ReX
TY 4 Stroke God
My 05 has been going through oil in very cold weather and now we've found the crankcase seal (clutch shaft really) has started leaking a fair bit of oil and the valve cover has been pushing some oil in to the spark plug wells.
The sled has the "Yamaha fix" with the slit in the hose, but long cruises in very cold weather we (dealer included) figure it must be freezing up on the engine side of the slit. It only seems to go through oil on long, relatively easy cruises when the temperatures are in the mid -30° range (or colder likely too).
We're heading up North next week and I don't want to blow the seals again, nor have oil consumption problems - so I'm looking for solutions.
I'm thinking the easiest fix would be to add a small slit right near the motor on the crankcase vent line. Small enough that it won't open until there's a fair bit of pressure, but big enough to reduce the chance of blowing seals, etc. Maybe 3/8" long with a sharp razor blade?
Alternatively I'm wondering about re-routing the return line on the carb heater through the inside of the crankcase vent line or along side it (zip tied in many locations). This would probably require a hole in the air box.
Has anyone truly solved this problem on their RX-1?
The sled has the "Yamaha fix" with the slit in the hose, but long cruises in very cold weather we (dealer included) figure it must be freezing up on the engine side of the slit. It only seems to go through oil on long, relatively easy cruises when the temperatures are in the mid -30° range (or colder likely too).
We're heading up North next week and I don't want to blow the seals again, nor have oil consumption problems - so I'm looking for solutions.
I'm thinking the easiest fix would be to add a small slit right near the motor on the crankcase vent line. Small enough that it won't open until there's a fair bit of pressure, but big enough to reduce the chance of blowing seals, etc. Maybe 3/8" long with a sharp razor blade?
Alternatively I'm wondering about re-routing the return line on the carb heater through the inside of the crankcase vent line or along side it (zip tied in many locations). This would probably require a hole in the air box.
Has anyone truly solved this problem on their RX-1?
Northern Lights
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Almost RX-1,
Are still experiencing the freeze-up problem on the crankcase vent? If you resolve the issue, please share with us.
In any case, I am located in Nunavut, Canada and my 2003 RX-1 is exposed to colder conditions as compared to most riders on this forum. At times, I am experiencing problems in starting up the snowmobile. It seems once it is inside a heated garage this is resolved. As such, I believe the problem I am experiencing is related to the freeze-up of the crankase hose being frozen. I believe Yamaha has created slits in the crankase hose for 2004 or 2005 models... given that you are still experiencing freeze-up problems with the "Yamaha fix", I am not sure it this will resolve my problem if I perform the same type of slits on the 2003 crankcase hose?
As of lately, I have had a fair amount of oil contaminate my clutch and v-belt. I did install the ECP air filter kit and I am now considering relocating the crankcase vent up towards the handle bar.
Are still experiencing the freeze-up problem on the crankcase vent? If you resolve the issue, please share with us.
In any case, I am located in Nunavut, Canada and my 2003 RX-1 is exposed to colder conditions as compared to most riders on this forum. At times, I am experiencing problems in starting up the snowmobile. It seems once it is inside a heated garage this is resolved. As such, I believe the problem I am experiencing is related to the freeze-up of the crankase hose being frozen. I believe Yamaha has created slits in the crankase hose for 2004 or 2005 models... given that you are still experiencing freeze-up problems with the "Yamaha fix", I am not sure it this will resolve my problem if I perform the same type of slits on the 2003 crankcase hose?
As of lately, I have had a fair amount of oil contaminate my clutch and v-belt. I did install the ECP air filter kit and I am now considering relocating the crankcase vent up towards the handle bar.
LazyBastard
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Northern Lights: ECP kit is dangerous in your conditions. It causes a LOWER crankcase evacuation than stock (which is sucked on by the airbox). Also, oil will blow out the filter, and sometimes the filter may freeze with water vapor. There is a partial solution for ECP equipped sleds, and that is to tie the vent into the carb filters in order to suck harder on the crankcase. This also has the advantage of containing the oil rather than splashing on the clutches. Problem is that there is a reasonable chance that in your area, the temperatures may be so low that the EVAC kit on the ECP filters may freeze up anyways. Best thing I can recommend to you would be to put back the stock airbox and cut the hose.
