Interesting clutch stuff, Viper clutches & floating secondary

[KnappAttack]

so i blew my first belt after 500 miles and the clutches were really hot when it happened..so when i went to open up the secondary to get the new belt on it was REALLY hard to push open...is this normal?

No.

What belt did you blow? What belt are you going to run and with what tune and clutch setup?

 

[SideHogger]

I'll admit, not the brightest bulb on the planet but I have a theory about hot clutches and belts. I was testing at my local river with a ton of different combos and conditions were near glare ice with hard packed snow on sides of it. Sled was running hot due to lack of snow ( 185-190 degrees) just a couple of runs and temps of clutches and belt extremely hot. Could not hold hand on them. On way back to house went into limp mode at 210 degrees. Next day 1 to 2 inches of snow over night same clutching combo but sled now running at 165-172 degrees. Made 3 half mile passes, checked clutches and belt, as cool as can be. Needless to say, I think when motor runs hot it heat soaks both clutches from motor and exhaust and creates a bad situation for belts to try and last in. Yesterday, breaking trail through 2 feet of snow and again no issue with temps on clutches. Cool as can be. So, begs question, is this a solid theory or am I off my rocker? Hoping this isn't a stupid theory and hasn't been discussed previously. Just my 2 cents guys!

 

[Sledbrapping88]

I'll admit, not the brightest bulb on the planet but I have a theory about hot clutches and belts. I was testing at my local river with a ton of different combos and conditions were near glare ice with hard packed snow on sides of it. Sled was running hot due to lack of snow ( 185-190 degrees) just a couple of runs and temps of clutches and belt extremely hot. Could not hold hand on them. On way back to house went into limp mode at 210 degrees. Next day 1 to 2 inches of snow over night same clutching combo but sled now running at 165-172 degrees. Made 3 half mile passes, checked clutches and belt, as cool as can be. Needless to say, I think when motor runs hot it heat soaks both clutches from motor and exhaust and creates a bad situation for belts to try and last in. Yesterday, breaking trail through 2 feet of snow and again no issue with temps on clutches. Cool as can be. So, begs question, is this a solid theory or am I off my rocker? Hoping this isn't a stupid theory and hasn't been discussed previously. Just my 2 cents guys!

You might be on to something too bad you couldn't plow and area to test the same day running snow covered vs bare ice

 

[STAIN]

I believe ambient defiantly plays a part in belt temps

 

[SideHogger]

You might be on to something too bad you couldn't plow and area to test the same day running snow covered vs bare ice

Every time my motor starts to run hotter due to conditions, my clutches heat up too. When motor running normal temps, clutches run cool. I think motor heats up primary and exhaust heats up secondary when hot. Going to play with some things to try and keep heat from secondary during the week.

 

[KnappAttack]

Imagine this is why I was getting so much heat on my secondary yesterday! 1500* exhaust being blown under the hood can't be good for clutch and belt temps!

I noticed low RPM when stabbing the throttle and kept pulling weight out of the clutch. Can't imagine how hot things got under the hood, and would also explain why I could see water, (from our new deep fresh snow) and massive wind being blown up out of the center vent in my hood where the goggle bag would go when I'd mash the throttle. Can't believe I didn't smell or notice it sooner. Have been experiencing spikes up and down in my boost and bet this was cracked on the bottom of the pipes for a while, because I checked for boost leaks and also checked the exhaust over well earlier this season when I noticed the spiking up and down of the boost.

Was wearing earplugs and didn't notice the noise until I pulled it in the garage, took my helmet off and pulled my earplugs. I did notice backfiring when letting off the throttle at times too, guess I now know why.

If this was a header I'd be replacing the header! Every time I've broke a header its always in a spot where you can't get a good weld on it, think about that before shelling out big bucks on a header.

4600 miles on the sled when I noticed this.

 

[74Nitro]

Imagine this is why I was getting so much heat on my secondary yesterday! 1500* exhaust being blown under the hood can't be good for clutch and belt temps!

