chain case oil change

[Jafo1970]

After running 12,000 miles since 2012 on this design and working on a few other chaincases. Please pull the cover and clean it the first time at least. It's a band aid just sucking the fluid out. The speedo magnets are caked with shavings you can't get out unless wiping clean. The upper reverse shift indicator gets caked up and can cause shifting problems from reverse and jump out of gear. The upper gear has a bushing in it that lasts about 3000 miles, anymore and it wobbles and can cause it jump out of gear giving you a neutral, along with stripped inner teeth on the meshing reverse gear. It's good practice to lube that bushing with some sticky moly grease when having the cover off. The bushing can be replaced cheap. There are better quality bushings also. Cat sells the whole top gear and bushing for around $25 if you need to just get a new bushing, just order one from a 2012 turbo cat. Remove it and install in these newer harder gears. The top hyvo gear I run has lube holes manufactured in. Proper clearance is crucial too. I always run more than recommended oil in my case up to the half way point on the sight glass instead of the 1/4 factory fill line. If you fill it near the 3/4 way up or more it gets blown out the vent tube so half is good. I've been running strickly synthetic dexron tranny fluid in my chaincases and the top bushing seems to last longer and less sludge. Also replace the one torx's bolt on the chaincase on the muffler side down by the lower oil hose with a regular 6 point metric bolt. That one sucks to get out with a torx bit.

 

[sx7001]

Yamaha recommends at least half way up the window. 355ml which put mine just over half. 3k miles on mine and everything looks mint in mine and that was its first oil change.

 

[Motorhead]

I don't find taking the cover off and cleaning out the case any more difficult than it was on my 1200. Just remove the cover slowly and look carefully to see how everything goes back together. Sometimes guys get too excited and pull the cover quickly and things like washers and such end up falling and then your scrambling to find out where it goes. Take some pics so you can reference them if needed.

I have to agree with you XP123. When I did my track change out, your advice with all was spot on and not that bad at all!

 

[cannondale27]

After running 12,000 miles since 2012 on this design and working on a few other chaincases. Please pull the cover and clean it the first time at least. It's a band aid just sucking the fluid out. The speedo magnets are caked with shavings you can't get out unless wiping clean. The upper reverse shift indicator gets caked up and can cause shifting problems from reverse and jump out of gear. The upper gear has a bushing in it that lasts about 3000 miles, anymore and it wobbles and can cause it jump out of gear giving you a neutral, along with stripped inner teeth on the meshing reverse gear. It's good practice to lube that bushing with some sticky moly grease when having the cover off. The bushing can be replaced cheap. There are better quality bushings also. Cat sells the whole top gear and bushing for around $25 if you need to just get a new bushing, just order one from a 2012 turbo cat. Remove it and install in these newer harder gears. The top hyvo gear I run has lube holes manufactured in. Proper clearance is crucial too. I always run more than recommended oil in my case up to the half way point on the sight glass instead of the 1/4 factory fill line. If you fill it near the 3/4 way up or more it gets blown out the vent tube so half is good. I've been running strickly synthetic dexron tranny fluid in my chaincases and the top bushing seems to last longer and less sludge. Also replace the one torx's bolt on the chaincase on the muffler side down by the lower oil hose with a regular 6 point metric bolt. That one sucks to get out with a torx bit.

I agree with you but new owner,new sled and 500mi pulling the chaincase apart invites more issues than its worth. Those of us that have had them apart many times its easy but for a first timer a lot can go wrong and its very intimidating. That's why I advised just evac for first service and total at end of season and all others after. 500mi a guy is just getting a taste and season is probably in full swing. Its time to ride at that point. For those that really do it right and dig in treat that cover and tank like your Grandmas finest piece of China plates.

 

[Motorhead]

I agree with you but new owner,new sled and 500mi pulling the chaincase apart invites more issues than its worth. Those of us that have had them apart many times its easy but for a first timer a lot can go wrong and its very intimidating. That's why I advised just evac for first service and total at end of season and all others after. 500mi a guy is just getting a taste and season is probably in full swing. Its time to ride at that point. For those that really do it right and dig in treat that cover and tank like your Grandmas finest piece of China plates.

