NB-NYTRO
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
I changed my chain case oil on my GT, 8.5oz come out.. so I put 8.5oz back in. The guy I bought it from had no problems. So thats good enough for me. 
RDPOWER
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i just checked the chain case oil on my 07 apex gt with 0 miles on it - it was filled to the standard mark not the rev. mark like the manual states - i thought the dealer over filled it - so i then checked my girlfriends vector gt with 0 miles that we bought from a differant dealer - that to was filled to the std mark (both over filled according to the manual) but that is what the factory put in so that is what i'll run
LazyBastard
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ReX said:
In that case, MORE is BETTER. More fluid = more heat transfer = more heat dissipation = lower overall temperature.
ReX
TY 4 Stroke God
LazyBastard said:
Not true. At high speeds with the correct oil level, virtually all of the oil is flung to the perimeter of the chaincase. As it drains down to the bottom and the "depth" increases, the chain immediately picks it up (transferring heat from the chain) and throws it up against the sides of the case again (transferring heat to the case). The oil also splashes off the sides and fully penetrates the chain with a sort of oil mist which cools and lubricates the chain before being flung off again. Keep in mind these chains are really moving fast when a sled is going 110 mph - on the order of 100 linear feet per second.
The more oil, the more that gets pumped around and the more heat that is generated within the oil. If there's enough oil that the oil can't get away from the chain, the oil will very quickly overheat at high speeds.
I took an advanced machine design course at university and one of the things we studied (briefly) was lubrication of chain drive systems (types like oil bath, oil spray, etc. and design parameters). Depending on a number of factors there were different optimal oil levels if an oil bath was used (chain speed, clearance between chain and chaincase, viscosity of oil, power transmitted, efficiency of the drive, etc.). If I recall correctly it really came down mostly to trials and testing but there were general guidelines (we didn't go into it in detail). One thing I do recall is in general chaincases using an oil bath ran coolest with a surprisingly low amount of oil in them and with fairly large clearance between the chain and the housing (especially below to form a virtual "oil sump").
All I know for certain is the level can be important and more oil is not always better. Unfortunately the Yamaha books don't seem to align with themselves (fluid quantity vs dipstick level) nor do they align with how the sleds are shipped.
Maybe the variation between min reverse and max std isn't enough to affect things but just saying more is always better is definitely not correct. I suspect using the full reverse mark might be close to the best level to run (the engineers probably knew what they were doing when they designed the chaincase).
LazyBastard
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Do you know HOW MUCH oil you'd have to add to these chaincases for THAT to happen? You'd just about have to fill it halfway to the top!
KubotaOne
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Now, I'm more confused than ever...... Why would yamaha provide reverse and non-reverse marks if they were not relevant?
I think for now, I'm going to add a couple of ounces and go somewhere in between the marks.
I think for now, I'm going to add a couple of ounces and go somewhere in between the marks.
87gtNOS
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KubotaOne said:
I think the key is to just keep an eye on levels, period!
RX1-er-2005
Expert
I run what it says on the belt cover/guard 250ml...
iasledder
Expert
When I drained my ER it had 8 oz. That's what I will put back in it.
stealth800
Extreme
oil
The way I see it is if you put 8oz of oil in the chain case, The sled with reverse has more components in the bottom of the case, these components take up room and displace the oil more. So 8oz in a nonreverse sled will not go as high on the dipstick as a sled with reverse. My viper had the same marks on it and it had reverse that I added. It seems maybe that since the reverse sleds have more gears spinning around they want less windage in the case so the fluid is lower get this result. I wpuld say if the manual says 8 then use 8 but I would think that staying between the reverse and std. mark is a safe bet. If it were me the reverse sleds would have their own dipsticks and there would be no confusion.
The way I see it is if you put 8oz of oil in the chain case, The sled with reverse has more components in the bottom of the case, these components take up room and displace the oil more. So 8oz in a nonreverse sled will not go as high on the dipstick as a sled with reverse. My viper had the same marks on it and it had reverse that I added. It seems maybe that since the reverse sleds have more gears spinning around they want less windage in the case so the fluid is lower get this result. I wpuld say if the manual says 8 then use 8 but I would think that staying between the reverse and std. mark is a safe bet. If it were me the reverse sleds would have their own dipsticks and there would be no confusion.
I've been putting 8.5 oz of Valvoline 75W 90 synthetic in mine with no problems. I have done this on 2 - 03 RX1's and 1 - 05 RX1. It would be nice to see a Yami bulletin on this.
LazyBastard
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Reverse has a different chaincase cover - space added for reverse junk.
I should have added, all my Rx1's have been ER's
ReX
TY 4 Stroke God
I wonder if anyone has taken a sled on a track dyno and tried to see if there was any noticeable track hp variation with more or less oil in the chaincase.
