dealing with yamaha

[pat the rat]

not 100% sure what they do,i think they add a washer in the secondary somewhere,reverse works 98% of the time,only time it acted up was when i drive forward in the garage,next morning when sled is cold and you have to back up,sometimes it wont engage,easy fix,back up in garage when done at night

 

[BombaPolaYama]

I guess Yamaha's are just terrible machines. So many MAJOR problems. Sounds like a ski-doo would be a better machine for you. Instead of rusted racks, tunnel buildup and a finicky reverse button you only have one problem to deal with that ski-doo does nothing about. The motor blows up.

Man, that reliable engine arguement is getting very old!

Problems are still problems that need to be fixed, and a good engine is no excuse for having other issues. BTW if you search on here, there is no trouble to find info on blown Phazer engines either.

Cecil, sorry about your frustration, just keep calling Yamaha Canada and voice your complaints nicely (will try to be, their responses can be very exasperating at times) and eventually they will fix your reverse. BTW, try to stay friends with your dealer, they are just as frustrated with the problems as you are.

For the icing, I have modded mine myself because I gave up on Yamaha on that issue and will post pics soon. The only problem is that temps have not really been low enough to test it properly as it is not a big issue with milder temps.

 

[BombaPolaYama]

so every 4stroke has problems with ice buildup

Yup every one has it, its not hurting anything under there....

Steel in a harsh moisture filled environment rusts its just what happens, hit it with 99c worth of paint if it bothers you....

No, I don't think every 4stroke has ice build-up to the extent of the VL. I haven't seen this being such an issue with the Venture RS or the Phazer (once they closed off the tunnel). And yeah it does hurt stuff; premature track and guide wheel wear from rubbing through the ice and the extra noise and vibration hurts your ears. And yes, it is a design problem not necessarily a 4 stroke problem.

 

[kyzer]

To fix SOME of the ice buildup problem spend the $15 dollars and bring the exhaust out the side at the very back of the tunnel. Alot of the problem with the ice build up is the hot exhaust fumes are melting the snow and snow dust under the tunnel and sticking..You have to get the hot exhaust fumes out from under neath the tunnel. You need one muffler u bolt and a small tailpipe. It works. You will get some ice build up ( all 4 strokes with the exhaust running under the tunnel do ) but not as much. As for rust ?? Do you have scratches that are rusting..Is it surface rust?? My 07 Venture GT only has rust in places that I have scratched.. The reverse sucks period... It always works but it's apain in the #*$&@, something you have to accept..It works but not as good as you would like..As for telling Yamaha hell ya let them know...You pay a fortune for there sleds, if there is something that you don't like let them know but don't expect a hand out..Some situations you fight it like hell and get something out of it like premature rust but not for a sticky reverse...

 

[pwa]

Some Yamaha ppl are just to funny. Rust is not a Yamaha issue. So if Yamaha choose another alloy maybe steel with zink covering... that works on old Volvos (1988 and forward) but then again they are so much more hightec than anything from Yamaha. Of course Yamaha could address that issue. Things even if made of steel doesnt necessary need to rust even if some Yamaha customers thinks thats a fact.

The icing part, some products from Yamaha is building ice better than the north pole and I think that Yamaha should address this issue. Look at my sled and see how much they have improved it in the ice build department you see that things could be done. Please FIX that Yammie

The reverse on the old Phazer FX is not worthy Yamaha. Yamaha is finish to me and the reverse on the Phazer FX is not finish. Feels kind of cheap. The reverse on the Nytro feels like... old... the other brands a touch of a... and what is that on the Nytro. Nope Yammie... fix that.

Someone said... every new solution breeds new problems.

So if my left handle heater is not working so good on my Cat it's not a problem because it works worse on a Yamaha? If I'm freezing my left hand off... thats a problem and I should address it. And I did and now it works. So in search of a perfect sled so should Yamaha, Cat, Doo and Poo...

 

[BombaPolaYama]

To fix SOME of the ice buildup problem spend the $15 dollars and bring the exhaust out the side at the very back of the tunnel. Alot of the problem with the ice build up is the hot exhaust fumes are melting the snow and snow dust under the tunnel and sticking..You have to get the hot exhaust fumes out from under neath the tunnel. You need one muffler u bolt and a small tailpipe. It works. You will get some ice build up ( all 4 strokes with the exhaust running under the tunnel do ) but not as much. As for rust ?? Do you have scratches that are rusting..Is it surface rust?? My 07 Venture GT only has rust in places that I have scratched.. The reverse sucks period... It always works but it's apain in the #*$&@, something you have to accept..It works but not as good as you would like..As for telling Yamaha hell ya let them know...You pay a fortune for there sleds, if there is something that you don't like let them know but don't expect a hand out..Some situations you fight it like hell and get something out of it like premature rust but not for a sticky reverse...