ReX
TY 4 Stroke God
Northern Lights, I did a bunch of research, especially reading everything I could find on the breather problem at TY. Based on all the info I could gather, slitting the hose outside the airbox (near the engine) was a bad idea as the oil would get all over the place (guys have tried it).
What I ended up doing was buying a 3' long hose (only needed about 2' though) to replace the small carb heater hose (hot coolant) closest to the crankcase breather. I ran the new coolant/carb heater hose hose along side the breather hose all the way to the airbox. I wrapped the pair of hoses with non flamable self adhesive pipe hose insulation(household stuff from home depo). I then wrapped that with aluminum tape to make it look cleaner.
This 100% fixed the problem on my sled. The crankcase breather never frose up again, I've never blown oil out of the engine anywhere, and my oil consumption dropped to effectively nothing.
If I was running an ECP kit in cold weather, I would install a crankcase ventilation system/kit that vents into the filters (search the TY forums and you'll find tons of information) and then I would do the same thing I did. Buy a long 1/4" (or whatever size it is) hose for the carb heater line and route it alongside the crankcase ventilation hoses. Wrap it up with insulation and you should be set.
The key is to keep the crankcase breather hoses above freezing. No matter what condition your engine is in, there is lots of water vapour flowing out the crankcase breather. You don't want this to freeze and build up in the hose.
I would bet your clutch oiling is caused by the crankcase vent freezing up, but the hard starting isn't. Hopefully your PTO seal is OK. Mine got damaged with all the crankcase pressure and had to be replaced a number of times.
For starting in the cold weather you should be running a 0w30 oil and make sure you have a well charged, good condition, full size battery.
I hope this helps.
What I ended up doing was buying a 3' long hose (only needed about 2' though) to replace the small carb heater hose (hot coolant) closest to the crankcase breather. I ran the new coolant/carb heater hose hose along side the breather hose all the way to the airbox. I wrapped the pair of hoses with non flamable self adhesive pipe hose insulation(household stuff from home depo). I then wrapped that with aluminum tape to make it look cleaner.
This 100% fixed the problem on my sled. The crankcase breather never frose up again, I've never blown oil out of the engine anywhere, and my oil consumption dropped to effectively nothing.
If I was running an ECP kit in cold weather, I would install a crankcase ventilation system/kit that vents into the filters (search the TY forums and you'll find tons of information) and then I would do the same thing I did. Buy a long 1/4" (or whatever size it is) hose for the carb heater line and route it alongside the crankcase ventilation hoses. Wrap it up with insulation and you should be set.
The key is to keep the crankcase breather hoses above freezing. No matter what condition your engine is in, there is lots of water vapour flowing out the crankcase breather. You don't want this to freeze and build up in the hose.
I would bet your clutch oiling is caused by the crankcase vent freezing up, but the hard starting isn't. Hopefully your PTO seal is OK. Mine got damaged with all the crankcase pressure and had to be replaced a number of times.
For starting in the cold weather you should be running a 0w30 oil and make sure you have a well charged, good condition, full size battery.
I hope this helps.
Almost...Thats a great idea for fixing the breather problem. Maybe Yami will copy it and you will make a killing for the design rights!!!!
any pictures??
any pictures??
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GO to Zero weight oil & run a Second Breather Filter off the valve cover.
If you have an EVAC & ECP Kit, Cover the Evac lines as alot of cold air flows right over the hoses, I used my orginial snow flap cut down. I also added Foam wrap for copper pipes over them as well to help insulate them better. I can Drive it all weekend and have very little moisture come out.
Always let your sled warm up really good before you take off to ride it, and when your sled is warmed up start it and again wait a minute or two before putting the hammer down. Don't start it and then take off immediately, I've noticed that most of my moisture comes from the first 5 minutes of operation.
