BINGO!
You nailed it. The seal was pissing oil. Cause was not determined but the Tech at the dealership called Yamaha Canada and was told to do a pressure test on the reservoir. Once he did, he found the leak pretty easily. The “seal” was replaced and it’s good to go. Of note- the Tech at the dealership said this is the result of Yamaha marrying Arctic Cat, that if it was Yamaha’s frame, a gasket not a silicone seal would have been used and this would never have been an issue. I hope if others are experiencing this breakdown, that Yamaha will do an update and install proper gaskets to seal the reservoirs. It was all covered by warranty.
When the Tech called Yamaha Canada, their suggestion for the cause of the oil leak was condensation buildup in the Rollover valve, which then froze, causing the pressure buildup, which caused the silicone seal to fail. They said that I am driving the sled when the sleds cold. In other words, I haven’t allowed sufficient engine warm ups. I store both Sidewinders in a heated garage 24/7 and they are idled till the flashing red instrument cluster light stops, before I go anywhere- as instructed by the dealer Tech where I purchased both. Yesterday, the failure occurred at the end of a 90 minute hard run, including running the sled up to 170km/h at one point. So, how does it freeze?? Excessive speed in cold temps?? About minus 26 when I was riding yesterday. If that’s the case, then I think it’s a design flaw, because no parts should fail due to normal usage in normal cold temps, especially in 2017.
On another note- great experience at this dealership. Everyone genuinely cared and were very friendly. The Tech- Darwin- was excellent. Dealership- Premier Yamaha, SSTE Marie, On.
