bluelightning
New member
hey all, just stumbled across this site! I'm a first time snowmobile owner...just scooped up a 99 srx700. I have no experience with sleds, but have had a few yamaha dirt bikes and trust the name, so i figured i would go blue haha. however, i'm having some issues, and im hoping someone here could help me out, because the dealership seems helpless to me.
I bought the sled, soon to see that the speedometer cable was disconnected, and also broken. Bought a new one and put it in, still nothing. Upon some tinkering, and consulting my factory shop manuel, i removed the speedometer drive assembly from the clutch side of the engine, to find that it is missing a shaft-like piece that goes from the center of the assembly to the center of the drive shaft bearing? (please bear with me, i dont know what all these things are called!) Long story short, went to the dealer and bought that shaft-thingy. Fits into the speedo assembly no problem, but feels like it only goes halfway into the bearing-housing. I figured the hell with it and tryed bolting everything up. jacked up the back, left the hood open and disconnected the speedo cable from the speedometer itself to see if it moved at all when i moved the track, and nothing!!! now here is the real question. This shaft thingy that connects the gear assemby to the drive shaft bearing thing.....when it is inserted into the bearing, should it spin freely? or should it only move when the track is moving? any help would be appreciated, as the dealer is useless!!!
and also, having trouble starting the darn thing...any suggestions? i have to admit, im excited about my first sled and start it every day for a few minutes...but today it wont start. tryed throwing some new plugs at it, and still nothing
spark and compression are both good. it was running good before it decided to not start lol. when i pull a plug it smells like gad, but doesnt look wet...any ideas?
I bought the sled, soon to see that the speedometer cable was disconnected, and also broken. Bought a new one and put it in, still nothing. Upon some tinkering, and consulting my factory shop manuel, i removed the speedometer drive assembly from the clutch side of the engine, to find that it is missing a shaft-like piece that goes from the center of the assembly to the center of the drive shaft bearing? (please bear with me, i dont know what all these things are called!) Long story short, went to the dealer and bought that shaft-thingy. Fits into the speedo assembly no problem, but feels like it only goes halfway into the bearing-housing. I figured the hell with it and tryed bolting everything up. jacked up the back, left the hood open and disconnected the speedo cable from the speedometer itself to see if it moved at all when i moved the track, and nothing!!! now here is the real question. This shaft thingy that connects the gear assemby to the drive shaft bearing thing.....when it is inserted into the bearing, should it spin freely? or should it only move when the track is moving? any help would be appreciated, as the dealer is useless!!!
and also, having trouble starting the darn thing...any suggestions? i have to admit, im excited about my first sled and start it every day for a few minutes...but today it wont start. tryed throwing some new plugs at it, and still nothing
spark and compression are both good. it was running good before it decided to not start lol. when i pull a plug it smells like gad, but doesnt look wet...any ideas?
Bakemono
New member
Let me start by saying, "Welcome to TY!" This is a great place to learn about Yamaha sleds and to meet people with similar taste in sleds. Everyone here is really knowledgable and for the most part are really respectfull of each others' opinions.
A 700 SRX is one heck of a starter sled.
I cant help you on the speedo thing, but about your sled not starting, its possible that you flooded the engine.
A snowmobile is jetted for temps from 0-20 F, so it was most likely running waaay rich. If it was 45-50 degrees when you tried to start it, it might have flooded. I would try it tomorrow and see how it starts.
A 700 SRX is one heck of a starter sled.
I cant help you on the speedo thing, but about your sled not starting, its possible that you flooded the engine.
A snowmobile is jetted for temps from 0-20 F, so it was most likely running waaay rich. If it was 45-50 degrees when you tried to start it, it might have flooded. I would try it tomorrow and see how it starts.
PowerValve-700
New member
The shaft-thingy (I call it a key) should not turn freely, if it is turning you might have to replace the adapter (#2 in the microfiche) and make sure it fits tight into the driveshaft. If the key is not going in all the way a piece of the old one might still be in there, if there is see if you can hook it out with a small drill bit or something.
