[classo]

My 2002 Riot seemed to start running on one cylinder on Saturday and when I tried to give some gas to make it up a small hill on the trail... it clunked a bit and then blew... absolutte grenade under the cover. just a little over 600 kms but warranty was up in October 2020. One of plugs looks like it was hit by the piston and closed the gap. Posted on facebook last night to learn of at least 10-20 other 2020 or 2021 Riots blowing up or having injector and mapping issues. Wondering if Arctic cat will do anything... going to to dealer this morning. This is not right! Spend this kind of money to have the engine blow with a little over 600 kms.

 

[classo]

I was riding my 2020 Riot 8000 on Saturday when it seemed to begin to run on one cylinder and when I tried to press on the throttle to make it up a small hill on the trail... it clunked a bit and then it blew stopping dead... spewing oil and coolant and steam from the engine. Under the plastics the engine case had turned into a grenade blowing pieces of metal everywhere. The next day I pulled the plugs and it appeared that one of the plugs looks like it was hit by the piston and closed the gap. I purchased the sled from a gentleman when it had 280 kms and put on just over 300 kms of easy trail riding for a total of 600+ kms on the sled. The sled was originally purchased from the dealer on Oct 18 2019 so we are guessing there is no remaining warranty. I posted such on Facebook in a group called 705 Snowmobiles last night to learn of at least 10-20 other 2020 or 2021 Riots blowing up, running on one cylinder and having injector and mapping issues including a friend who has a 2021 Riot where the crank bearing sized at 220 kms. Livingston Arctic Cat Dealer even posted a warning to their customers of such Arctic Cat CTEC engines on their own facebook page. I am now wondering if Arctic Cat will do anything to support me as their support rep said they can’t even talk to me until it is taken to a dealer. So I guess I have to take it to the local dealer in Sault St. Marie (Rivercity Sports). This is not right! Spend $15000 + Insurance and a Trail Pass to buy a new snowmobile to have the engine blow with a little over 600 kms! Curious if anyone else has had major issues with a 2020 Arctic Cat Riot or similar. Any known issues, good advice or good sled mechanic recommendations in the area appreciated...

 

[classo]

Here are some photos of my CTEC 2 Engine in a 2020 Riot after 600 kms of easy trail riding...Not happy to say the least! On Saturday it seemed to begin to run on one cylinder and when I tried to press on the throttle to make it up a small hill on the trail... it clunked a bit and then it blew stopping dead... spewing oil and coolant and steam from the engine. Under the plastics the engine case had turned into a grenade blowing pieces of metal everywhere. The next day I pulled the plugs and it appeared that one of the plugs looks like it was hit by the piston and closed the gap. Since I posted such on Facebook in a group called 705 Snowmobiles last night to learn of at least 10-20 other 2020 or 2021 Riots blowing up, running on one cylinder and having injector and mapping issues. Livingston Arctic Cat Dealer even posted a warning to their customers of such Arctic Cat CTEC engines on their own facebook page. I am now wondering if Arctic Cat will do anything to support me as warranty was up a few months ago and their support rep said they can’t even talk to me until it is taken to a dealer. So looks like I have to pay for a tear down before and diagnostic before I know... I would do my research on the many problems associated with a CTEC 2 before buying.

 

[classo]

I was riding my 2020 Riot 8000 on Saturday when it seemed to begin to run on one cylinder and when I tried to press on the throttle to make it up a small hill on the trail... it clunked a bit and then it blew stopping dead... spewing oil and coolant and steam from the engine. Under the plastics the engine case had turned into a grenade blowing pieces of metal everywhere. The next day I pulled the plugs and it appeared that one of the plugs looks like it was hit by the piston and closed the gap. I purchased the sled from a gentleman when it had 280 kms and put on just over 300 kms of easy trail riding for a total of 600+ kms on the sled. The sled was originally purchased from the dealer on Oct 18 2019 so we are guessing there is no remaining warranty. I posted such on Facebook in a group called 705 Snowmobiles last night to learn of at least 10-20 other 2020 or 2021 Riots blowing up, running on one cylinder and having injector and mapping issues including a friend who has a 2021 Riot where the crank bearing sized at 220 kms. Livingston Arctic Cat Dealer even posted a warning to their customers of such Arctic Cat CTEC engines on their own facebook page. I am now wondering if Arctic Cat will do anything to support me as their support rep said they can’t even talk to me until it is taken to a dealer. So I guess I have to take it to the local dealer in Sault St. Marie (Rivercity Sports). This is not right! Spend $15000 + Insurance and a Trail Pass to buy a new snowmobile to have the engine blow with a little over 600 kms! Curious if anyone else has had major issues with a 2020 Arctic Cat Riot or similar. Any known issues, good advice or good sled mechanic recommendations in the area appreciated...

