air box tabs

[SledheadDrew]

Would you guys suggest breaking off these tabs to prevent future damage? Thanks Drew

[Kahunas]

Do it NOW!! My machine had only 190 miles on it when I checked it. I was VERY surprised how brittle they were. It is soooo easy to do to prevent a tragedy.:m2c:

[Mad Powersports]

:agree: Yes!

[8BU]

Could someone post a pick of them and where there located?

[Naskram]

..............Remove the top 'halfs' of your airboxes, you need to take the coils of etc.
when you have the tops of the airboxes off, look inside, you will see that the outer rubber carb mainfolds are secured to the airbox with the help of white plastic tubes. these white plastic tubes have tabs cut into them. You may find them allready gone. lf not give them a wiggle, some of mine literally fell of.
Needless to say if your motor ingests these tabs...............!!!

The mainifold settup seems to work without them, you already have a kind of tongue and grove and jubalee clip. lt is perhaps a bit of yamaha over engineering we all know and Love?

[mjdevries]

Most likely an assembly aid to support the assembly process. They probably snapped them into the airbox and then later they would grab the airbox assembly to assemble to the sled. They may have even shipped the airboxes assembled from a supplier to the yamaha assembly plant. It would be a PIA in a production environment to have these things falling off all the time.

They are the locking tabs on part #19 in the diagram.

[racerrob]

Here are pics of mine.
I had one break while running it on the trailer a few yaers back shortly after I got the ole Vmax4. The darn throttle hung open at about 3/4's open.
I was VERY lucky...this was quite the shocker as to what happened. Could not figure why the hell the throttle was hanging! Glad I was not on a trail some where...Wow...that could really hurt!! And of course, I was REAL glad the motor did not ingest that fine piece of plastic!!!:cussing:

Since these darn things are plastic, age will get to them. As others have said, they become brittle. I got new ones & make a habit of checking them.
I have not gone to the "break them off" mode. Maybe I should. My feeling is that if they are new, they should be good, IMHO.

Anyone who has not checked these simple $5 parts, ya better do it now...before ya lose a $$$ motor or crash as the throttle hangs open!!

Rob

[8BU]

Thanks for the info and pics guys. Sleds back in the garage for repairs/reengineering. I'll have to take a look at the airbox then.

[3ft]

I checked mine and they are in great shape.....You guys have talked me into just taking them out. Why risk it....

[luckyone]

i went and bought brand new ones, should be good for a few years before they go brittle again

[vmax4rules]

Yes, I pulled the carbs off my 96' to rejet and guess what I found laying in the carb bellmouth
(thank god for dial a jets) the fuel delivery tube stopped the piece from being sucked in.

[VANDEE97vmax4]

Same here after reading about it last year two of mine where bent half way into the opening. took them off before they came off.

[racerrob]

Pulled my carbs this weekend for cleaning & guess what..
Yep......even though mine were only 2 years old, I had 2 on the left box that were showing the beginnings of cracks.:3speechle

Interestingly enough what I found was that these 2 had "tabs" that had not
"clicked" completely. So, they were in fact a bit bent & that actually is what weakened them & there was a hairline crack starting on these 2 tabs.
They both were the top tabs on the left air box. The other tabs were all okay.

Back when I had one break, it was also on the left airbox.

So, I filed the other tab connection points so that they "seat in" a bit better & am ordering 4 more new ones for the shelf.

I know ya can run w/o them, but, the tabs do keep "pipe" a bit tighter.

[davet]

Here are pics of mine.
I had one break while running it on the trailer a few yaers back shortly after I got the ole Vmax4. The darn throttle hung open at about 3/4's open.
I was VERY lucky...this was quite the shocker as to what happened. Could not figure why the hell the throttle was hanging! Glad I was not on a trail some where...Wow...that could really hurt!! And of course, I was REAL glad the motor did not ingest that fine piece of plastic!!!:cussing:

Rob

Same happened to me, luky i hit the kill switch fast enough