If you have an EVAC & ECP Kit, Cover the Evac lines as alot of cold air flows right over the hoses, I used my orginial snow flap cut down. I also added Foam wrap for copper pipes over them as well to help insulate them better. I can Drive it all weekend and have very little moisture come out.
Always let your sled warm up really good before you take off to ride it, and when your sled is warmed up start it and again wait a minute or two before putting the hammer down. Don't start it and then take off immediately, I've noticed that most of my moisture comes from the first 5 minutes of operation.
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Northern Lights
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LB: Thanks for the input. I am located in the Northern tip of Baffin Island, more specifically Pond Inlet. It tends to be very dry during winter months, dark and cold (between -30 and -45 degrees Celsius). I would say approximately 80% of the people up here tend to commute around the community with a snowmobile (so lots of stop and go …) and aside from a couple of 4-stroke Arctic Cats and Polaris (although most did not seem very reliable) most use 2-stroke snowmobiles. Only two RX-1s in the community and I bet you these are the only two RX-1s located furthest North in the Canadian Arctic. I rarely snowmobile during the winter months since it tends to be too cold, however, once we reach spring time we get reasonable temperatures and a fair amount of snow. By late April until early August we get 24-hour daylight. You could actually snowmobile until mid-June on the icy Bay (as long as you are careful with the cracks in the ice).
I guess since I haven’t had too many long trips as of yet, I must be building up a fair amount of condensation in the engine. Someone recommended that I install a block heater and this would help in dealing with frozen condensation in the engine (this would cut down on warm up time and easier for cold start-ups). We also experienced some local gas syndrome (most are complaining about spark plugs fouling). I also tend to foul my plugs a fair amount but I guess too much choke might be the source of the problem. I will give iridium plugs a try and increase the idle a bit more. I did synchronize the carbs.
With better conditions coming our way soon, I will keep the ECP air filter kit on and try a couple of mods to see if this will improve the situation. During colder winter months if problems persist, I will reinstall the stock air box. Thanks for the tip.
Almost RX-1: I am glad you resolved the problem and thanks for the tip – I might give it a try soon. Once you have a chance, it would be appreciated if you could attach a couple of pictures for clarification.
I assume my PTO seal is fine, since I only detected small quantities of oil on the clutch, clutch guard and belt; but enough to affect the performance of the engagement of the machine (it engages at approx. 4000 rpm instead of the approx. 3000 rpm). I assume cleaning this mess on the clutch faces with paint thinner on a rag and letting it dry shouldn’t be a problem and then I will install a new belt. Should I consider removing the primary and secondary and ensuring all oil is cleaned from the springs and all of the clutch components? I don’t have a clutch puller readily available.
In regards to oil, I am using OW40 synthetic oil by Ipone Racing. I tend to warm it up well and usually on a stand. However, I am using the light weight after-market battery (with increased crank power) – this might be fine during spring time but it is always a challenge to get it going during the colder winter months (on a cold start-up). I tend to us a battery pack for those cold starts or jumper cables to my vehicle. I would be nice to have a pull chord as a back-up.
Bountyhunter: Nice setup. I am only using the ECP air kit and no Evac.
I guess since I haven’t had too many long trips as of yet, I must be building up a fair amount of condensation in the engine. Someone recommended that I install a block heater and this would help in dealing with frozen condensation in the engine (this would cut down on warm up time and easier for cold start-ups). We also experienced some local gas syndrome (most are complaining about spark plugs fouling). I also tend to foul my plugs a fair amount but I guess too much choke might be the source of the problem. I will give iridium plugs a try and increase the idle a bit more. I did synchronize the carbs.
With better conditions coming our way soon, I will keep the ECP air filter kit on and try a couple of mods to see if this will improve the situation. During colder winter months if problems persist, I will reinstall the stock air box. Thanks for the tip.
Almost RX-1: I am glad you resolved the problem and thanks for the tip – I might give it a try soon. Once you have a chance, it would be appreciated if you could attach a couple of pictures for clarification.
