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More oil leaks

Snowaddict

TY 4 Stroke Master
Joined
Feb 28, 2005
Messages
1,107
Location
Menasha, WI
Country
USA
Snowmobile
'17 Sidewinder LTX-LE
TWITTER
mstahl88
Well, count me as another oil leak victim. Thanks (or maybe no thanks lol) to @jonlafon1 for pointing it out to me. Out of curiosity, he decided to look to see if if there was any oil on the outside of the case/tank and sure enough there was moisture. Took a rag and wiped up enough to see there was definitely the start of an issue. No puddles yet, but that was enough for me. Took it to dealer and they took care of it in 2 days at no cost to me. They said the oil tank was definitely leaking and ended up taking it apart, sanding the edges smooth, and resealing with what they referred to as better sealant. (They said it was Yamaha brand rather than Cat brand lol.)
As a side note, my buddy has a Viper (obviously same chaincase/tank set up) and when stopped last weekend I decided to see if his was leaking. Reached my hand underneath and it came out moist with oil as well. Not dripping, but obviously seeping. So, definitely a common issue. If you own a Sidewinder or Viper (or any other Cat with this pos design), I'd definitely keep an eye on it.
 

Any particular spot or generally all around?

Since most of it's obscured, I would just run your hand or a rag underneath it every so often. The seal is crappy (actually the entire design is) and allows seeping. I think as pressure builds up it pushes it out the seal. Others have their theories as well. I hate to be a pessimist, but I would guess sooner or later everyone would have this issue, unless addressed before or seals are redone as preventative maintenance.
 
The POS rollover valve is the biggest issue here. I understand the design isn't the greatest but IT THE PRESSURE IN OIL TANK.
Agreed. I forgot to specify that in my above post being the culprit of building too much pressure in the tank. I'm also assuming it is the suspect for my machine not idling smoothly or seemingly surging at times.
 
Snowaddict, Can you find out what your dealer used as a sealant ? I believe they use Yamabond -6 but would like to confirm.
Thanks
 
Well, I put another 60 miles on after the resealing job. Ran fine. Before unloading I refueled on the way home. I put as much in as I could and even burped it. Then put in the heated garage (60 degrees) yesterday. Walked into the garage tonight and noticed a faint smell of gas. I did see some moisture on the floor underneath the front of the sled. Felt underneath the chaincase, but nothing noted there. Ran my finger through the spot on the ground (small drop of fluid with larger ring that was already dry around it. Definitely smelled like gas and a bit oily. Looked closer by belly pan protector and noticed 2 small drips along edge/seam, which were clear in color. There was also some moisture along the exhaust side of the protector. Not enough to form a drip, however. I turned the sled on and let it run until warm up. Nothing abnormal. No codes and fuel gauge says full. Not sure if I should be concerned or not. Called a buddy, whom works for the local dealer. He says it just residual from the tank resealing job. Says they cleaned up as much as possible, but can't get it all. I also told him about my refueling and burping method and he said that likely putting it in heated garage (it basically went from low teens to 60 degrees) caused tank expansion and forced some gas out the vent. So, maybe the fluid I saw underneath is combo of these? Seems plausible, but thought I'd ask here. Anyone else experience this or have input? Going on a trip Wed and would like piece of mind.
 
Apex did that. Fill full in cold then put in warm garage and gas would come out the hose.
 
I always store both of mine in a heated garage and usually full of fuel- always burped to squeeze in the extra. Never smelled of fuel or have any vapor leak.
 
Hmmm, one response says normal and another says has not experienced it under similar conditions. Confusing. I do appreciate the feedback. Keep it coming.
The sled is now loaded for the upcoming trip in enclosed traile at my buddy's. I told him to give it a look sometime today to see if there's any more moisture/ fluid underneath it.
 
You need to be careful if you fill your tank in the cold and then bring it in to a warm garage or shop. It will expand and leak out of the vent tubes. It also can be a fire hazard if you have any open flames in you shop like a gas heater or water heater. This is normal and just stands to reason. When the fuel expands it has to go somewhere.
 


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