2016 chain case leak

[09nytro]

Boy I am up I Quebec. I to limp out of of Bush an hour and a half from our truck and trailer. Ran my chain case oil out of my sled. I melted the tensioner and who knows what else. 200 miles on a 2016 ltx le. It was already in once to the dealer to fix thi problem. Called my dealer screaming at him. Drove 12 hours for a very short ride. Keep am eye on your fluid level. I think this is going to be a very big problem

Trail riding or boondocking ?
Maybe you hit something on that side , doesn't take much to mess up the case and oil will leak out .. Had a couple come though the shop that hit a rock and case was smashed in just a little bit ... Highly recommended the Yamaha/Cat skid plate to protect the brake and chain case ... But keep us posted on what they find I am very curious To hear ....

 

[yamahauler2010]

I feel for ya Man. Brand new $16,000.00+ machine and a ruined trip. Bummer. Certainly not what you expected. The somewhat concerning part about the whole thing is nobody seems to really know what the issue is. My dealer really didn't find anything on the handful of machines that he's already had in for this issue. The only thing he can think is that the cover was improperly torqued from factory. I don't know but if the seal is that hokey that a slight difference in how you install the cover is the difference between a leak or not, then I'm of the opinion that something here is poorly designed. Like everyone else I spent a lot of money on this new machine and if this problem rears its ugly head again then I'm not going to be very happy. Trail side chaincase fluid addition isn't exactly a convenient routine. We all know what is involved just to top up fluid. Wish Yamaha would have added a fill cap and drain bolt in these damn things. Now, when we change out chaincase fluid each season and have to crack the cover from the case are we going to have a trial and error routine of seeing if we have a leak or not? Once a chaincase cover is installed it should never have to be removed unless you are doing some serious repairs/upgrades or maintenance. This is just one of the serviceability issues on this machine that doesn't impress me. I bought a Yamaha branded sled for QDR (Quality, Durability, Reliability). My old Nytro never left me stranded and I expect the same in light of the fact that I keep my machines well maintained. Good luck to everyone. I'll be seeing how the brand new 2016 Skippies and Pollocks in my ride group hold up. Who knows, this may be my last Yamaha/Artic Cat hybrid cross-dresser machine.

 

[olie72]

Well my dealer just got back to me. I guess there was a little bit of oil left over in the chain case so I didn't do any damage to it. He said the chain was loose, I can't figure out why the chain would be that loose in 260 miles. Anyways not an easy job to do when you are on the side of a trail. Also they don't really have a fix for the leaking fluid. I am just going to have to keep adding fluid it to it. Until Yamaha has a fix for it. Unbelievable

 

[DranttelSS]

Well my dealer just got back to me. I guess there was a little bit of oil left over in the chain case so I didn't do any damage to it. He said the chain was loose, I can't figure out why the chain would be that loose in 260 miles. Anyways not an easy job to do when you are on the side of a trail. Also they don't really have a fix for the leaking fluid. I am just going to have to keep adding fluid it to it. Until Yamaha has a fix for it. Unbelievable

On a new sled I recommend chain tension be checked at 100, 300, and 500 miles, and seasonal after that. They stretch the most when their new.

 

[w8tn4snow]

Noticed mine leaking as well , so last week i had planned a trip to Old Forge NY so I stopped into Big Moose Yamaha/Cat dealer . Swiped my hand under about 8 or so new sleds on the floor and found 6 leakers with 0 miles on them . So I preceded to the service dept and asked a tech about my leak. He said he hasnt heard of any leaks on these sleds . So i told him how many he has on the floor that were leaking just out of the few I cheecked , Cats as well mind you . He walked out andhe checked them and was extremely shocked . He told me he was going to get ahold of Yamaha and see what they had to say cuz now its his problem too ..so a few dayslater he says the Yamaha rep has been getting alot of calls about this and he looked into it . His only explanation was the rear case was machined too deep for the botton bolt holes and penetrated the oil galley of the case and causing oil to seep past the bolt threads. He recommended pipe dope on the bolt or even a brass washer on the lower bolt towards the front of the machine . Long story short Im going to try the washer and see what happens .