 

[favoritos]

Bummer deal.
It does happen. I understand the frustration too. I've been there.
It is pretty hard to get anything started without a dealer starting the process. Once they do initiate the paperwork, the reps can see the ticket.
I'm not sure if you are in Canada? I'm no pro on the subject, but cross border warranty is touchy if you can go that route.
The dealer recommendation isn't a simple answer without knowing a little about the location of purchase and country of registration.

I get the point of going to open posting sites for information as well. I also take those with caution. It isn't too hard for a few motivated individuals to grab and repost over and over.
The information from Livingstons was actually a good cautionary measure to prevent damage. There were some injectors not up to the task. A quick check could prevent major problems.

It is a little difficult to determine what happened. Something let loose and parts started to disappear. Not much advice to give. There isn't much left of the motor to reuse.

 

[classo]

Bummer deal.
It does happen. I understand the frustration too. I've been there.
It is pretty hard to get anything started without a dealer starting the process. Once they do initiate the paperwork, the reps can see the ticket.
I'm not sure if you are in Canada? I'm no pro on the subject, but cross border warranty is touchy if you can go that route.
The dealer recommendation isn't a simple answer without knowing a little about the location of purchase and country of registration.

I get the point of going to open posting sites for information as well. I also take those with caution. It isn't too hard for a few motivated individuals to grab and repost over and over.
The information from Livingstons was actually a good cautionary measure to prevent damage. There were some injectors not up to the task. A quick check could prevent major problems.

It is a little difficult to determine what happened. Something let loose and parts started to disappear. Not much advice to give. There isn't much left of the motor to reuse.

I am in Canada, near Sault St Marie and have the earliest appointment I could get to bring the sled in next Wednesday at Rivercity Sports. Sled was originally purchased in Oct 2019, 3 hours away in Sudbury ASMstores in Sturgeon Falls.

 

[William Stern Jr.]

I am in Canada, near Sault St Marie and have the earliest appointment I could get to bring the sled in next Wednesday at Rivercity Sports. Sled was originally purchased in Oct 2019, 3 hours away in Sudbury ASMstores in Sturgeon Falls.

Keep us informed as to why and what let loose in your engine. I have never seen one grenade like that! Feel bad for your down time, good luck dude!

 

[ponycarfan]

Just to be clear, this could be an injector issue, but it's not the 2021 injector issue (which, according to the internet, is due to a small batch of injectors for 2021 engines), nor is it the 2021 fuel mapping issue. More than likely, this is a more universal problem that would be common to both 2020 and 2021 - something we can learn from to increase the longevity of our engines.

 

[classo]

Someone who had an injector problem mentioned to me that it sounded like my injector stayed open flooding the cylinder causing it to run on one and then suddenly ignited with too much fuel turning it into a grenade... as mentioned above it seemed to begin to run on one cylinder and when I tried to press on the throttle to make it up a small hill on the trail... it clunked a bit and then it blew stopping dead... spewing oil and coolant and steam from the engine. Under the plastics the engine case had turned into a grenade blowing pieces of metal everywhere. The next day I pulled the plugs and it appeared that one of the plugs looks like it was hit by the piston and closed the gap.

I hope this helps others... as I am so disappointed to have this happen so quickly to my first sled especially without warranty and when we finally get some decent snow... I really hope AC will do something as they have to know about this problem as I am reading it everywhere I post from many others...

 

[favoritos]

I wouldn't get too caught up in the plug gap issue. When the rod fails, the piston is free to fly.
I agree that it would be nice to know why the engine let loose. But, it is hard to tell much of the time unless you can find a culprit in the debris. If the fix is covered under warranty, the parts are generally returned. I'm not sure how much investigation is done to look at the cause.

 

[classo]

The warranty has expired... and AC Customer Care told me that they will not even talk to me until the sled is at a dealer and the dealer has torn it down to provide a diagnosis of what caused it... I feel I am going to get screwed paying a lot of money over and above of a practically new machine... I thought I was getting a good deal and now I think t is going to cost me 5k over what it would of costed me to originally buy from dealer with warranty... ;( I hope I am wrong and AC steps up as this should not happen to any sled with only 600 kms.

 

[favoritos]

I get that with your warranty. It was stated in your first post.
Maybe the wording is confusing in my last post. Warranty is a specific term that defines the time period in a contract. Once you are outside of the contract it is left up to a discretionary decision. I was trying to clarify the process within the warranty period.

I do understand the frustration. Like I said, I've been there. If anyone tells you it is fun, I would question their sanity.
Your options are somewhat limited, but you do have options. It looks like the dealer is being involved to help, so a good dealer is important. Work with the dealer and remember that they are your potential ally.