I did notice how flimsy the cover is when compared to other Yamaha models. Would be very easy to bend or damage cover when putting it back on and tightening the bolts. Not Yamaha of old Like, more Cat like I guess, lighter not stronger.

 

[Jafo1970]

Yamaha recommends at least half way up the window. 355ml which put mine just over half. 3k miles on mine and everything looks mint in mine and that was its first oil change.

That's good that they recommend it but they don't come from the factory that way unless they changed for 2018. 2012s to 2017s came 1/4 or maybe 1/3 the way up. And the bottle of chaincase fluid they sell/recommend at the dealer for changing the chaincase lube only brings it up to a 1/4 on site glass unless they changed that for this year also.

 

[Sevey]

I gather cleaning and re-loctiting all the chaincase bolts is a must?
MS

 

[Sevey]

Another question - has anyone swapped out all the torx bolts for normal hex head metric?
MS

 

[FrozenTows4]

I gather cleaning and re-loctiting all the chaincase bolts is a must?
MS

Absolutely. And please be sure to use a torque wrench. Gradually tighten all fasteners, little by little by hand, until the 2 halves meet. Then proceed to gradually bring it up to spec cross tightening from the middle out. Same as installing a cylinder head.
In my opinion, 144 Inch Pounds is a little stout. The case is magnesium so 96 Inch Pounds should get us to where we need to go when using LocTite Blue.
We're not compressing a gasket. The 2 halves butt up metal to metal. The pseudo o-ring creates it's own seal tension.
The new "W" shaped brown seal is a better design. For $10.00, I'll use a New seal every time.

Replace the torx with hex heads?
I like the way the torx heads hang on the end of a driver. Makes it easier, for me, to start the threads to engage.

 

[GlennM]

Absolutely. And please be sure to use a torque wrench. Gradually tighten all fasteners, little by little by hand, until the 2 halves meet. Then proceed to gradually bring it up to spec cross tightening from the middle out. Same as installing a cylinder head.
In my opinion, 144 Inch Pounds is a little stout. The case is magnesium so 96 Inch Pounds should get us to where we need to go when using LocTite Blue.
We're not compressing a gasket. The 2 halves butt up metal to metal. The pseudo o-ring creates it's own seal tension.
The new "W" shaped brown seal is a better design. For $10.00, I'll use a New seal every time.

"Inch pounds" ? First time I hear that !

 

[sx7001]

Page 124 of the 2017 service manual states to "fill the chain case with 355ml (12oz)" of lube. My 17 RTX was at half the site glass when the dealer dropped it off. The dealer here told me to buy 2 bottles to get 355ml.

That's good that they recommend it but they don't come from the factory that way unless they changed for 2018. 2012s to 2017s came 1/4 or maybe 1/3 the way up. And the bottle of chaincase fluid they sell/recommend at the dealer for changing the chaincase lube only brings it up to a 1/4 on site glass unless they changed that for this year also.

 

[sx7001]

And page 17 of the operator's manual states " The correct level is when the lubricant is at least halfway up the site glass". To me "at least" is saying it can go higher in the site glass.

Page 124 of the 2017 service manual states to "fill the chain case with 355ml (12oz)" of lube. My 17 RTX was at half the site glass when the dealer dropped it off. The dealer here told me to buy 2 bottles to get 355ml.

 

[Jafo1970]

And page 17 of the operator's manual states " The correct level is when the lubricant is at least halfway up the site glass". To me "at least" is saying it can go higher in the site glass.

Half is good. You'll know when it's too high as it spits out the breather tube slowly. I got it a little over 3/4 and it did. My 17 RTX came at the 1/4 level, my cats also were at 1/4, the few others I've worked on were at 1/4 so maybe your dealer tops it off or it's a hit or miss thing.

 

[DranttelSS]

Half is good. You'll know when it's too high as it spits out the breather tube slowly. I got it a little over 3/4 and it did. My 17 RTX came at the 1/4 level, my cats also were at 1/4, the few others I've worked on were at 1/4 so maybe your dealer tops it off or it's a hit or miss thing.

All the ones we've ever taken out of the crate need to be topped off to bring them to ~1/2 way up the window. Part of PDI