Warning, -16 late build Viper turbo breakdowns, bad rods.

[Jackal]

You more than likely won't hear Yamaha speak openly about a problem. They claim MPI had a bad run of programmed controllers over boosting causing engine damage. NOT YAMAHA's mistake, MPI's.
Mine was one of them but I caught it with a boost gauge before damage occurred.
My dealer spoke to Yamaha while I was sitting there (speaker Phone)
Yamaha rep said "ride it, he has a warranty". They are not admitting they made a mistake because it isn't in there eyes. They said 5psi of boost it will be fine, and it must be clutched correctly to stay in the correct RPM range. I've got 1000 miles on my late build 2016 LTX Viper. I rip it all day long. We'll see for how long...
Just sad I can't put more boost to it if I wanted to. Hopefully it's an isolated issue within the late built engines and only a few of them will have problems and Yamaha will stand up and fix the issue and not band aid it. Otherwise There will be some disappointed customers and reluctant future buyers.

 

[sk-rx1]

Regardless if its the boost situation or not the 14s and 15s held up fine at much higher boost levels. So they were not truthful in their advertising that performance will be the same.

 

[Jackal]

Regardless if its the boost situation or not the 14s and 15s held up fine at much higher boost levels. So they were not truthful in their advertising that performance will be the same.

Agreed, Yamaha did not do their normal R&D with the motor change. They ran it at stock levels 135HP and called it good. They never put it out to dealers or consumers they were making an engine revision, MPI didn't know about it until they blew them up. No way they put this new revision engine in a sled and ran it loaded at full boost for hundreds of hours. Hell the reason I bought this sled was to boost it now I can't do what everyone else has been doing to them for the last few years.
Total BS, glad I have The Y.E.S., I guess
I hate to chance it but I'll be pushing my new Viper/MPI and if it fails I'll be sure to tell the world how its handled. Hopefully it doesn't and hopefully not at after a big snow drop if it does.
If Yamaha comes out with a manufactured turbo machine I can bet you it won't be with the same revision engine out now...

 

[InRBigness]

I agree with you Jackal. I have one as well with an mpi turbo. Dave from hurricane pulled a few 16's apart with I would imagine the intention of swapping the rods in prep for bigger turbo.
What he found was that there were two different sets of rods in the motors. One was softer steel able to be marked with a file and the others had cromoly heat treated ones. This has since been confirmed by some members who bought Carrillo rods to us MCX's 270 kit. They both found that they had the hardened cromoly rods.

So not all the motors are built with rods made of butter. It does appear that some are brutal but others are going to be fine. I choose to believe mine fit the latter category. If not, I have warranty.

 

[Jackal]

My local dealer here in Michigan just told me YAMAHA CANADA has just put out that the MPI trail turbo is no longer compatible with the 2016 Viper models.
Anyone heard that one yet?
This is a copy of the dealer letter sent out from Yamaha USA:

ATTENTION: Yamaha Snowmobile Dealers


DATE: January 22, 2016

SUBJECT: Accessory MPI “All Elevation/Low Elevation" Turbo Kit Advisory

Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. is advising that the “All Elevation/Low Elevation" Turbo Kit with the

Electronic Altitude Boost Controller (EABC) manufactured by MPI (Mountain Performance, Inc.), Yamaha

p/n SMA-8JP17-00-TB, should not be used on 2016-model SRViper snowmobiles unless very specific

instructions are followed (see below).

MPI has reported issues with this product (i.e., miscalibrated controller units that can result in a serious

“overboost” condition). Technicians are to refer to the YDS message posted on January 4, 2016, titled “MPI

Alert Regarding Turbo Kit SMA-8JP17-00-TB for SRViper -- Updated” and the MPI technical bulletin titled

“TSB-1505-CA – EABC Electronic Altitude Boost Controller Reprogram Campaign.” All MPI turbos should

be checked as per these instructions and updated as necessary. Failure to do so may result in the faulty

boost controller causing serious engine failures.

As per MPI, immediately disconnect (disable) the boost controller if the unit has not been recalibrated.

Dealers and customers must be made aware that turbo kits are purposely designed for specific operating

conditions and require very specialized service for proper set-up and long-term durability — regardless of

type. It is highly advised that all turbo installations be performed by a Yamaha dealer with experience in

turbo installation and tuning. Failure to set-up units and test/tune properly could cause performance issues

and unintended consequential damage. Further, all such installations require the addition of a high-quality

boost gauge (not included) as well as precise clutch calibration for proper shift RPM.

