any problems with the 2003 rx1 mountains?

[Vector88]

hey

just wondering if these sleds are real reliable or do they had alot of problems? anyone ever have anything go wrong with the motor in these sleds? let me know

thanks

 

[Frostbite]

2003 RX-1s and RX-1 Mountains were Yamaha's very first shot at stuffing a high performance four stroke engine into a snowmobile. Yes the introducion was earthshatering at the time (everyone wanted a 800 SRX)and the naysayers were in full opposition to anything four stroke, especially in the mountains where weight (or lack thereof) was king.

Yamaha sold a bunch of 2003 RX-1s (Mountains included but to a lesser degree) the short tracks proved they could survive and win on the lakes of the midwest when properly setup but the mountain sleds had difficulties trying to be like every other mountain sled. First of all they suffered from a 100 lb engine stuffed into the frame. They tended to roll heavily in the corners, they wanted to take their owner to the bottom of the mountain when side hilling and the carbs ran out of fuel while climbing.

A fair amount of RX-1 Mountain owners gave into the ribbing of their two stroke pals and sold their sleds after the first year and the used value went right into the toilet (for a while). Some of us (me included) pressed on because we were either to stuborn to be told we made a bad choice, were too broke to buy another sled so soon or some just knew that with the proper setup these sleds could rock.

Frankly, when I boil it all down I think the thing that saved the four stoke mountain sled from the ash bin of snowmobile history was the turbo. A select few of the early pioneers modified turbos from their car or motorcycle applications and made them work well enough to embarass their two stroke buddies. The word of these sleds spread like wildfire and they ended up in the snowmobile videos and a new industry was born. Suddenly everyone wanted a clean used RX-1 to turbo and embarass their buddies.

Yes, these sleds do work well in the mountains without a turbo if setup properly (see posts by a guy named Nachess). The fourstroke engine is amazing. The low end torque, the gas and go capapability with 87 octane and no two stroke cologne on your clothes is worth a lot. You will need your clutching done right but there are a lot of different clutching recipes that work just fine. Some skis other than the stockers would be a great benefit as well. You can take the mods as far as you would like but at the end of the day you'll have an extreme high performance Yamaha R-1 Motorcycle engine with very low miles that will last as long as you care to ride it with nothing more than an annual oil change required.

I have several friends who listened to their two stroke buddies and bought two strokes and now are asking me to help them setup the used RX-1 Mountains they intend to buy. Go figure. These sleds are addicting.

Best of luck

Frosty

 

[culvert]

The man to look for is Kachess. He has come out with some super mods to help the mtns sleds get up the hills.

 

[Frostbite]

Kachess it is! I must have been hungry for nachos or something?

Oh well, he still has some great ideas.

Frosty

 

[Longrider]

Problems, what a under statment. After my first trip to the mountains with the 03RXmnt, and being the only four stoke on the trip, well I had a few less friends, I was pissed at Yamaha and I just about had to see a shrink. Good thing I'm a stuborn basterd and loved the four stroke engine. All that aside I guess the two most important things you should ask about your 03'RXmnt purchase is --have the carb bowels been updated. With out this up date you will find that the engine will quit on steep down hill or up hill and on hard landings. Also have the spark plug coils been replaced with the updated coils. Without this update the coils will ark out on the cylinder head valve covers causing a loss of power. This item was a real cuase of imbaresment becuase I was laughing at my rotax budys having to do there rings after very few miles. Then I had to do my coils at just about the same cost as they were spending on rings. Ouch! Another thing was having to run the track so fiddle string tight. What a power to the ground robbing feature. A set of extrovert drivers fixed that problem. O and the skis. They wern,t even worthy to put under the old traper sled. So you will need some after market skis too. SLPs are a good choice there. Going to a 159' track helped a lot. Would love to have a turbo, but they are a lot of money and well, quite frankly, what good is to go straight up but have to fight the machine to get to the hill. The list goes on and there are many people here who can give good advice on the ways to make the 03RX1mnt a better machine. I got to go now my head is starting to hurt with all the old memories flooding back.

 

[Frostbite]

Longrider, yes you sure have brought back some bad memories for me as well.

Like I said earlier, it's all about the motor! If this sled had come with a 140 hp two stroke motor I'm quite certain I wouldn't have stuck it out and perserviered through all the problems.

