To port...or not to port

I would wait to port it. I just got done porting the sleeve on my TRX .15 and a friends sleeve on his TRX 2.5 and I am here to tell ya, much power. Break it in first then port. I had some one tell me that my motor wouldnt last long. I am going on my tenth tank and still going strong. Also, it would also be better if you changed the carb to a little bigger carb. I put an OS 15 CV carb in replacement of the TRX carb and it works wonders. Jus my 2 cents bro.

Just realize, that once the piston and sleeve are broken in and then you port it, you change the burn characteristics of the engine. This may require a mini-break in of sorts and may in the end add a step to your little project.

You may just want to go ahead and port the sucker then break it in.

Sky knows more than I do, so I would take his 2 cents before mine. Never thought of it that way Sky, good call.

Have you ported an engine before? If you have, and your comfortable with it, port it first. If you havent ported and engine before, port your old set up. I would definitely not port a new piston and sleeve unless you have lots of money. I ported my first engine last week and it resulted in my wasting a lot of money. Not because I ruined the engine, but because I lost control of my car and crashed it BAD!.

Not to sound like a peepee, but that sounds like its the drivers fault, not the ported engine, lol. Sorry to hear about your mishap. What kind of motor did you port? Also, did you port jus tthe sleeve or the crank case and crank.

I would recommend you break-in the engine first, and here is why..... Keep in mind, this is just a general reply not only to you, but to anyone else who may be reading this with the same questions.

First off, since some people will be using a brand new engine, and assuming you/they have a reciept for it, the engine, or part of the engine may be under warranty. If the engine, or parts of the engine have any kind of defect, you want to find it before you do any port work. Once you port an engine, you may as well toss out any hopes of getting anything replaced from the manufacturer under warranty.

Second- Break-in can be hard enough for some people with a stock engine, much less a ported engine. An engine that has been ported CORRECTLY will break-in just like any other stocker, but the factory recommended needle settings may not be optimal, and some people may struggle with getting the engine tuned in.

Third- Once you have your new engine "broke in" run at least 5-6 tanks of fuel through it after break in, tuned for good power. Generally, fuel will leave stains on the outside of the sleeve that will help you see where the transfer ports are in the crank case, and how they flow up the side of the sleeve. Also, this staining may allow you to notice areas where the back plate shrouds the transfer ports above it. Basically, its as easy as "coloring between the lines" with your dremel tool.

A word of caution-

When you take your engine apart to port it, only work on one part of the engine at a time. Put all the parts of your engine in a sealed plastic bag to keep any metal shavings out of them, and to keep any other part of your engine from getting contaminated with metal shavings

Clean each part of the engine you are working on with brake cleaner before you start grinding on it. That way all the metal shavings fall out or off of the parts instead of sticking in the oil from your fuel.

Never, ever drill, or grind on a crank case that still has bearings in it. The slightest piece of metal or debris in a main bearing will spell disaster as soon as you pull the throttle open.

Clean everything as many times as it takes.... I use Q tips to swab everything inside and out. Its amazing how much crap you can find in parts that actually look "clean".

An engine that has been ported correctly will idle better, have better fuel economy, run cooler, and make more power.

Will they last as long as a stock engine? YES, or maybee LONGER. The thing is, a modified engine that makes up to 30-50% more power than it was designed to make, and or turns an extra 5-10,000 rpms more than it was inteded, may not last as long if the person operating it doesn't respect it.

Most stock engines dont make enough power to hurt themself under normal conditions, however a fully modded engine CAN make enough power to hurt itself. :juggle:

Bill, very well written. Great points also. While I was thinking along the lines of economy of steps and of a better than "newbie" working the port job, this post lists some very helpful things that would make both a "newbie" and an old pro find the job of porting and engine a bit easier.

As Bill, alludes to but never quite states, don't cut the corner to get the job done quicker. His methodology and thought process are spot on. I'd suggest following his advice on this one. I did not consider some of the things he mentioned, as I typically take those things for granted.

Well written post.

gutterboy Not to sound like a peepee, but that sounds like its the drivers fault, not the ported engine, lol. Sorry to hear about your mishap. What kind of motor did you port? Also, did you port jus tthe sleeve or the crank case and crank.

Click to expand...

I know I crashed it and not the port work, but I was just getting used to the power increase. As for my porting, I only polished the insided of the crank and carb. On the sleeve, I ported and polished for flow and volume only. I did not mess with the timing at all. My engine runs very cool. My temps were about 30 degrees lower than normal and it still ripped hard. I do think I over ported my engine. My engine now is touchy to tune and does not idle very well, but I got it dialed in. I'm going to port another engine soon and I will not go as extreme as I did last time. Ill post my results.

--NooP

In my opinion...most high performance engines are already ported for performance.....a bashing engine like the trx15 has plenty of room for performance gains by porting. I am actually running one in my maxx and it is a beast..runs just as well as any OS that I have run up against.

I would take that suggestion of others and wait an see...

Thanks for all the good tips! I haven't ported an engine before, so I do plan on practicing on the old sleeve. It's toasted though so I won't be able to test it out.

My main reason for break-in before porting is so I will be able to notice the power increase. The engine is about 6 years old and is pretty well shot, so the rebuild will be a huge improvement on it's own. I may not even realize the difference between ported and non ported unless I run the engine before I do the mod.

Anybody know where to find info on polishing or other improvement to be done to the crank and carb?

If I mess it up, a new piston/sleeve is only $20 from Tower!

:jet:

Thanks everybody!
Brian J