I assume my PTO seal is fine, since I only detected small quantities of oil on the clutch, clutch guard and belt; but enough to affect the performance of the engagement of the machine (it engages at approx. 4000 rpm instead of the approx. 3000 rpm). I assume cleaning this mess on the clutch faces with paint thinner on a rag and letting it dry shouldn’t be a problem and then I will install a new belt. Should I consider removing the primary and secondary and ensuring all oil is cleaned from the springs and all of the clutch components? I don’t have a clutch puller readily available.
In regards to oil, I am using OW40 synthetic oil by Ipone Racing. I tend to warm it up well and usually on a stand. However, I am using the light weight after-market battery (with increased crank power) – this might be fine during spring time but it is always a challenge to get it going during the colder winter months (on a cold start-up). I tend to us a battery pack for those cold starts or jumper cables to my vehicle. I would be nice to have a pull chord as a back-up.
Bountyhunter: Nice setup. I am only using the ECP air kit and no Evac.
ReX
TY 4 Stroke God
Northern Lights: I would do as you said and clean up all the oil as best you can. If the belt doesn't have much on it I'd wipe it down too and leave it on until your sure the problem is fixed. You shouldn't need to take the clutches appart. A bit of oil won't hurt them. The only issue is belt dust will build up a little quicker (stick to the oil).
For starting in -45 weather you really need a high capacity battery (measured in reserve minutes or amp hours). A high cranking capacity (a measure of how many amps can flow for a short period of time) isn't as important (assuming you're running 0w oil). Ideally you want one with lots of both. If I lived up there I'd be looking for ways to sqeeze in an oversize, high capacity battery as well as installing a block heater. A couple of extra pounds would be well worth it for the ability to start it any time you want.
BTW, my 2005 RX-1 engages at 4300 rpm and it is 100% stock. When the clutches were covered in oil mist it would still engage at 4300 rpm, but hitting the throttle hard it would rev right away to over 10,000 rpm and stay there. At high speeds it was also overrevving with rpms up to 10,700+ at WOT. My machine too only had a very fine mist of oil on the clutches.
For starting in -45 weather you really need a high capacity battery (measured in reserve minutes or amp hours). A high cranking capacity (a measure of how many amps can flow for a short period of time) isn't as important (assuming you're running 0w oil). Ideally you want one with lots of both. If I lived up there I'd be looking for ways to sqeeze in an oversize, high capacity battery as well as installing a block heater. A couple of extra pounds would be well worth it for the ability to start it any time you want.
BTW, my 2005 RX-1 engages at 4300 rpm and it is 100% stock. When the clutches were covered in oil mist it would still engage at 4300 rpm, but hitting the throttle hard it would rev right away to over 10,000 rpm and stay there. At high speeds it was also overrevving with rpms up to 10,700+ at WOT. My machine too only had a very fine mist of oil on the clutches.
A
Anonymous
Bountyhunter said:
What type of grommet did you use? Part number if you have it?
whits-end
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Yeah, great looking set-up, Bountyhunter!
Looks like the 2 vent hoses are tee'd together, then tee'd to split to the filters. Any reason why you couldn't tee 2 vents together to the stock airbox hose? Think it would restrict the flow?
Is that a special fitting, or did you just drill a hole in the stock valve cover cap?
Do you have part numbers for the grommet and PCV valve?
Great info! Great pics! Thanks!
Looks like the 2 vent hoses are tee'd together, then tee'd to split to the filters. Any reason why you couldn't tee 2 vents together to the stock airbox hose? Think it would restrict the flow?
Is that a special fitting, or did you just drill a hole in the stock valve cover cap?
Do you have part numbers for the grommet and PCV valve?
Great info! Great pics! Thanks!
BlueDevil
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That pic is actually of my sled. I used a dipstick gromet from napa. Sorry i don't have the part # for that or for the pcv valve that the hose connects to. There is no tee in the line it just appears to have one as the two nreather lines are zip tied together. This set up works great. We run 5 - 10 miles at a time here to the handle bar and I've used no oil and never blown out the valve cover gasket.