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The key that fits between the drive shaft and speedo housing is NOT supposed to turn freely in the drive shaft. It IS supposed to turn with the drive shaft when the track is rotated.
Yamaha, with the SX and SXR chassis had a problem with the speedo housing trapping water between it and the drive shaft bearing. When the sleds sit over the summer the water would help everything in that area rust and corrode. This would lead to the clutch side drive shaft bearing failing and the key between the drive shaft and speedo breaking inside both the drive shaft and speedo housing. I know first hand because I have a ’99 SX with these problems. It is almost impossible to get the broken end of the key out of the drive shaft without wrecking the square insert that holds and drives the key. I drilled mine out and then used J.B. weld to set and hold a new key in place. Also, since you are down there messing around it might be a good time to replace the drive shaft bearing. Don’t go to Yamaha to get it because it will cost you $40+. Take it to a local bearings and drives shop and have them cross reference it to a Timken, Boston, etc. bearing that will cost you about $10-15 instead.
As for the hard starting I can only say that the carbs on these sleds need cleaning quite often after sitting idle all summer to make them work properly. Check the T.Y. Tech page for info on how to go about taking them off and cleaning them.
If you find the ride to be a little harsh this winter you can always buy some Viper shocks/springs and longer limiter straps to long-travel the sled. I did this with my SX and gain a whole lot of ride comfort without sacrificing the handling characteristics which by the way are slot-car like with these chassis’.
Mills
Yamaha, with the SX and SXR chassis had a problem with the speedo housing trapping water between it and the drive shaft bearing. When the sleds sit over the summer the water would help everything in that area rust and corrode. This would lead to the clutch side drive shaft bearing failing and the key between the drive shaft and speedo breaking inside both the drive shaft and speedo housing. I know first hand because I have a ’99 SX with these problems. It is almost impossible to get the broken end of the key out of the drive shaft without wrecking the square insert that holds and drives the key. I drilled mine out and then used J.B. weld to set and hold a new key in place. Also, since you are down there messing around it might be a good time to replace the drive shaft bearing. Don’t go to Yamaha to get it because it will cost you $40+. Take it to a local bearings and drives shop and have them cross reference it to a Timken, Boston, etc. bearing that will cost you about $10-15 instead.
As for the hard starting I can only say that the carbs on these sleds need cleaning quite often after sitting idle all summer to make them work properly. Check the T.Y. Tech page for info on how to go about taking them off and cleaning them.
If you find the ride to be a little harsh this winter you can always buy some Viper shocks/springs and longer limiter straps to long-travel the sled. I did this with my SX and gain a whole lot of ride comfort without sacrificing the handling characteristics which by the way are slot-car like with these chassis’.
Mills
Yup, there is likely a piece of the old key still in there. You might want to check the driveshaft bearing while you are there.
These engines are real simple and require 3 things to run . . .
These engines are real simple and require 3 things to run . . .
- Good Fuel / Air mixture
- Compression
- Adequate spark at the right time
- Make sure you have good fuel in the tank and the carbs are clean.
- Do a quick compression check and write it down.
- Get a buddy to hold on to the plug wire while you give it a yank, er maybe you should just use a spark tester, or a removed spark plug to test.
bluelightning
New member
powervalve, exactly what i expected. do you know how far the key should be going into #2 in the pic? and also, how exactly does #2 fit into the driveshaft? IE, what would be wrong with it that it would be spinning independantly of the shaft? could it be possible that it is spinning freely because a piece of the old one is in there?
(and thanks for posting the images, i didnt know how. at the dealer, they were only pulling up the second one, which doesnt show the key, and i had to insist that that was what i needed)
mills, when i bought the sled, the speedometer cable was missing the inner part that actually spins. at first i just assumed it was removed to stop the miles from racking up, and then opon replacing it, i discovered the missing key. i see no evidence of the key shearing apart inside the housing. is it possible that it was lost when the track was replaced?