I noticed low RPM when stabbing the throttle and kept pulling weight out of the clutch. Can't imagine how hot things got under the hood, and would also explain why I could see water, (from our new deep fresh snow) and massive wind being blown up out of the center vent in my hood where the goggle bag would go when I'd mash the throttle. Can't believe I didn't smell or notice it sooner. Have been experiencing spikes up and down in my boost and bet this was cracked on the bottom of the pipes for a while, because I checked for boost leaks and also checked the exhaust over well earlier this season when I noticed the spiking up and down of the boost.

Was wearing earplugs and didn't notice the noise until I pulled it in the garage, took my helmet off and pulled my earplugs. I did notice backfiring when letting off the throttle at times too, guess I now know why.

If this was a header I'd be replacing the header! Every time I've broke a header its always in a spot where you can't get a good weld on it, think about that before shelling out big bucks on a header.

4600 miles on the sled when I noticed this.


View attachment 153075

Something I will watch for on sleds racking up miles!

 

[Turboflash]

Imagine this is why I was getting so much heat on my secondary yesterday! 1500* exhaust being blown under the hood can't be good for clutch and belt temps!

I noticed low RPM when stabbing the throttle and kept pulling weight out of the clutch. Can't imagine how hot things got under the hood, and would also explain why I could see water, (from our new deep fresh snow) and massive wind being blown up out of the center vent in my hood where the goggle bag would go when I'd mash the throttle. Can't believe I didn't smell or notice it sooner. Have been experiencing spikes up and down in my boost and bet this was cracked on the bottom of the pipes for a while, because I checked for boost leaks and also checked the exhaust over well earlier this season when I noticed the spiking up and down of the boost.

Was wearing earplugs and didn't notice the noise until I pulled it in the garage, took my helmet off and pulled my earplugs. I did notice backfiring when letting off the throttle at times too, guess I now know why.

If this was a header I'd be replacing the header! Every time I've broke a header its always in a spot where you can't get a good weld on it, think about that before shelling out big bucks on a header.

4600 miles on the sled when I noticed this.


View attachment 153075

Sorry, I'm not able to orient myself on this pic. Where is this? Middle exhaust pipe at turbo connection? Or, exhaust manifold to exhaust pipe leading to turbo?

 

[KnappAttack]

Sorry, I'm not able to orient myself on this pic. Where is this? Middle exhaust pipe at turbo connection? Or, exhaust manifold to exhaust pipe leading to turbo?

Sorry its sideways, Damn iPhone!

Its the mid pipe going right into the turbo.

 

[Turboflash]

Sorry its sideways, Damn iPhone!

Its the mid pipe going right into the turbo.

10-4. Looks pretty thin there! At big tunes, I'm starting to realize more and more these things are ticketing time bombs.

 

[Motorhead]

The exhaust on these turbocharged engines get very hot. If it weren’t for the shields they would melt and burn many components and even the sled itself. So a very good catch, for not just your revs, but for your safety also.

I can imagine a guy who rides the deep a lot must be even more prone to this happening with very hot exhaust and snow or melted snow splashing on the hot hot exhaust pipes and causing quicker metal fatigue?

 

[Turboflash]

Yes, and not much or no air coming through hood - usually slow forward speeds.

 

[lakercr]

Glad you caught this when you did Mike! Next ride something bad was going to happen.

2 of the 4 winders I ride with regularly have had this part fail, but these failures where in the bellows. Regardless, it’s probably a good idea to check this part over if you haven’t already. If you’re data logging and see 1.5-2 lb variance in your boost, it might be a symptom of a crack developing. Once mike has his sled up and running again it would be interesting to compare a new log against his last few times out.

 

[KnappAttack]

Broken right at the thin weld. Arctic Crap? Or Yamaha?

Either way not good for clutch and belt temps or rpm spool up or the all important HP.

I suspect its been cracking for a while with the way my boost was spiking up and down on my logs.

 

[PowderFalcon]

Broken right at the thin weld. Arctic Crap? Or Yamaha?

Either way not good for clutch and belt temps or rpm spool up or the all important HP.

I suspect its been cracking for a while with the way my boost was spiking up and down on my logs.


View attachment 153090

Mike did you have to pull that pipe out of the sled to inspect it? Did you have to pull the gas tank to get out it? Or did you sneak it out without pulling the tank?