Once a known good (or recalibrated) boost controller and boost gauge are installed, the SRViper needs to

be re-clutched so it runs in the recommended shift range of 8400~8600 RPM. Maximum boost is not to

exceed 5 psi. Following these guidelines for proper set-up are crucial for long-term durability and customer

satisfaction.

Thorough set-up and proper checking procedures must be followed when making this high-performance

modification. If you are unsure of proper installation, testing, or equipment required, you may request

assistance either by contacting an RTA @ 800-879-0078, filing an Online Tech Assistance on YDS

(Service>Online Tech Support>New Request), or contacting MPI.

There is a great deal of misinformation about this issue on web boards and in user group communications.

Additionally, it has come to our attention that some market areas may be experiencing issues not

attributable to MPI Turbo Kits. Yamaha is currently in the process of investigating all reported issues. We

will address the causes and will share what we learn with dealers and customers as soon as possible.

Again, we urge you to take the steps provided above without delay. If this situation causes you any

inconvenience, we apologize. We also thank you for your understanding. Yamaha is committed to dealer

and customer satisfaction. We are providing this additional communication to help ensure the SRViper’s

durability and provide trouble-free service.

Service and Warranty Departments

Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.

 

[InRBigness]

Yes that's old news. Yamaha Canada over reacted when stuff first started happening. Then they came out with the notice about the EABC. It originated here with some members giving real worl results. MPI stepped up right away to their credit and dealt with the issue right away. Again we knew more about this than the dealers. I had to tell mine what was going on.

Yamaha has decided, unfortunately, to pretend this is an MPI issue. It was in part an MPI issue but was more of a bad batch of rods issue.

You are near here I believe but if you go and read some of the threads and follow how the timelines played out you can get a more real world view of the issue. Trust me, those of us with them tend to absorb everything that is said.

One other issue here is that from my experience and others is that the average dealer knows very little. The number of times people have been told: "oh, this is the first we have seen that" with regards to starter issues, skid mounting issues or any other issue. This is not only Yamaha but Ford, Polaris, Honda and all the others. Dealers are not enthusiasts as we are and don't do nearly as much research.

If they tell you something, it's in your best interest to be sceptical.

 

[jsslye]

I stopped by my dealer yesterday for some incidentals and his first comment was, "Be glad you didn't order the turbo in your '16 LTX-LE," and showed me the original motor (pic attached-with a nice view of the rod!) and the SECOND blown motor that Yamaha sent his to replace the original in the sled, blown after 6 miles down the trail. Apparently the MPI turbo was running 8 lbs of boost instead of 5?

 

[Jackal]

Well there you have it. The new motors barely handle 5 psi of boost yet Yamaha won't recall them and upgrade the rods for customers with pre season ordered turbo machines they promoted. (at the least)
That's BS for Yamaha to hope we make it out of warranty period and or we blow up during a short snow season and miss our chance to ride what we paid so much for.
I guess I'll have to tear mine down this season and pay for better rods out of pocket for reassurance that it stays together for me, despite the 5 years of Y.E.S I already have. I'm sure that's what Yamaha hopes everyone will do anyway.

 

[Yamahashane]

Seen this on facebook lol

 

[Joe ltx-le]

Seen this on facebook lol

She gone!!

First time I heard of a rod failure causing a fire ....lol

 

[CooperT]

He probably blew it up on the trail and said screw it and just lit it up! Probably what I would do...

 

[Yamahashane]

Well looks like my rods finally let go.. Just when we got a #*$&@ ton of snow.. Just great!

 

[JoshBailey]

Well looks like my rods finally let go.. Just when we got a #*$&@ ton of snow.. Just great!

How many miles ?

Sent from my SM-G870W using Tapatalk

 

[Joe ltx-le]

I stopped by my dealer yesterday for some incidentals and his first comment was, "Be glad you didn't order the turbo in your '16 LTX-LE," and showed me the original motor (pic attached-with a nice view of the rod!) and the SECOND blown motor that Yamaha sent his to replace the original in the sled, blown after 6 miles down the trail. Apparently the MPI turbo was running 8 lbs of boost instead of 5?

Well looks like my rods finally let go.. Just when we got a #*$&@ ton of snow.. Just great!

no way! That's shity man. I know it's a bad time but did you have a boost gauge?

 

[CooperT]

Oh man, sorry to hear...