Oil consumption on a VMAX 600

1

1350CFM

New member
Joined
Jan 13, 2004
Messages
10
Location
Grafton Ohio
I have a 1996 VMAX XT 600. It uses alot of oil compared to my friends sleds. Whats the deal with setting up these things. We set the mark on the pump to line up at WOT, But were not able to adjust the cable enough to get the measurement(1") that the shop manual called for. It didn't have any free play in the throttle which I added a little.
 

I have that same sled. This past saturday I put almost 90 miles of some decent field burst, some slow over the bumps, pretty much the whole gamut of conditions and I think I used about half of a tank of oil. I filled up the oil tank with less than a half of a gallon. I'm figuring I probably get about 250 miles per gallon of oil. Don't know if that's bad or not. I know my uncle's viper does much better and so does my father-in-law's polaris, but those are both newer triples.
 
yep, mine likes the oil as well.

I'd agree also that I get around 250/gallon (or whatever the tank capacity is).

I thought about messing with it, but decided not to. The sled seems happy, so I'm happy.
 
If I were to keep accurate tabs on gallons of gas used vs oil used and found it to be too rich I wouldn't see why I couldn't lean out the oil pump a bit. Should be 50:1 mix right? Also since I'm running synthetic should(could) it be leaner than that? It just makes me nervous thinking about leaning it out, Yet $27.00 a gallon of oil get's old quick.
 
I have a 97 600 I set it the width of a mark past the line . I have had it there for the whole season with no problem , It still uses lots but not as bad .After half throttle I don't think it matters where it is set .
 
If you guys are getting 250 miles to a gallonf of oil, that is about a 25-1 ration, too rich.

Bender had a fix for the Vmax oil pumps and did something to them to make them not so rich, because the older Vmax's did have a problem with excessive oil consumption. You had to send your pump to them, or it was on a exchange basis, but they don't list it on their website anymore. So not sure if they are still doing it, but you could call.
 
oil pump

I just spoke with a few Yamaha dealers about this issue. My '96 600 XT is really drinking oil fast. Most of a tank in 200 miles. Here's what I found out:

- There is an issue with those rev. 1 '96 oil pumps sucking too much oil after significant mileage. They changed the pump in '97.

- When any oil pump is starting to go bad it will pump too much oil.

- You know it's pumping WAY too much oil when it starts to fowl plugs and put out a LOT of smoke.

- Regardless of the cause, the solution is the same - a new (revised) oil pump.

The dealerships quoted around $155 for the new pump. A local shop quoted $65. I am wondering if the cheaper pump will fix the problem or should i get one from the Yamaha dealer.
 
FUEL Consumption

My 96' XT drinks about 1 quart of Yamalube to every 100 miles. I have heard this is normal from my friends. I can't stand, however, the way it sucks fuel. I just tested out the mpg. After 20.4 miles, I had to put in 2.69 gallons of fuel. That equates to 7.58mpg. Ridiculous. Does anyone know if this is normal for this sled? I have the factory twin pipes on it as well. Any feedback would be appreciated. I may be getting a new RS Vector :WayCool: , but would still like to get this fixed.
 
I've got that sled. I have psi twin pipes on it and I'd say that's probably close or maybe on the low side of average. I usually figure 8 mpg. I can squeeze 90-95 miles out of a tank. It's a big heavy sled. If it's jetted right and the oil pump is set right, it's just a matter of the beast.
 
laneg004 said:
I just spoke with a few Yamaha dealers about this issue. My '96 600 XT is really drinking oil fast. Most of a tank in 200 miles. Here's what I found out:

- There is an issue with those rev. 1 '96 oil pumps sucking too much oil after significant mileage. They changed the pump in '97.

- When any oil pump is starting to go bad it will pump too much oil.

- You know it's pumping WAY too much oil when it starts to fowl plugs and put out a LOT of smoke.

- Regardless of the cause, the solution is the same - a new (revised) oil pump.

The dealerships quoted around $155 for the new pump. A local shop quoted $65. I am wondering if the cheaper pump will fix the problem or should i get one from the Yamaha dealer.
Click to expand...


Buddy, I wish MY dealer knew that...they tell me a quart of oil every 5 gallones of gas is just the nature of the beast. I have a 97 VT600. I just had it in today again, and they tell me the same thing. They will not replace the oil pump for me, they say if it's going bad it wouldn't pump rich. I'm getting this right from the manager of place. I'm not sure what else to do. Is it easy to do myself?
 
Our 98 VMAX XT 600 goes through a tank of oil in about 160-170 miles. It has not fouled any plugs, so I am afraid to lean it out... what do you think? I believe the dealer set it rich because about 3 years ago she blew a cylinder..
 
I know when riding with the Venture and Vmax when I go to add oil there is definitely a difference, I have never kept track to know for sure but I would say around 250miles per tank of oil.
 
I asked cuz I have a 97 and it sucks oil like crazy. My dealer said all is OK, but I don't believe them. I seem to get 60-70 miles on a quart if I'm lucky
 
97 600 Twin. 100 miles to a tank. Called Bender and they said buy a new pump and they do not have a fix for the pumps. Only new pumps. I talked to two dealers and they said and I quote " I can sell you a new pump but it will not change your oil consumption " Seems there is a small stopper valve in the bottom of the pump that wears out. I have seen this two times on 98 600's.
Fuel mileage was increased by dropping down from 151.3 jetts to 148.8 and dropping the needles one clip. Twin motors drink oil and gas much worse than any Exciter motor I had. Seems the 600 in 94 sucked just as much as the 97 twins did. Good motors just thirsty buggers.
I ran Wal-Mart oil in my twin. At $5.97 a gallon it ran fine and I could afford to run it. I also run the Wal-Mart oil in my 700 SX and my outboard and chainsaw and weedwacker. No problem. Stuff smells and looks like Polaris oil anyway !!!
 
After my trip last week when temps were less than ideal, I think I did good on gas even with the pipes. I was probably getting about 10 mpg. I was usually within 1/10 or 2/10 of a gallon from the guy who was riding a 97 vmax 600 xtc. His motor is fresh and mine has well over 8000 miles on it. He's also alot lighter of a guy than I am. I was pretty happy. I used more oil than he did, but I didn't expect anything different. I was even pretty close to the gas it took in the 96 polaris 600 triple and took less than a newer arctic cat 500.
 
Rejet your 600 Twin

I had a 94 600 Vmax. It had the same problem everyone here is talking about. Poor fuel economy, big oil consumption, poor low and mid range. The factory jetting is way to rich. After complaining to my dealer about the problem, He suggested moving from 156 (stock) mains, down to 153.8 mains for a sled that rides here in the upper midwest. This adjustment helped this sled achieve 10- 12 mpg and about 5- 10 hp with no plug fouling, and an excellent low to mid range that was non existant prior. No adjustment to the pilots either. Yamaha offered a 3 year warrantee on this sled for the spring purchase, and probably wanted to avoid engine issues with it. Tink.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


Back
Top