(and thanks for posting the images, i didnt know how. at the dealer, they were only pulling up the second one, which doesnt show the key, and i had to insist that that was what i needed)
mills, when i bought the sled, the speedometer cable was missing the inner part that actually spins. at first i just assumed it was removed to stop the miles from racking up, and then opon replacing it, i discovered the missing key. i see no evidence of the key shearing apart inside the housing. is it possible that it was lost when the track was replaced?
bluelightning
New member
ding, did 2 of the 3 things you mentioned. 125 across all 3 cylinders. Seemed kinda low to me, but its a cheap compression meter, and also i've been told your fine 95% of the time if they are all within 5% of each other. Also had my buddy hold the plugs while i turned it over, and i have good spark. guess that last issue is the gas thats in there. im not gonna lie, i have no idea how old it is. just strange because i've had it for about 2 weeks, and i've been starting it up quite a bit and its been starting with no problems
and also, thank you everybody for all the help so far! i dont wanna be the guy that just signs up for the forum, asks a question, and then is never seen again. i dont know much about sleds, but i hope at some point i will be able to contribute to you guys. right now i just gotta absorb all the info i can
and also, thank you everybody for all the help so far! i dont wanna be the guy that just signs up for the forum, asks a question, and then is never seen again. i dont know much about sleds, but i hope at some point i will be able to contribute to you guys. right now i just gotta absorb all the info i can
daman
New member
welcome 
bluelightning said:
I would hazard a guess that as long as you keep up with the updates to this thread, everyone will keep offering advice! I think alot of the guys like to hear how things workout, kinda closes the case. If you didn't already know, there is a whole lotta tech info here: http://www.totallyamaha.com/Totallyamaha/mainTechIndex.html You can also get there from http://www.totallyamaha.com and clicking on the "Technical Pages" button on the left.
Welcome aboad! Be careful, it's addictive.
yamaholic22
Active member
bluelightning said:
I would hate to be your buddy being the human spark indicator, lol. Did he get a good jolt? Some people like that sort of thing
Meant to say Welcome, and yes we do like to see updates to these posts to see how things turned out.
I would change the gas, and clean the carbs. If you shoot a little starting fluid in the plug holes, replace the plugs and it fires, then you likely have bad gas or dirty carbs. If the gas set there all summer it likely left residue in the bowls. Then when you started it up a few times it moved that residue into the jets and other orfices.
If you have to start the sled every day (believe me I understand that), be sure to let it warm up good before shutting it off. You might want to make sure it is outside or at least the garage door is open. Just starting it and running it for a little while before shutting it off will introduce a lot of moisture into the internals of the engine which is not good. It also tends to dry-foul plugs.
Welcome to TY!!!
I would change the gas, and clean the carbs. If you shoot a little starting fluid in the plug holes, replace the plugs and it fires, then you likely have bad gas or dirty carbs. If the gas set there all summer it likely left residue in the bowls. Then when you started it up a few times it moved that residue into the jets and other orfices.
If you have to start the sled every day (believe me I understand that), be sure to let it warm up good before shutting it off. You might want to make sure it is outside or at least the garage door is open. Just starting it and running it for a little while before shutting it off will introduce a lot of moisture into the internals of the engine which is not good. It also tends to dry-foul plugs.
Welcome to TY!!!
Yah, I was wondering how far he jumped.
When I was quite young my cousin who was a couple years older got me with that trick. I have yet to forget it . . .
When I was quite young my cousin who was a couple years older got me with that trick. I have yet to forget it . . .
PowerValve-700
New member
bluelightning said:
The key should go all the way until in brings up on the rounded bump in the center of the key, #2 is a press fit into the shaft. It sounds like to me #2 is turning in the shaft, check that.
bluelightning
New member
powervalve, i believe its turning in the shaft also. i wasnt sure if maybe once the key is in there, it someone causes #2 to lock up with the shaft? like i said i dont have much of a clue as to how everything works in this darn thing! the key doesn't go all the way in to the bump in the middle, only goes about 1/4 of the total lenght. is it possible that if there is a peice in there, if i fish it out, will the new key cause the #2 to lock up with the shaft? looks as if im going to have to rip the whole driveshaft out to get to that #2 part right?
my buddy didnt get a jolt at all lol, we were somewhat intelligent about it. held the plug up to the head while i cranked it over.
and by the way, it just started up first pull today. guess i'll have to stop starting it everyday then
well i've got to head out to school now, but thank you everybody for all the helpful advise so far! it seems as if this is a very helpful friendly place, and i wish i found it 2 weeks ago.
my buddy didnt get a jolt at all lol, we were somewhat intelligent about it. held the plug up to the head while i cranked it over.
and by the way, it just started up first pull today. guess i'll have to stop starting it everyday then
well i've got to head out to school now, but thank you everybody for all the helpful advise so far! it seems as if this is a very helpful friendly place, and i wish i found it 2 weeks ago.
