ApexerER
Expert
I had a stud rip out of my track and take out the front (bulk head) heat exchanger. After looking over my track I decided after 6000 miles it is time for a new one. Can someone please tell me the size so I make sure I order the right one. I believe it is a standard 121 but I just want to make sure. The front heat exchager looks like a nightmare to change. Does the motor have to come out? Anyone done this?
Thank you
Thank you
jgustman
Expert
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2005
- Messages
- 202
- Age
- 50
- Location
- Cottonwood, MN
- Country
- USA
- Snowmobile
- '10 Nytro RTX
- LOCATION
- Cottonwood, MN
Your track is a standard 15" x 121" with 2.52 pitch window openings. Stock ripsaw was 1 1/4" "not actually" more like 1 1/8" ken's sports or Tracks USA has the best deals on new tracks from what I've seen. If I were to do it again, I wouldn't buy a ripsaw unless I did only groomed trails, they don't float or grab in the soft stuff. I have a cobra on my Viper S, and love it, or many go with the predator which is now called Carve for good traction and top speed.
On to the heat exchanger...
I see you may be able to just have someone braze/weld the hole and just remove the track if you are lucky, or remove the drive axle/chaincase. Go that route if you can. I just finished replacing mine after barely catching a culvert. Yamaha has a poor design for protecting it from a hard hit. Some have ripped the oil pan open where the molding strikes hang down off the oil pan...I caught the tip of one of them and chipped it off. It took out the rear of the belly pan plate and smashed the exchager into the left side track lugs over the track windows and tore off all the lug tips where the protector is on the exchanger. Replacing it requires removing the susupension, track, chaincase, coolant, and drilling out around 50 rivets and a long cross bolt. I see you didn't hurt your belly pan, but you will probably still have to remove it to get to the hoses and clamps on the front of the heat exchanger... Time consuming..., yes,... hard, not if you are mechinically inclined and have a air rivet gun to put in new steel rivets. I ordered 6 OEM big black ones that go through the plastic at the front of the belly pan. I lucked out and had about 100 3/16 multi-grip rivets that have a grip range of 1/4-1/2 inch. I used steel rivet washers on the rivets in some areas where the total thickness was not quite 1/4 inch. I searched for installation/pics but didn't find any. Definitely make sure what order and direction the gears and spacers go when removing and installing the chaincase... Refer to the apex repair manual in the Sticky section for directions on removal/install and coolant bleeding when refilling the coolant. I did some reading and one person stated his dealer wanted 13 hours in labor alone to do the job....What's labor $80/hr??? get some friends to help, buy a good used heat exhanger for around $180, don't bust the chancase tension adjuster post like I did... You have to heat up that top drive sprocket nut real hot due to the loc-tite and put a crescent wrench on the drive shaft with the brake rotor key in the shaft to keep it from turning. I wedged the crescent wrench against the oil container and used a second crescent to take the nut off...need a fairly big crescent...Hope this helps 
On to the heat exchanger...
I see you may be able to just have someone braze/weld the hole and just remove the track if you are lucky, or remove the drive axle/chaincase. Go that route if you can. I just finished replacing mine after barely catching a culvert. Yamaha has a poor design for protecting it from a hard hit. Some have ripped the oil pan open where the molding strikes hang down off the oil pan...I caught the tip of one of them and chipped it off. It took out the rear of the belly pan plate and smashed the exchager into the left side track lugs over the track windows and tore off all the lug tips where the protector is on the exchanger. Replacing it requires removing the susupension, track, chaincase, coolant, and drilling out around 50 rivets and a long cross bolt. I see you didn't hurt your belly pan, but you will probably still have to remove it to get to the hoses and clamps on the front of the heat exchanger... Time consuming..., yes,... hard, not if you are mechinically inclined and have a air rivet gun to put in new steel rivets. I ordered 6 OEM big black ones that go through the plastic at the front of the belly pan. I lucked out and had about 100 3/16 multi-grip rivets that have a grip range of 1/4-1/2 inch. I used steel rivet washers on the rivets in some areas where the total thickness was not quite 1/4 inch. I searched for installation/pics but didn't find any. Definitely make sure what order and direction the gears and spacers go when removing and installing the chaincase... Refer to the apex repair manual in the Sticky section for directions on removal/install and coolant bleeding when refilling the coolant. I did some reading and one person stated his dealer wanted 13 hours in labor alone to do the job....What's labor $80/hr??? get some friends to help, buy a good used heat exhanger for around $180, don't bust the chancase tension adjuster post like I did... You have to heat up that top drive sprocket nut real hot due to the loc-tite and put a crescent wrench on the drive shaft with the brake rotor key in the shaft to keep it from turning. I wedged the crescent wrench against the oil container and used a second crescent to take the nut off...need a fairly big crescent...Hope this helps 
RTX
TY 4 Stroke God
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2005
- Messages
- 1,796
- Location
- massachusetts / maine
- Country
- USA
- Snowmobile
- 2014 viper rtx
2006 apex rtx
just posted this in another thread.
i patched mine 2 different times from 2 different stud punctures with jb weld.
drain all the antifreeze. wire wheel the area till is looks good and clean. if the damage is bad you can use a grinder bit to remove some of the the alum fins for easier access and easier application of the epoxy once thats done spray down the area with brake cleaner. allow to dry thoroughly. use jb quick weld to patch area. it dries in about 15 minutes. i would suggest applying a few layers. i did 3 on both my stud punctures. should be ready for antifreeze a few hours later. you should be able to do this with the track and skid in the sled.
i used an air grinder with a 12 inch extension arbor but im sure a drill would work fine
i patched mine 2 different times from 2 different stud punctures with jb weld.
drain all the antifreeze. wire wheel the area till is looks good and clean. if the damage is bad you can use a grinder bit to remove some of the the alum fins for easier access and easier application of the epoxy once thats done spray down the area with brake cleaner. allow to dry thoroughly. use jb quick weld to patch area. it dries in about 15 minutes. i would suggest applying a few layers. i did 3 on both my stud punctures. should be ready for antifreeze a few hours later. you should be able to do this with the track and skid in the sled.
i used an air grinder with a 12 inch extension arbor but im sure a drill would work fine