Keep in mind most of you guys saying your chaincases haven't had any problems with more or less oil are running aluminum RX-1 cases (at least the back half - the 05 has a magnesium cover). The 06 and 07 Apex's have fully magnesium cases and they run much hotter than the RX-1's.
Last season 2 of my buddies riding Apex's blew their chaincases so these things can go. My 05 RX-1's chaincase on the other hand was 100% reliable.
One particular day we all performed routine maintenance on our sleds prior to a long weekend ride. We all changed our chaincase oil and installed synthetic gear lube.
The next day we headed directly North into Quebec and came upon a very long section of ungroomed trail with a fresh 2+ feet of powder. We rode the sleds pretty hard (lots of heavy throttle) and at one point stopped for a break. I had been leading on my 05 RX-1 for at the past 1/2 hour. One of the Apex's was smelling of gear oil so we decided to check the chaincase oil level.
The level was fine on all of the sleds (I'm not sure which level they used but mine had 0.25 liters or 8.5 US oz in it). The Apex chaincases were so hot we burnt out hands on them. For the one that was smelling the oil had turned black and the other one the oil was getting dark. Taking a bit of snow to the covers the snow instantly turned to steam.
My 05 RX-1's chaincase the temperature was hot but you could almost leave your hand on it and the oil looked clean and in new condition. I put a bit of snow on mine and it instantly melted, but it didn't boil away (still produced steam though).
We took it easier the rest of the way and a few weeks later the Apex that was smelling was at the dealer and needed a new chain and upper gear.
Keep in mind most of you guys saying your chaincases haven't had any problems with more or less oil are running aluminum RX-1 cases (at least the back half - the 05 has a magnesium cover). The 06 and 07 Apex's have fully magnesium cases and they run much hotter than the RX-1's.
Last season 2 of my buddies riding Apex's blew their chaincases so these things can go. My 05 RX-1's chaincase on the other hand was 100% reliable.
One particular day we all performed routine maintenance on our sleds prior to a long weekend ride. We all changed our chaincase oil and installed synthetic gear lube.
The next day we headed directly North into Quebec and came upon a very long section of ungroomed trail with a fresh 2+ feet of powder. We rode the sleds pretty hard (lots of heavy throttle) and at one point stopped for a break. I had been leading on my 05 RX-1 for at the past 1/2 hour. One of the Apex's was smelling of gear oil so we decided to check the chaincase oil level.
The level was fine on all of the sleds (I'm not sure which level they used but mine had 0.25 liters or 8.5 US oz in it). The Apex chaincases were so hot we burnt out hands on them. For the one that was smelling the oil had turned black and the other one the oil was getting dark. Taking a bit of snow to the covers the snow instantly turned to steam.
My 05 RX-1's chaincase the temperature was hot but you could almost leave your hand on it and the oil looked clean and in new condition. I put a bit of snow on mine and it instantly melted, but it didn't boil away (still produced steam though).
We took it easier the rest of the way and a few weeks later the Apex that was smelling was at the dealer and needed a new chain and upper gear.
yamaha1
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I talked to a Rep. from Yamaha and he said put in what the recommended amount is in the owners manual and on the spec decal that is on the belt shroud. He said don't worry about where that puts you on the dipstick. For the reverse models it might put you over the upper line by a little bit and not quite up to the upper line of the standard; that is fine.
Also, on the debate about if more oil is better. To just generally say that more is better is not really the correct way to say it. Yes, the more oil you have the cooler it will run. However, because of other factors there is a balancing point to that. You don't want to go and fill your case with oil. So that balancing point is obviously what Yamaha came up with as a spec for the amount of oil needed.
I would say put the 8.5oz (or whatever it is) and call it good. I will say as a side note of all of this; the best time to change your chaincase oil is in the spring before you put it away for the summer. As the case and oil heat and cool over the season of riding in the winter you get some condensation forming and end up with some water in there. It is not a big deal during the season, as you are riding it on and off. The problem comes when it sits for the summer. Now that water separates out on top of the oil and now your chain, gears, and bearings start to rust. Then you take it out the first time in the winter, run it up to 100mph and toast the rusty chain, gear or bearings.
Y1
Also, on the debate about if more oil is better. To just generally say that more is better is not really the correct way to say it. Yes, the more oil you have the cooler it will run. However, because of other factors there is a balancing point to that. You don't want to go and fill your case with oil. So that balancing point is obviously what Yamaha came up with as a spec for the amount of oil needed.
I would say put the 8.5oz (or whatever it is) and call it good. I will say as a side note of all of this; the best time to change your chaincase oil is in the spring before you put it away for the summer. As the case and oil heat and cool over the season of riding in the winter you get some condensation forming and end up with some water in there. It is not a big deal during the season, as you are riding it on and off. The problem comes when it sits for the summer. Now that water separates out on top of the oil and now your chain, gears, and bearings start to rust. Then you take it out the first time in the winter, run it up to 100mph and toast the rusty chain, gear or bearings.
Y1