Yup, an 04 or 05 model would have most of the 03 headaches taken care of. I know the 05's (maybe the 04's too) had the magnesium chain case cover and head as well to save some weight. They also had stiffer sway bars and the updated coils.

Frosty

 

[Vector88]

where can i get these updates at? i need the updated coils and the updated carb bowls. i have never heard of a 2003 rx1 having these problmes. would they always act this wayif they are not updated?

thanks

 

[Longrider]

YUP

 

[RX-Eskimo]

For some reason, I never really had that much of a problem, but I have not yet tried to climb anything over 2000 feet since I moved back up the Island to Pond Inlet. I used to climb some steep hills further south, but that is all they were.
Other people had some issues with the coils, but these were 2004 short tracks...I guess I just had one that did not have any teething problems...I have added several features that Kachess recommended, although I have not put it all back together as my situation went from fine to dire in July. I am now back to work and ready to put my RX-1 ton back together. Since I use mine mainly for hunting, I have had to put in the extra heat exchanger...but this year I will be able to get the new model of Apex, perhaps this spring....Speaking of El Nina, way up here, we just got dumped with two feet of snow...perfect for the old boy. Can't wait to get mine fired up probably when the sea ice forms. They are addictive as other people have said, if you set them up for your weight and usage.

 

[BlgsRX-1mtn]

Before you go and buy new coils (I never saw a tech bulletin for a freebie) clean the inside really good on each one and check the metal top of your spark plugs for a groove caused by the coils rubbing on them. If the plugs are tops have this groove; replace theplugs and use a di-electric grease to prevent corrosion and dust build up inside the coil. The wear groove on the plugs was the reason for the updated coils on the '04+ models (not the arcing). The arcing from the coils to the heads is due to the black dust and corrosion. I still have my original coils and have never had the arcing problem.

If you a mechanically inclined; check to see if you have the updated bowls if you didn't buy the sled new in '02/'03. The originals have low spot in the center with a tube going to the side. The updated ones have a low part in the center with square part running to the rear of the carb. Here's a link to the post from way back with a picture of the two. The old one is in the guy's hand and the updated are on the carbs. www.ty4stroke.com/viewtopic.php?t=19556 ... float+bowl

Jim

 

[rx1mtn]

Don't forget about the recall for the tunnel bracket supports. Also it HAS to have a rear heat exchanger/cooler, otherwise it will over heat on the trails.
I still like my 03 Mtn very much, I've changed it to more of a trail sled with the 1 1/4" track, but it still works in the mountains very good.
In deep powder though, I still think it is a pig.

 

[BlgsRX-1mtn]

Don't forget about the recall for the tunnel bracket supports. Also it HAS to have a rear heat exchanger/cooler, otherwise it will over heat on the trails.
I still like my 03 Mtn very much, I've changed it to more of a trail sled with the 1 1/4" track, but it still works in the mountains very good.
In deep powder though, I still think it is a pig.

What tunnel bracket recall are you talking about? I have all updates done to my '03 and never got a different tunnel bracket. I did get a rivet removed from the tunnel that could cause the seat to tear which was replaced by rivets put lower in the tunnel.

As for the rear exchanger. I have never seen the high temp light on my '03 come on even with two seasons of running boost. I do however ride with scratchers to keep the engine/hyfax cool.

Before the scratchers my hyfax were cooking well before the engine ever got hot enough to bring on the light which caused me to hunt for powder to cool the hyfax/engine.

Since the SC install, I have run a multi function gauge with a water temp indication, SC oil temp, voltage RPMs, and time. Even on long blasts down the trail at 3/4 to WFO throttle usage; my temp has never climbed above 165" with a 162" x 2" Camoplast Challenger track as long as the scratchers are down. My hyfax in going on it's third season now also with all wheel removed along the length of the rails.

Jim

 

[rx1mtn]

The early 03 Mountains had to have the bracket and rivets replaced. The bracket is the 1 that holds the idler wheels and shaft. I was told by my dealer the bracket could bend an fail.
Before I put the cooler on, it would overheat and if I didn't catch it time, all of the coolant would boil out. I also run ice scraters by Mountain Performance, but they ware out real fast. I ran my 1st 1000 miles here in MI. and didn't have a problem. With in the 1st 20 miles in Yellowstone I left a he!! of a mess just east of Old Faithfull.