My chain case story......

[YammiMoose]

I held off writing this but since I have had a few PM'S asking about the issue I felt like it need to be told.
So here it goes.. It's long but, when a dealer does everything they can to help you in a pinch it needs to be told.....

I live in southern New England. I only had 250 miles on the sled before going to Van Buren, Maine for my 1st week of vacation. I didn't have enough miles for the first service to be done locally so I called Gary's in Caribou to perform the first service a few days into the trip. I rode the reminder of the week. On my second trip at around 1700 miles I hit the power lines on the way to Fort Kent and when I hit the gas I heard a loud clunk. I pulled right over and found the Chain was very loose and I had no oil left. It was kind of interesting since I had checked the chain and all the fluid levels two days before. I tightened up the chain and drive about 3 more miles to Rogers in Fort Kent. They brought the sled right in and tore it apart and than called me over and told me their was no oil left. DUH! The head Mechanic asked me if I knew how to check the oil level properly. I stated I was at the reverse mark just Two days ago. He told me it should be up to the standard mark, I disagreed. I stated I did what the owner’s manual stated it should be at. Than they told me it was NOT covered under warranty and asked if I had the first service done. I stated Gary's in Caribou did it. They proceed to tell me that they are not very honest and had been back charging Yamaha for service not done by them and that Yamaha was looking into it. Than the main guy there had the balls to Take pictures and send them to Yamaha so It could be never covered by warranty. They told me most of the parts are on back order but for $800 to $1000 dollars they could find the parts and fix it for me. He wouldn’t give me a exact price

I told them NO since for the first time I had a first service done so I would have no warranty issues because I had so many issues with the 05 RX1 that I traded in for the GT. I decided to call Gary's In Caribou and spoke with John who told me this was a Yamaha gasket issue and he had fixed a few of these in the past few weeks. He told me to have them put all the parts in a box and his mechanic John will be up to pick me up. Once he arrived he asked to see the gasket and the case cover and immediately showed me where the gasket rolled into the case causing the oil to come out. He tried to show them what happened but they refused to acknowledge anything.

At Gary's they told me that it was too late to fix it that night. They gave me a new Apex ER to ride back to Van Buren. The next day I picked up the sled and headed to Portage Lake. (about 40 miles away) After lunch at the lake I decided to check the old level again and found it was all gone again. I bought some 80/90 and filled it back up and rode back to Gary's. I did have to stop a few times to top it off.

Back at the shop they pulled off the cover again and found the gasket rolled again. They were out of new gaskets so they put some RTV on and I rode back to Van Buren. The next day we rode almost 300 miles in Canada at WOT with no more issues.

I see this as a gasket issue. A bad batch like the wheels. If you have lots of miles at WOT with no issues I believe you are all set. This is my 5th Yamaha sled since 97 and have never had this type of issue.

Let me also state this. I had issues with the wheels and without me going there (Gary's) they gave Two different sets to my friends to give to me without first getting the defective ones back. Also I had asked about clutch kits for both the Apex and the RX1 and they told me don't waist your money. Also I don't know of any dealers giving new sleds as loaner after your sled fails. Hell the Yamaha money only covers an old 550 at best.

They have provided me with outstanding customer service on every time I have been there. They alwasy find the time to bering my sled right in without waiting too long.

I will defiantly buy all my future sleds from them. Saving a few bucks elsewhere is not worth the compromise in service. Because when it really comes down to it, service does matter when you sled breaks down 600 miles form home...

The issue has been completely resolved by my local dealer installing a new gasket covered by Yamaha after speaking to customer service.

Awesome dealer Gary's in Caribou Maine

The worst dealer I have ever delt with is Rogers in Fort Kent Maine.. and I had to pay $85 to get my sled out of the dealership!

 

[Mighty]

I have a really dumb question; Is it the same gasket for reverse and non reverse cases?

 

[vice108]

Gary's is an awesome dealer. They brought my SRX in immediately and fixed it while I was on a trip up there. I've also had similar great service at Rev-it-up power-sports in Rangely.

 

[YammiMoose]

I have a really dumb question; Is it the same gasket for reverse and non reverse cases?

I would say Yes because on Yamaha's on line parts catalog they show the same P/N 8FP-47558-00-00 for the GT, RTX and the ER

On the RTX parts listing I reviewed it did not show the reverse gears.

-Moose

 

[watersuper]

Rev-it-up is a great dealer. Been to Rangely many times but only as far as Shin pond to the north. I'll remember Gary's when I do get further north and hope I don't break down in Fort Kent.