No, I'm sorry but the exhaust extension alone will not work to solve the ice-build-up issue. I thought so as well and tried it out, the result was a lot of snow and ice build-up around the pipe actually probably worse than before. So if you want to reduce the ice build-up you have to put in a shield to isolate the muffler and pipe exstension from the snow.

On the second page of the following link you will see the ice build-up on mine with the extension in place. On the third page are pics of the shield and wrap that I did as a second part to this project:

http://www.ty4stroke.com/viewtopic.php? ... sc&start=0

As for the reverse, last year's fix was a different drive belt and shim in the clutch. That helped some but not all sleds. This year there is another fix that they do but only if you have trouble of course; whether or not it works - time will tell. As for jumping or shaking to get it to engage, I don't find that works very well on the VL - maybe because it is heavier than the Phazer. I usually have to get off and lift or depress the rear when it does not engage on its own.

 

[Yellowknife]

Does everyone have trouble getting stuff done. it seems like it takes forever for something to get setteled.I own a venture lite,from reverse problems rust problems on my racks in like two months. ice buildup in the tunnel and thats only my problems. What is everyone else doing,yamaha knows about these problems and in my opinion are doing nothing about it.These sleds are not cheap,why can't the put a manual leaver for reverse (fixed) rust is better quality controll,The ice buildup i don't have a clue on that one,i figured a pipe out through the back end but!!!!!!.I don't know but if sverybody who owns a venture lite calls the head office,would something get done????????? well i don't think these sleds were put through proper testing befor going to market. Before i bought mine i asked sales and service was there any problems with these sleds all said NO not a problem, what a creditable bunch.well im vented thanks

It does take a long time for any factory improvements to come out, and it is more likely to show up on new units rather than a repair to existing units, unless it is a safety issue, which ice buildup can be in some circumstances. What you're complaining about however isn't going to see any changes under warranty or otherwise to solve your problems.

I agree that the ice buildup is a design issue on your sled in particular. Espcially if you're riding in cold temperatures. The colder it is, the worse the problem is. I ride in -40. Ice builds up badly on my Nytro MTX and XTX in those temps inside the tunnel. The problem with the XTX is that there isn't enough space between the driveshaft and the heat exchanger, so big chunks of ice created from the muffler heat have locked my track up solid while going down the lake at high speed. Not real safe.

You need to find your own work-around. On my Phazer that's what many of us had to do, we capped the tunnel's before Yamaha did, but Yamaha helped some of us out by supplying the side heat shields under the seat to reduce snow spray and ice buildup.

Every situation is unique, depending on your attitude, as well as your relationship with your dealer and your dealers relationship with Yamaha, somtimes things can be done to assist you with your issues. If you automatically start off on the wrong foot though, forget it.

We recently submitted a warranty claim for bushings on my Nytro MTX. Yamaha denied the claim, stating that it was a wearable item and my sled had 10,000 km's on it. So, we went back, supplying the warranty contract, which stated coverage until 20,000 km's, and we reviewed the 'excluded items' list which did not list bushings. After that Yamaha approved the warranty claim, but I probably wrecked that one for the rest of you seeing as how Yamaha will likely add bushings to the 'excluded parts list' for next go around.

I also have the reverse issues on my Phazer. All the fixes up to and including the washer and different belt did not work. Can I get it to go into reverse? Yes. Does it work like it should? No. But that's not a hill do die on in my books. If the gears aren't lined up, they aren't lined up. Same with mechanical reverse.

If you scratch paint off your sled, it will rust. Want to fix it? Re-paint it. Again, not a hill to die on.

Giving Yamaha feedback is good, but be constructive. I can complain and get things moving without yelling. Working with your dealer is key, they are the link that will see feedback carried forward and changes associated with it, especially when there is warranty involved. Warranty costs = changes and improvements in the production line. And if you go about it correctly, you may get something done for you that Joe Blow won't because he goes about it all wrong.

For me, i've got lots of sled problems including blown motors, but the dealer stands behind me, and Yamaha continue to back up their product one way or another. Its not perfect, but I can tell you its a million times better than what I went through with the local doo dealer and BRP. I've had 6 sleds in 9 years. The first 3 were doo's, the last 3 were Yammi's. Guess which 3 I still have.