My 96 vmax-4 st mountain max

yamapex

New member
Thought I´d make a new thread about my 96 vmax-4 st mountain max, as this is the first of my projects and it will need the most attention.

Well it all begun when I bought this 96 model. I had not seen the sled, only the pictures presented in this thread:'what to look for

As I got the sled it looked a lot worse than I had imagined. The seller had not "chatted it up", but I feel like he wasn´t totally honest about its condition either.
There were supposed to be 1 crack in the hood, but I have found at least 6. There were parts missing, like the bottom half of the left knee joint, there were something weird with the recoil starter etc etc.

Today I started tearing it apart. Here are some pictures:
As it was.
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With new windscreen (it did not come with the sled..)
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two cracks
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Two more inside the vents
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One across the nose
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And one on the other side
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a bit abused side panels, but fixable.
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next to its ten year younger brother.. also note the missing knee joint.
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Started tearing into it
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Airboxes removed. All the white tabs are accounted for. Plugs looked ok. Two were moist.
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Funky recoil starter..
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Reason why: this claw was digging into the plastic of the starter mechanism (also see next picture..). Also note missing piece of metal in front of the casting/block. Why is that??
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Continued:
The claw on the previous picture had clearly been in contact with the plastic. You can actually see the rope.. Why does this happen?
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This is another of the claw. Here you also see that the crank seal looks wet. is that normal?? also a bit of grey sealant shows were the block joins together, has it been rebuilt sometime? You also see the missing part of the block. What could have caused it?
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What do you think? is this sled a lemon?
 
First i would check to see that you have the right recoil, what codes are on it?

No i dont think you have a dog, just needs some TLC

lve seen chips out of blocks before, its not the end of the world as long as there is no cracks in to the crankcase itself.

The hood again, seen those cracks before and worst lol, the hood is real heavy, they get dropped closed and left swing open and fracture in those areas.

lf i where you i would pull the pipes of and have a look up the exhausts and a good clean up. and check carefully around that missing bit of case for cracks

Sled looks more neglected than beaten on
 
You should just buy a nice used recoil. I recently saw one that looked like yours. Just worn out. I've had two recoils break on me this winter, it's good to have an extra on hand. Also, I agree with twostrokeaddict about the hood. My 96 hood was cracked in almost the identical spots and it was smacked into trees, same crack when my 93 hit a tree.
 
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Ok thanks guys. I love that you have faith in it, it helps a lot.
A friend of mine who is a auto body repair guy is going to help me fix the hood and paint it. The airboxes were there, just not in the picture, as i removed them before i took the pictures. I also removed the hideous "gas rack" at the rear.
I have to check the numbers on the recoil when I get back from work. If it is the correct one, i find it strange that this would happen. I'm thinking that either it was assembled wrong (that maybe a shim is on the wrong side of the claw, making it come further out than it is supposed to..) or that it somehow may have moved outwards (which in my mind sounds expensive, if even possible).

On the positive side the engine number is matching the chassis number and i got a pair of new ts shocks with it.
 
Hello again.
The recoil did not have any numbers on it, but i guess its the right one.

Today i stripped it down some more. I started stripping the hood, and removing it. Then I removed the plastic beneath the radiator. next up was to remove the exhaust pipes. This uncovered that the sled have hit something once. The front metal "bumper"/lift thingy is busted in a bit, a bracket looks busted, the exhaust can has a damaged inlet from the upper pipe. This also explains the hood damage. There is also damage at the back of the bulkhead, so hopefully the PTO is not damaged also, as it sits quite close to the bellypan...

On the positive side there were fluid in the PTO, and it looked good and clean. And the radiator looks straight.

So onwards to the pictures:
exhaust removed. The missing piece of metal is where one of the bolts for the recoil was.
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Just checked the PTO. Some light rust inside the manifolds.
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Bracket under the frame, that looks like it is bent. I imagine that it is straight originally.
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Another shot. Holes in the plastic underneath the bracket from the impact.
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Bent front bumper..
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a shot from underneath. You almost see the holes made from that bracket. you can also spot "waves" in the plastic at the back of the bulkhead.
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upper exhaust inlet missing, probably due to the crash also, if the pipes were pushed back..
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Exhaust can again. Probably weldable. the missing part was on the corresponding pipe.
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Back of the bulkhead, under the engine. The damage is dangerously close to the bottom of the PTO which is left in the picture.. Fingers crossed that it was not hit.
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Another shot, same place.
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Next up is to get the engine out for inspection. Hopefully it is not hit or cracked in any way. Then a thorough wash. Stay tuned.

Btw: Is there any thing i should think of before removing the engine, considering getting it back in place? As there are no yamaha dealers close by, there is no chance to borrow a ruler to get it straight and "in line"..

Btw II: Do you think it is possible to get one of those skid plates? I think i saw someone on here who had one on their sled..
 
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When removing the engine i leave the engine mounting brackets on the engine, when you remove the nuts you will see the holes in the brackets are larger than the studs, i use a scribe to mark the holes onto the frame, this will help get the engine mounted back in the same place,

Those dings happen on the underside, be careful how much you try and push them back, if they don't interfere i would be inclined to leave them, if you have to adjust it i would get a temp stik and use some heat.

ive seen that happen on exhausts, probably due to to too loose or tight springs, you can braze them and put a fillet in where the surfaces mate to make them last longer.

you might want to look at the inner seam of the Y exhausts where the seam is they can fracture with high kms, again brazing/welding will fix that.

The recoil should have a part # i think its one of the generic vmax4 parts and is stamped 8AX, i know its stamped and its the same across tha range, i will double check my spare and take a picture.
 