PowerValve-700
New member
If it's turning in the shaft then it should be easy to remove, thus making it easier to get the old key out. No there's nothing the key does to help the adapter from turning in the shaft. Myself, I've never seen one turn in the shaft before, but I can picture what's going on there. I thought they were in too tight to slip, unless someone drilled it out before and used the wrong size bit. 
bluelightning
New member
how do i go about removing that adapter? any way i can just like pop it out? or does the whole shaft need to be removed...i sure hope not
SRXtrafast
New member
About your sled not starting,take the plugs out and pull it over a few times. This will push out any excess gas in the cylinders if it's flooded. I did the same thing when I got mine a few years back, just loved to hear it run but flooded easily. I later found out that it was rich jetting too. If that doesn't remedy the problem you could have an electrical short in the main wire harness. Have someone watch the headlight as you pull it over. If it lights up then no problem,but if not you mave to check that main wire harness that runs under the pipes. It may have rubbed through and is grounding out on the frame. Good luck
Newbie,
With my sled the key broke off in the insert so the new key would not go all the way in like yours. When I tried to ‘fish’ the broken piece out I rounded the corners of the insert off to the point that the new key just spun in the insert. I couldn’t pull the old insert out so I drilled it out. Instead of putting a new insert in I just J.B. Welded a new key in place and it has worked just fine for the last three years. If it ever breaks again I will drill the J.B. Weld back out and re-do it all once again.
The comments about putting new gas in may be your whole problem. My sled has run really rough several times when starting it for the first time after taking out of storage. A quick change of the gas to new gas and it solves the whole problem. Today’s gas brakes down too quickly because of all the clean burn additives. It doesn’t take much more than a month for some of today’s fuels to “go bad.”
With my sled the key broke off in the insert so the new key would not go all the way in like yours. When I tried to ‘fish’ the broken piece out I rounded the corners of the insert off to the point that the new key just spun in the insert. I couldn’t pull the old insert out so I drilled it out. Instead of putting a new insert in I just J.B. Welded a new key in place and it has worked just fine for the last three years. If it ever breaks again I will drill the J.B. Weld back out and re-do it all once again.
The comments about putting new gas in may be your whole problem. My sled has run really rough several times when starting it for the first time after taking out of storage. A quick change of the gas to new gas and it solves the whole problem. Today’s gas brakes down too quickly because of all the clean burn additives. It doesn’t take much more than a month for some of today’s fuels to “go bad.”
YAMADOG
New member
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2003
- Messages
- 85
- Age
- 60
- Location
- cedar rapids iowa
- Website
- www.americanautosalesmarion.com
Welcome
You are now a part of the best and greatest site on the net for yamaha lovers!
The yamaheads on this site are always willing to help with any questions you have. I must warn you..... 
YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF HITTING THIS SITE SO MANY TIMES A DAY....your'e family and friends may want to commit you for help 
IT'S ADDICTING!.....RIDE ON DUDE!!! 
You are now a part of the best and greatest site on the net for yamaha lovers!
The yamaheads on this site are always willing to help with any questions you have. I must warn you..... YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF HITTING THIS SITE SO MANY TIMES A DAY....your'e family and friends may want to commit you for help IT'S ADDICTING!.....RIDE ON DUDE!!! 
Yamadog and all the other guys are right, this is the BEST Yamaha site out there. Yes you will find yourself on here for everything to know, buy and sell. I have been on here for I think 2 years and have bought a sled, parts and most of all got great information from really cool people. Welcome to TY.