston size and don't port the piston. not much power to be gained or the builders would be pushin it
 
Looks like both. I wouldn't do anything to weaken the intake skirt on a blaster piston. Even ones with full strength intake skirts are prone to failure if the bore is allowed to run out too far.

Even just a few thousands over the recommend piston to cylinder clearance is a recipe for trouble.
 
Poorly-fitting piston + skimpy skirt = Boom! From the sound of things, I'd say the piston never fit properly in the cylinder and slapped around from the get-go. Add to that slap problem a piston with a weak skirt, and you've got a recipe for flying metal chunks.

I'm no race engine builder, but I've done small motors for years, and every engine I re-assemble gets the cylinder bore and ring end gap(s) checked 2x before being put back together and fired up. Be it an old cast-iron Kohler from the 1970's, or a high-performance 2-stroke in a Blaster. Quality workmanship usually equals few, if any, problems after a rebuild.
 
both caused it.. but it would have happened eventually with the way the piston was "ported". never take any material out of that area or this will happen again.
 
I ordered a new piston as soon as i had low comp.I wouldn't call it half assing it by using a brand new piston and doing all of my own work. the bore still looks really good or i wouldn't have ran it. i picked all of this up in a packaged deal for next to nothing. On the second note Ive ran 2 others with great success that where ported piston motors and ive seen other builds that had them opened up. I agree i went a lil too far. I'll be the first to admit in a novice but ,at least im not scared to try.
 
yes putting a new piston in a cylinder that has already had two pistons run through it w/o checking for clearances is half assing it. not tryin to be a jerk just being blunt. piston modding has never been endorced on this site to my knowlege. port the jug if you want some more power. that is where the power gains are to be had not the piston
 
Is there any area of the piston intake side that i can get some more flo out of like just the top of the port? No one suggested i do this it was just something i did before on other engines that lasted quite awhile and ran good. they always had fresh bores!!(and i didn't go so far with it) The piston i used came with it when i bought it so i figured why not? I was leery of the bore size but had no bore gauge and there wasn't any gouging . I try to always learn from all of my mistakes, but I'd much rather learn from someone else's. I'm just glad i found a spot where ppl can drop some knowledge on those of us still learning. Note to self . . . .Poorly-fitting piston + skimpy skirt = Boom! thanx i'll donate some more to the forum with all the piston money i'll save now. lol
 
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Anyone have any tips for what i did right or wrong or could improve upon with my intake? I'm totally open to constructive critisim I:I

p.s. this is with the old piston in it
 
Hey, as long as you learn something from this experience, there's no real harm done! If I had a dollar for every time I screwed something up while learning, well, I'd be livin' a little higher on the scrotum pole! Lol

I'd talk to a couple of the engine builders on here about shaving material off the piston, and porting. Ken O'Connor, amongst others, can point you in the right direction.
 
4663-piston.jpg



Anyone have any tips for what i did right or wrong or could improve upon with my intake? I'm totally open to constructive critisim I:I

p.s. this is with the old piston in it

is it polished? it needs to be rough. bead blasted finish is nice on the intake and trans.
 
your work looks decent on the cylinder. just when you port try not to raise the ports or lower them much. as a novice(like myself) you can open the intake up alittle for better flow w/o much worry. just don't go crazy. leave the piston alone. better safe than sorry.
 
it is a lil on the smooth side but not polished. I've read that smooth on the intake side decreases atomization of the fuel and that it has a tendencies to pool in smooth intake tracts. Ive also seen hot rod automotive guys polish there intake runners and even heard of old shellac jobs on them. what has been ur experiences been with rough or smooth? how can i roughn it up? i have a small sand blaster! lol
 
it is a lil on the smooth side but not polished. I've read that smooth on the intake side decreases atomization of the fuel and that it has a tendencies to pool in smooth intake tracts. Ive also seen hot rod automotive guys polish there intake runners and even heard of old shellac jobs on them. what has been ur experiences been with rough or smooth? how can i roughn it up? i have a small sand blaster! lol

rough..but not too rough..use the blaster on the intake and transfers.

gotta remember, your 2 stroke cylinder is not a sbc head!
 
how much did you change the port timing on it? looks like you opened it up a lot.


also what was your piston to wall clearance? this is something you really need to check out ESPECIALLY if it has already had a couple pistons in it