 

[NuclearRiot]

I get that with your warranty. It was stated in your first post.
Maybe the wording is confusing in my last post. Warranty is a specific term that defines the time period in a contract. Once you are outside of the contract it is left up to a discretionary decision. I was trying to clarify the process within the warranty period.

I do understand the frustration. Like I said, I've been there. If anyone tells you it is fun, I would question their sanity.
Your options are somewhat limited, but you do have options. It looks like the dealer is being involved to help, so a good dealer is important. Work with the dealer and remember that they are your potential ally.

Just got my 2021 Riot X back. Blown motor. Sounds familiar. First ride anti knock code flashing, dealer said bad gas. Next ride towed it home. 106 miles on it. Fortunately under warranty. I'm in upstate ny. Dealer said it would have been about 3600 out of pocket if the warranty had expired. Not sure if it will happen but he is trying to get the Cat warranty rep do warranty it thru next April. I love the sled but it doesn't instill much confidence when you head out for a ride. Wish Cat had a longer warranty period like the other brands. Dealer said next year it is a 2 year warranty. I feel your pain. Hope Cat does right by you and everyone else. They did put sleds out for production knowing there could be problems.

 

[classo]

Sorry to hear... I can't believe how many I have heard of now as I posted in a couple groups on Facebook too... 705 Snowmobiles and Arctic Cat Riot Riders... AC definitely knows they have major problems with this engine and should be doing a recall or something... I hope they fix mine out of good will... If we would of had the plastics off someone may have been really injured... as it as like a grenade going off inside... I know what you mean about instilling confidence... I just moved to Sault St Marie area and have been riding by myself because I do not know anyone... luckily had two friends come for a visit this past weekend when it happened or I would have been really screwed... not sure if I can ever trust the Riot to go out by myself again...

 

[bpop]

I have a 2021 ZR8000 RR, just under 200 miles the piston hit the plug just like yours and trashed the motor. My dealer put a new motor in (still under warranty) just in time for my yearly Upper Peninsula trip. Just over 200 mile during our first day, same thing, same side (right side). I took it to a dealer there and was told that they had 2021 5 Riots and 1 ZR in line waiting on new motors. He said that the issue is that between 4K and 6K RPMs they are running to lean to meet EPA standards, if you hold it there for to long the motor lets go! If you are always in the throttle and don't just cruse there no problem. It sounded logical to me because I was running a a constant speed both times, not sure what RPMs I was running.

 

[JoeZert]

I cruise in that RPM range a lot with my current sled. That is right in the twisty trail zone.... wow.

Sorry to hear about your sled, I hope cat takes care of all riot owners with these problems.

 

[ponycarfan]

This is an engine problem, not a Riot problem. Pistons hitting a spark plug wouldn't happen unless the engine was already self destructing. It's way down in the middle of the chain of events.

I've been watching my EGT and was finally able to find a stretch of trail that allowed me to read the tiny number and go fast at the same time. To this day, I have not gotten a straight answer from anyone about what temperature range I should expect, using the stock probe location on the pipe and stock gauge (which seems laggy, but maybe I'm just impatient). I'm also not sure why no one else is comparing numbers - everyone is just running around trying to find out the build date on their sled, not understanding that the engine build date is probably more important (if it's even relevant and we don't know).

So, with that little frustration out of the way, this is what I'm seeing:

At about 3800-4200 rpms, my 800 gets really cranky. Some describe it a "stutter", but I don't know what it is. It just doesn't like that rpm at all and won't hold it. The throttle gets really touchy. EGT is low, like 600F.

Between 4000-6000 rpms, the temps rise gradually from there, and by the time I get above 6000 I'm seeing 1100F. As rpms rise, and the little number starts getting harder to see, I think it seems to hold 1153 all the way up to 7500rpm or so.

My engine hasn't turned into Cheese Wiz yet, so I would say 1150 is a "safe" number - that's about what I would expect, just based on previous experience with older carbed 2-strokes. Am I on the right track? Does anyone know what a "dangerous" number would be?

I was going to buy a few accessories for my Riot this summer, but now I'm thinking that if Cat doesn't contact me with a recall and my warranty expires in December, I may call Speedwerx and spend some money on a flash and clutching to see if I can smooth out the midrange.

 

[NuclearRiot]

Love my Riot X and hate the thought of giving it up. That being said one must be practical as well as economical. For the average buyer a 15000 dollar sled is a major purchase that is expected to be reliable, especially with only a one year warranty. A buyer should not have to go the aftermarket route to have their sled run correctly and reliably. That is Cat's responsibility. They choose to lean out the engines to make an emissions quota. Now they have to live with that decision and do right by all of us, especially if they expect brand loyalty. Think doing the right thing would also be cheaper than a class action law suit