Strange application for a Nytro

[Nanook]

Good day everyone. Thanks for the add to this amazing forum. Tons of valuable information!

Hopefully i don’t get roasted to hard for this one. I was looking for a reliable snowmobile to use for ice fishing. I go into some remote lakes in northern Saskatchewan. Sometimes on my own. I am probably more of a VK or Venture kinda guy but this Nytro came up for sale from a guy i know. Its nice to know the history of the machine and has been well maintained. So here i am a 2012 Nytro owner and couldn’t be happier.

Have a few questions that i am hoping you can help me with??

1. Any tips that you can suggest for cold starts in the middle of nowhere? Other than 0w40 synthetic and a good battery?

2. No pull cord spooks me a bit. I see ways of starting off the primary with a strap. I assume this would be virtually impossible with a cold engine. Any compact booster pack suggestions?

3. This is where it gets a bit out of the box. Has anyone mounted any storage systems on the back which could accommodate an auger and sealed storage? Would like to stay away from from auger mount on the front for navigating tight trails. Exhaust poses a bit of a problem for mounting anything.

4. Reliability is the key component for me. Any specific maintenance items i should keep a hairy eyeball on or carry a spare part for before venturing out?

 

[Confused]

I always have a compact jump starter with me on all trips. Mostly just for morning starts. I think I've used it to jump start others more than my own stuff. I've only had my Nytro not start once. That was at the Giveaway Ride in MI a few years ago. It was -10F when we left. My '14 has all the updated relays but still failed to fire. Would crank all day. Once it did fire, it had a very loud backfire which tells me it was getting fuel while trying to crank but not spark. If you have power at your destination, there are coolant heater kits that keep the engine warm when plugged in.

 

[Nanook]

Thanks for the input Confused. Much appreciated. I think a person is going to have to keep a booster pack with them at all times. Base camp typically will have power. Its when i venture out into remote areas to fish for the day i am worried the machine could have issues starting.

I was a bush pilot in my younger years. May have to steal some tricks from the aviation world.

1. Cut an insulated tarp or blanket to the shape of the hood and wrap the engine compartment after shutdown. Start it a few times throughout the day.

2. In a bind. Keep (4) good size stainless water bottles with you. Heat them by a fire and cycle them out two at a time in the engine compartment under the insulated cover. Few degrees extra warmth can make all the difference.

 

[Confused]

Thanks for the input Confused. Much appreciated. I think a person is going to have to keep a booster pack with them at all times. Base camp typically will have power. Its when i venture out into remote areas to fish for the day i am worried the machine could have issues starting.

I was a bush pilot in my younger years. May have to steal some tricks from the aviation world.

1. Cut an insulated tarp or blanket to the shape of the hood and wrap the engine compartment after shutdown. Start it a few times throughout the day.

2. In a bind. Keep (4) good size stainless water bottles with you. Heat them by a fire and cycle them out two at a time in the engine compartment under the insulated cover. Few degrees extra warmth can make all the difference.

I think both will help. I've never had trouble starting it throughout the day, only after a hard cold soak over night. Good luck and be safe.

 

[74Nitro]

Be sure to have the latest relays, and I would also change out the starter solenoid with an OEM Yamaha unit, as the machine is 9 years old now.

 

[STAIN]

run something lighter than the 0-40 also. I ran o-20 in my nytro

 

[maim]

look into a sled start system. they where programmable to keep the coolant from dropping below your set point when parked while activated. can always turn this off at base camp. look up user yellowknife milage logs on here as he put a ton of miles on a nitro at -30 to -40 out in the bush fishing and exploring.

 

[Hooray!]

I replaced battery, solenoids and starter, -28 F starts every year... Key is know your battery and if in doubt replace it every 2 years, I am on year 3 this year. You would be hard pressed to pull start it on the primary, won't happen cold. Watch over loading the rear without adding support plates or you risk cracking. Welcome and enjoy.

 

[YukonMP]

I see point three has yet to be addressed. I'm an avid ice fisher putting on about 3k kms a year pulling a skimmer with all my gear in it. I think this whole skimmer vs racks on the sled is kind of a regional thing with most guys doing what they see others doing in their area. So what do I see as the advantages of a skimmer ....1. no extra weight on the sled 2.cheap and easy(Can.Tire. Trek75 does it) 3.get stuck and you just drop the skimmer(see 1) 4. narrow, no extra width. 5. if you find someone whose nytro wouldn't start and they are frozen solid you can just strap the stiff on top.

Don't take offence, I happen to think that is funny. Welcome to TY, these guys will look out for you.

 

[Confused]

Also check out the Digger Auger Mount. Best mount I’ve ever had.

 

[biffdotorg]

Do you have a few weeks to waste on YouTube? Hit up Yellowknife and go back a few years, like 5-6. His videos were all around cold weather sledding around Yellow Knife. And the pair of Nytro's were his go to sleds. This was after some Doo's and prior to his 2014 Viper. And don't think he had a Yamaha bias, as he beat up every brand he rode and pulled no punches on reliability.

Let's just say, he ran in colder weather, had more cold starts, and non-starts that most of us. And it's all documented on YouTube. Not sure if he is a participating member here anymore. I miss the videos and I think he got burnt out.

Enjoy,

 

[Hooray!]

I learned early on, when you start a Nytro, minimum throttle and let her warm up... If I even touch my throttle during warm up better be prepared to stay on it, on mine if you let off it will bog and stall and is tough to restart. If I let it totally warm up, no issues rest of the day... Not sure technically why that is but many here have commented on start up idle being a little unstable. Having said all that, it will start in extreme cold just NO touching the gas!

 

[74Nitro]

I learned early on, when you start a Nytro, minimum throttle and let her warm up... If I even touch my throttle during warm up better be prepared to stay on it, on mine if you let off it will bog and stall and is tough to restart. If I let it totally warm up, no issues rest of the day... Not sure technically why that is but many here have commented on start up idle being a little unstable. Having said all that, it will start in extreme cold just NO touching the gas!

I never had that issue with mine.

 

[74Nitro]

Be careful if starting these engines multiple times in a row, only to allow running for a couple of minutes. If this happens 4-6 times in a row, be prepared to change spark plugs.

 

[DGZRT]

Good info on Small Jumper boxes.
Is the Nytro a short track or the XTX ?