GT Mills
Veteran
Is there any danger in turning an Apex engine backwards by hand slowly? Thanks.
The 2011 Apex engine had been sitting out of the sled for over a year. Before trying to start it for the first time I added a tsp of oil into each of the intake throttle bodies, and into the spark plug holes. Let it sit for an hour, then rotated the engine by hand, very slowly in both directions. Then let it sit over night.
Added two qts oil to the tank, one qt to the valve cover oil plug. Let it sit over night.
Pulled the return hose from the tank and put it in a catch bottle. Cranked the starter with the coils unplugged, after a couple of rotations oil flowed freely out the return line into the bottle. Connected it to the tank, and started the engine. It ran for 1/2 minute and quit, with OP-LO on the MFD. I thought maybe it needed to idle a bit more to burp the system and started it again, this time trying the revs. It bumped against the limp limit, I returned it to idle then quit again.
I opened the bleed plug next to #1 cylinder exhaust flange, cranked the motor with the coils disco'd, and nothing came out. Started the motor again and still nothing weeped from the check plug.
Pulled the return hose off the tank, cranked the motor with the wires pulled, and nada. Zip. Zilch oil pumping.
I pulled the breathers and return from the tank, plugged up the tank nipples with rubber stoppers, added a clean, new short piece of hose so I could blow into the return nipple while cranking the starter, but it would not prime and pump out the return hose in the catch bottle.
I removed my little blow hose and plugged the return nipple with a rubber stopper. Cranking the dead engine I added a squirt of air pressure. No prime. Added another squirt. Nothing. I repeated this until I blew the stopper out of the return nipple and oil blew out and got all over everything.
Still the oil refused to flow. I drained the oil and removed the bottom hose, the bottom nipple with the screen, and the oil pump nipple up under and behind the water pump. Everything was clear, clean, fine and dandy. I flushed the oil tank with a qt of oil. Put it all back together, added oil and it would not flow. I added a qt to the valve cover, and it pumped just fine.
After the sump pumped dry it stopped flowing and does not pull oil from the tank.
I've read some extensive threads on here, including the sheet from Yamaha on how to bleed the system, but I am nowhere.
Why does the breather hose split into two lines, one small and one large? I dropped a plug into the large nipple on the tank and now I can't get it out. I will probably have to replace the tank. Has anyone ever cut apart one of these tanks to see what's going on in there?
The 2011 Apex engine had been sitting out of the sled for over a year. Before trying to start it for the first time I added a tsp of oil into each of the intake throttle bodies, and into the spark plug holes. Let it sit for an hour, then rotated the engine by hand, very slowly in both directions. Then let it sit over night.
Added two qts oil to the tank, one qt to the valve cover oil plug. Let it sit over night.
Pulled the return hose from the tank and put it in a catch bottle. Cranked the starter with the coils unplugged, after a couple of rotations oil flowed freely out the return line into the bottle. Connected it to the tank, and started the engine. It ran for 1/2 minute and quit, with OP-LO on the MFD. I thought maybe it needed to idle a bit more to burp the system and started it again, this time trying the revs. It bumped against the limp limit, I returned it to idle then quit again.
I opened the bleed plug next to #1 cylinder exhaust flange, cranked the motor with the coils disco'd, and nothing came out. Started the motor again and still nothing weeped from the check plug.
Pulled the return hose off the tank, cranked the motor with the wires pulled, and nada. Zip. Zilch oil pumping.
I pulled the breathers and return from the tank, plugged up the tank nipples with rubber stoppers, added a clean, new short piece of hose so I could blow into the return nipple while cranking the starter, but it would not prime and pump out the return hose in the catch bottle.
I removed my little blow hose and plugged the return nipple with a rubber stopper. Cranking the dead engine I added a squirt of air pressure. No prime. Added another squirt. Nothing. I repeated this until I blew the stopper out of the return nipple and oil blew out and got all over everything.
Still the oil refused to flow. I drained the oil and removed the bottom hose, the bottom nipple with the screen, and the oil pump nipple up under and behind the water pump. Everything was clear, clean, fine and dandy. I flushed the oil tank with a qt of oil. Put it all back together, added oil and it would not flow. I added a qt to the valve cover, and it pumped just fine.
After the sump pumped dry it stopped flowing and does not pull oil from the tank.
I've read some extensive threads on here, including the sheet from Yamaha on how to bleed the system, but I am nowhere.
Why does the breather hose split into two lines, one small and one large? I dropped a plug into the large nipple on the tank and now I can't get it out. I will probably have to replace the tank. Has anyone ever cut apart one of these tanks to see what's going on in there?
The oil tank has a divider or baffle in it and that's about it. With a little time you should be able to get that plug out.
What I have done for dark areas like the tank is take a small automotive 194 bulb (commonly used for interior lights and side marker lights) and solder wires to the bulb leads. Connect the wires to a battery and drop the bulb into the tank. Lights ups fairly well.
GT Mills
Veteran
Looks like I have oil flowing now, the only thing I did different was remove the oil filter when I bled it again. Also got the rubber stopper out of the tank breather with a cordless drill, thanks for the encouraging words, Steiner!
