This year, I bought a '01 ZR600 with the round exhaust valves. After 1100 miles, I decided to clean the valves. Guess What? They were stuck. I spent the time and got them clean and also cleaned the bores. Yesterday, I went for a 75 mile ride. Whan I got back, I pulled the cables off the servo motor and pulled on the cables, by hand, and found that the valves were starting to stick already.
Since I am using Arctic Cat 50:1 oil instead of APV oil, I realize that I will need to clean the valves more often, but I think that every 100 miles is rediculous. What kind of oil are you guys using and how often do you need to clean your valves

Try Amsoil it is cheaper than Cat APV and works better. That is all I use.

I have a sled with the same valves and they have been prone to sticking every 100-500 miles. I've been using up a stock of non synthetic oil and believe this is the cause. After you've cleaned the valves make sure the cables are moving freely, I've had very sticky cables, adjust them properly also. I've also found that the valves will stick more frequently when conditions don't allow opening it up. I think these valves open at about 7100-7200 rpm so if you don't cycle through this rpm range very often they'll stick. They've sure been a pain!

Don't go cheap on the oil. I run Cat APV and have 0 Problems. The APV has an additive that keeps the valves clean. If you run standard oil in they will gum up and that will be a much more expensive repair than the cost of the oil.

I dunno. I found Cat's APV oil to be kinda "gooey" and promote sticking. That was on my 600 which in my minds eye, is not as good a set up as the 800/900 power valves. Had to clean them every 5 or 6 hundered miles. How d'ya like getting those allen headed screws out? Are those a bitch or what? I use Amsoil now in my 900. No problems yet.

APV is not worth a shit.....try something else....

The key to clean APV's is quality oil and correct oil/fuel ratios. Too much oil is an APV's biggest foe. Choose a quality synthetic or Blue Marble then calulate your oil/fuel ratio. If less than 50/1 (AC's spec) adjust the pump to use less oil.
I'm running Blue Marble and with my pump set at 65/1 my ZR800 valves are clean as a whistle after the last 1200 miles of last season. I'm shooting for a 75/1 ratio this winter but haven't done enough miles yet to determine what my current pump setting will deliver.

I clean mine once a year every 1200-1500 miles. 02 ZR 800. Only time they were actually ever stuck was when new after a couple hundred miles with oil dealer installed. I swapped over to Torco SSO and haven't stuck again. When I clean them there is slight carbon buildup but fairly clean.

I use Klotz synthetic in my 98 sno pro and in my sisters 03 zr 800 with no problems about 2000 miles on zr 800. Use it in all our other sleds also, and jetskis and 3-wheelers. :beer2: walt

why would you use non-synthetic oil, knowing the valves are prone to gumming up with carbon and oil? :frech32:

The job is maybe 30 minutes taking your time with some carb and choke cleaner, a 4mm allen wrench, a 10mm comb wrench and (2) 8mm comb wrenches at the most. Make it routine with greasing the suspension and you won't have any issues removing them.

I learned the hard way too!

:beer2: This helped me the firt time I had to clean mine. Good luck!

APV Cleaning

Mark

:banana:

Actualy, after cleaning the valves for the third time this season, I'm getting pretty good at it. I was hoping to go around 500 miles between cleanings. Went out today for 180 miles and one side is sticky but not stuck yet.
I'm going to be switching oil on the next tank even though I was hoping to be able to use the case of 50:1 that I had before I got the sled.

If there's no snow in heaven, then I don't want to go

I had a 01 ZR 800 and was using CAT APV oil and still had to clean the
valves about 4 times the first year, then I changed to AC synthetic, didn't
have to clean them a all, I still checked them a couple times but found no problem
one thing with and 800 you have to get on it 600 probably the same way

what are the symtoms when powervalves are stuck my zl-500 runs very rich no power and idles not at all ?

After seeing a number of you guys speaking of having to clean your valves at such short intervals, you really should consider trying the Blue Marble. We've personally seen the valves out of an '02 XCSP that had 4,049 miles on them and had never been cleaned nor taken out prior to this. They had a slight black color on the slide, but looked more as if someone had spray painted it, the carbon was about as thick as a sheet of paper at best. Recently one of our newest dealers told us that one of his customers came in to his store and was glad to see the dealer carrying it, so he wouldn't have to pay for shipping anymore. He told the dealer that he'd been using it for just over 4 years now, and had over 6,200 miles on one of his sleds that was running it and had never cleaned the valves on it in that time frame. Needless to say however, we haven't seen that one ourselves, but I can state that I did see the one mentioned above. Also, take a look at the threads on the www.snowest.com site, and you'll see many people that use it, saying similar things.

Jeff Waugh
Blue Marble Technology Group
www.BlueMarbleOil.com
www.Nulubes.com
(877) 685-8237

i have been reading about cleaning the apvs. i was ging to do it today but when i pulled on my cables they moved freely so i decided i would not clean them. 1500 miles o2 zr 800 efi. then i lifted the rear e4nd up starteds the motor and watched the serco motor work. good to go.

As I mentioned above, I clean my valves alot. It used to give me something to do in snowless winters. Now that we've had a better winter and the sled is getting more use I find that they don't need cleaning as often. One benifit to frequent cleanings is that it gives me a chance to monitor the looks of the pistons.

Run Injex oil and never worry about it.........