 

[Hammer70]

Noticed mine leaking as well , so last week i had planned a trip to Old Forge NY so I stopped into Big Moose Yamaha/Cat dealer . Swiped my hand under about 8 or so new sleds on the floor and found 6 leakers with 0 miles on them . So I preceded to the service dept and asked a tech about my leak. He said he hasnt heard of any leaks on these sleds . So i told him how many he has on the floor that were leaking just out of the few I cheecked , Cats as well mind you . He walked out andhe checked them and was extremely shocked . He told me he was going to get ahold of Yamaha and see what they had to say cuz now its his problem too ..so a few dayslater he says the Yamaha rep has been getting alot of calls about this and he looked into it . His only explanation was the rear case was machined too deep for the botton bolt holes and penetrated the oil galley of the case and causing oil to seep past the bolt threads. He recommended pipe dope on the bolt or even a brass washer on the lower bolt towards the front of the machine . Long story short Im going to try the washer and see what happens .

And what was your results just curious I think mine is leaking to after getting out of storage noticed never did at all before and always kept my eye on it

 

[tnc110]

Noticed mine leaking as well , so last week i had planned a trip to Old Forge NY so I stopped into Big Moose Yamaha/Cat dealer . Swiped my hand under about 8 or so new sleds on the floor and found 6 leakers with 0 miles on them . So I preceded to the service dept and asked a tech about my leak. He said he hasnt heard of any leaks on these sleds . So i told him how many he has on the floor that were leaking just out of the few I cheecked , Cats as well mind you . He walked out andhe checked them and was extremely shocked . He told me he was going to get ahold of Yamaha and see what they had to say cuz now its his problem too ..so a few dayslater he says the Yamaha rep has been getting alot of calls about this and he looked into it . His only explanation was the rear case was machined too deep for the botton bolt holes and penetrated the oil galley of the case and causing oil to seep past the bolt threads. He recommended pipe dope on the bolt or even a brass washer on the lower bolt towards the front of the machine . Long story short Im going to try the washer and see what happens .

I too would like to know. mine and brothers are both leaking with less than 300 miles.

 

[w8tn4snow]

I ended up taking it in to another dealer later on to be inspected after I heard they were replacing some covers in certain cases. The dealer kept my machine for a few days and did a thorough cleaning of the area and parked it on cardboard for a night and the darn thing wouldn't leak . I at least got them to note the problem in the system so if after the warranty expired they would cover it if the problem came back up. They told me they think it was run off from the initial fill up. I should note they did also remove the lower case bolt to inspect for the hole being machined too far. I suspect they may have put some pipe dope on the bolt when reinstalling it and that may have cured it. Something to look for I guess.

 

[tnc110]

My lowest forward bolt was removed for 2 weeks while I waited on the new bolts to arrive. It didn't leave a puddle, so I guess it is not leaking from an over machined hole. I might remove the others to confirm they are OK as well.

 

[sk-rx1]

Very common problem at my dealership, including my 2016LE.

 

[rxwhopper]

mine was in twice for a leak but it is a 2014

 

[Joe ltx-le]

Kitty kitty. I defiantly was much more confident in my apex drive line.

 

[Rodney]

My 15 is at the dealer right now for my leak they said it is the chain case seal its uneven in one spot. it should be home Friday!!!

 

[cannondale27]

Wow I have had mine apart 4 times. No leaks ever. I do put some Diaelectric grease on it and am so careful treating it like a piece of my Late Grandmas China. Bought a updated setup 2 years ago and never have felt need to change it. This is one place a impact driver is NOT used. Torque in stages and have cover all the way seated by hand before doing it. Honestly have never used torquespec just clean and Loctite tightened with my trust Snap On hand bit driver. Have a good feel for it and has about a 2" dia handle. Thats it.

 

[yamamarc]

I never had any leaks either(knock on wood!!!lol) I had both the cover off a few times on both sleds! When putting back together I am very easy with the cover when reinstalling like Cannondale stated! Clean bolts with wire brush and blow out holes with compressor!!! Both our sled have the original covers with the thinner tabs!