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Thanks. Good advice there.
Which clutches will fit these sleds (other yamaha sleds..) The ones on there are beyond repair. The primary one, looks almost just like the one on my apex..

I read somewhere that the rx-1 chaincase fits. Is this correct?
 
On your primary you will want to try to save the fixed sheave, they are vmax-4 only and any other one used will make it necessary to grind the fins down on the stator housing. As long as the sheaves aren't cracked, warped, chipped, or compromised in some other way it is usually only a few bushings away from being a good clutch again. Secondary clutch in interchangeable with one of the other vmaxes, 96 vmax 500 and 600 I believe. Beyond that I am fairly certain the sliding sheave is vmax-4 only while the fixed on the secondary is interchangeable with just about any Yamaha secondary. Again though unless the sheaves are cracked, or broken, or missing chunks, then there are only a few wear items to replace on them.

Primary will require a special tool to service the bushing on the sliding sheave, it can be quite a chore to split those things. The secondary is much easier to work on. A shop press will help in both cases to get bushing in and out.
 
My mistake, there is no id making on the recoil. l wonder if there is a problem with the latch, did you buy the other vmax? You could just cross reference.

the center hub was plated new, i have one that has some of the finish missing and is now just steel. l don't know how much this will effect belt longevity
 
Ok, thanks, yes but i don´t have it at home. Have to do it at a later time.

Well the saga continues.

Removed the engine today.
When i removed the carbs i found that the last guy who worked on the sled did not get all carbs properly into the rubber boots on the reeds. The number 3 cylinder from the clutch side had not been properly on. Hopefully this have been airtight and haven´t damaged anything.
Then i lifted it out and put it on a dolly, and inspected it. It does not look like there are any cracks in the block, puhh, good times!!
I took some pictures of the views looking into the exhaust ports.


Cylinder #3 from clutch side. Someone have done sloppy work..
Btw are these reed-rubbers better than the ski doo ones? (they are crap, and crack/tear very soon) Or are these "safe" even though they are old?
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Enigne out. in desperate need of cleaning. The entire plastic bulges up in the middle.
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Another shot. some of the green "blood" spilled.
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On the dolly, upside down for inspection. Looks like it passed..
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Looking into cyl #1, clutch side. some vague stripes. Still honing marks.
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rings on piston #1
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cyl #2
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cyl #3, the worst looking one, which also happens to be the one with the poorly assembled carb...
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Another shot of #3
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cyl #4
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Sitting on the dolly in all her glory..
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I tried to get the clutch of, but it was stuck. Have to get another puller and use some heat next time.

It would also be interesting to do a comp test to see. Hopefully someone i know has one of those gauges.

Now that the engine is out, is it mandatory to open it up and change piston rings and crank seals (like on a ski doo)?

So what do you guys think of todays findings? any thoughts?


Sorry for all questions, but you guys know these better than i do..
 

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Ive Never heard of anyone replacing carb boots or crank seals on vmax4 engines as preventative maintenance. Although the one carb boot doesnt look right. I've owned 5 vmax4's and never had to crack an engine open yet. As long as compression is good you are ok. Usually the primaries come off around 100-120 ft lbs. if not I've used the water technique with the clutch bolt and teflon tape. Looks like frame is bent just below the steering column. Check the large triangular braces on the frame that have large holes stamped out of them for bends/cracks. That is where mine was bent after a frontal impact.
 
That clutch doesn't look like it has been off in a long time so if you have the correct clutch puller for vmax4, put Teflon tape on the threads of it and fill the hole that the puller goes in partially up with oil of some kind. inset the puller and check displacement of oil. You want the oil up to about quarter of an inch down from "top" edge of clutch with puller inserted but not started to thread. Then when you thread it in. it will create hydraulic pressure with the oil in there. tighten fairly tight with ratchet trying not to strip the threads and if it did not pop yet try hitting the head of the puller with a hammer but not too hard. I have pulled lots of clutches like this even in the sled just tipped the sled up a little bit. so with the motor out it should be a little easier. Hope this helps! Your carb boot looks like it should be replaced. They are not too expensive on eBay. Or just ask... somebody on here probably has one they would let go!
 
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Thanks all. Nothing new recently. Just ordered some parts. Got some stuff from Ted here, some from ebay and some from a norwegian web shop. They had the red snow stuff skid plate and a new clutch puller.
 
I see that both aaen and hauck have quads, both at about 1000$. Is it worth it, or is it enough with a silencer? Bender and hauck have silencers at 299$. Any recommendations?
 
Started looking for seat covers. Does anyone have experience with scottys sled shed? I was thinking about getting one with red sides and red top, since the option is available.. Anyone else have tried something different from black?

I also noticed carls thread, but I need a cover now, so maybe I`ll have one of those later on.
 
lf you intend to ride in the mountains in powder both mentioned quads are useless.

You will spend your life rejetting, and whats worse off the line for the first few feet the power is not there, by all means try, i did for three seasons, all i did was alot of digging, for these sleds in the mountains stock is the way to go. lf you are trail riding by all means get quads, they sell used for half the money, just have to be patient.
 
Thanks. I have thought hard about it, and i have decided to wait until the sled is ready before i go there. IT would be sad to spend that much money, if it turns out the engine does not run or something. ..
 
I haven`t done anything more to it this summer, except for cleaning it. I took it out a few weeks ago and gave it a good go with the powerwasher, so it will be better to work on it, when I have time.

I also have gotten the vmax 700, that I will part out.
 


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