 

[rjf965]

I am glad to hear that there are some good dealers still around!!!

So as an 06 RTX owner (w/reverse) with not a lot of miles, I have a couple of questions.

Does the oil go to the reverse mark or the standard mark? I think from reading here it is the standard mark.

I am going to check the venting on my cap, I guess that is a good palce to start.

I am going to switch to synth. oil as I hear that is better to prevetn this problem.

Would it be worth putting a bead of silicone/rtv around the chaincase cover as a preventative measure? Those with problems, Do you think this is a safe bet, piece of mind??

I usually sled 2-3 hours from my house, and make at least on maine trip (from NY). It is a pain in the #*$&@, when you get there and have a problem!!

 

[SledFreak]

I am glad to hear that there are some good dealers still around!!!

So as an 06 RTX owner (w/reverse) with not a lot of miles, I have a couple of questions.

Does the oil go to the reverse mark or the standard mark? I think from reading here it is the standard mark.

I am going to check the venting on my cap, I guess that is a good palce to start.

I am going to switch to synth. oil as I hear that is better to prevetn this problem.

Would it be worth putting a bead of silicone/rtv around the chaincase cover as a preventative measure? Those with problems, Do you think this is a safe bet, piece of mind??

I usually sled 2-3 hours from my house, and make at least on maine trip (from NY). It is a pain in the #*$&@, when you get there and have a problem!!

This post proves nothing except that he has a great dealer. We'll have to wait and see what Yamaha comes out with and see how they improved the chain case's or gaskets for the 07's. As far as the fluid is concerned, I believe if you have reverse, then the reverse lines is what you use. It states that in the manuel or better yet ask your dealer.

 

[hondo]

Good post YammiMoose,

I feel your pain and agree, the sled was under warranty, Rogers should have fixed it.

When my brother (from upstate NY) lost his chaincase on his Attak, Rogers fixed it that day. Even got a 24 top gear out of the deal.

I have said this in many previous posts; dealer standardization is just not there. I place alot of the blame on Yamaha for the disconnect.

It seems that everything is open to interpretation and/or you have to fight with them every inch of the way.

Everyone should be treated with the same measure of fairness.

 

[Swiss Sledder]

I have said this in many previous posts; dealer standardization is just not there. I place a lot of the blame on Yamaha for the disconnect.

This is a valid point Hondo. It certainly occurs in most industries that utilise a dealer network to interact with their end customers. The auto industry is one that we can all identify with and the frustrations that come from different dealerships.

I believe Yamaha tried to address this through their 5 Star Certification programme. My personal experience has been that these dealers are better than ones without the 5 Star Certification. It is not a perfect system and it is not as good as word of mouth from others, but it is better than nothing. Might be worth exploring in another topic rather than hijacking this thread.

 

[snowbeast]

I just hope if it really is the gasket that Yamaha gets them fixed before this problem gets too far out of hand. I think those of us that drive our sleds to the extreme and have had no seal failures by now are OK. I would do nothing different, as far as fluids goes. I mean leave the fluid Yamaha sent the sled out with in it. Don't need to change it unless you have burnt oil smell, and then if thats the case most likely you will have a seal problem. Drive it slowly to your Yamaha dealer if you can and have it replaced. We had my seal replaced about 1200 miles ago and it is still holding fluids, and we run the snot out of that sled.

 

[hondo]

Concur Swiss Sledder,

The irony with this thread (someone correct me if I am wrong) is that Roger's mechanic is the only "silver rated" mechanic on the East coast from New Jersey to Maine.

How could they miss the warranty issue and argue that YammiMoose didn't check the oil. It just doesn't make any sense.

Or, is there so much animosity between dealerships, that YammiMoose got caught in the middle?

If so, one thing is for certain, with the word out, one dealership may have a better year than the other.

I have bought from Roger's, because the dealership is convenient living 14 miles from the shop. They have always treated us well and have provided prompt spot-on service.

In turn, I hear great things about Gary's. I have even been in to talk to John on several occasions.

Competition is a very good thing, especially living in a somewhat remote area.

I'll be interested to see if anything changes between dealerships this year.

Let the chips fall where they may...

In addition, what MNMSNOWBEAST said!

The chain case needs to be vented properly, coupled with some additional gasket sealant, and use full synthetic oil. Problem solved.

Run it WOT until you can't stand it anymore!