Diceman
New member
Was wondering about preventitive maintance. Wanting to keep my 98 VMAX for awhile due to the fact I have no cash to replace it. Are there parts on your sleds that guys replace even though you are having no problems? Was thinking of shocks, clutch work, engine work. I heard that there is a bearing in the drive shaft ( if your speedo stops working the bearing is gone ), water pump, etc. I have about 12, 500 k's and understand that it does demend on mileage on sled. With no snow posting stuff atleast feels like it is sled season. Diceman
Last edited:
Well preventative maintanance is the best way to assure yourself of alot of piece of mind and you bring up some areas that are ones to look at.Your shocks could probably stand a rebuild with the kms on them you stated and the bearing on the drive shaft under the speedo cable housing is definitly something to check if its never been changed.Something I routinely do pre season wise is go over all the bushings in the skid and check for worn ones;look at your W arm pivots,if they've never been taken apart and greased I can almost gaurentee that they are wore out.You should do yourself a favor and take the 2 brackets that the W arm pivot bushings reside in and put in a grease fitting so you can grease them without having to take them apart to do this.In case your not familiar with the brackets I'm refering to they are the 2 L shaped ones the W arm bolts to and I replaced numerous bushings in mine before I had this same suggestion made to me and it saves alot of time.
As far as the clutches go you might want to replace the 2 springs in them;Yamaha springs tend to sack out less than other brands but they still do over time wether anyone will admit it or not LOL.Hope this helps.
As far as the clutches go you might want to replace the 2 springs in them;Yamaha springs tend to sack out less than other brands but they still do over time wether anyone will admit it or not LOL.Hope this helps.
Diceman
New member
fourbarrel said:
Thanks , The bearing on the drive shaft was replaced 3 years ago I was told by the previous owner. I was lucky, he was very good with maintenance. When you talk about replacing with grease fitting do you mean where the sway bar bolts to the side of the sled ? Also how many bushings or bearings are on an average skid? I know there are bearing for the wheels but where else.? I am really trying to soak in the knowledge since I am not very bright. lol !!! Diceman
There's quite a few bushings in the skid and all should be checked seasonally ,the ones that dont have a grease fitting to service them require a bit more maintanance to keep them from wearing out. I'll try to remember them all for ya.
1. 2 at the front mount point of the skid ataching the W arm to chassis
2. 2 at the rear mount point of the skid
3. 4 on each shock--2 on top and 2 on bottom as well as a metal bushing at each point
4. 4 on the W arm pivots with a metal bushing as well
5. 2 on the lower mount point of the transfer rods where they bolt to the rail by the rear idler wheels.
I think thats all of the plastic bushings in the rear skid.
I found a pic of the 2 L shaped brackets that hold the W arm bushings I mentioned adding a grease fitting to.Drill and tap a hole in the round part of the bracket where convenient to access a grease fitting so it'll make maintaining them more trouble free.Hartman Inc or Mountain Lites used to make aluminum replacements with a fitting installed but I cant find a pic of them.
While your at it you might want to consider adding a grease fitting on the front radius rods as there's bushings and collars there too that get alot of wear.
Remove the 4 bolts from the radius rods where they mount to the trailing arms,take out the 4 metal collars(bushings) that are inside the plastic bushings and drill a small hole in the middle of each one.This will allow the grease to flow out through them easier.Slide the collars onto the 4 bolts and note where the holes are on the bolts(how far down the bolt) because this is how far you'll have to drill into the bolts from the heads to make a path for the grease to flow out from.It may be easier to drill the hole in the sides of the 4 bolts first to make sure they line up with the holes in the collars.You dont need a very big hole either just about the size of the hole in a grease fitting,and you only want to drill about half way through the bolts from the sides not completely through.
Take your 4 bolts now and drill the center of each from the top(head) down as far as the hole you put in the side using the same small drill bit first.Once thats done take a drill bit a size smaller than the grease fitting threads,typically 1/4 inch,and drill down the tops of each bolt deep enough to thread each fitting into them.You can either tap each hole for the grease fittings or try and thread each one into the bolts,all depends on how tight the holes are and how straight they are drilled.
You may want to practice on another bolt before you tackle your good ones to get the holes lined up and depth right.
1. 2 at the front mount point of the skid ataching the W arm to chassis
2. 2 at the rear mount point of the skid
3. 4 on each shock--2 on top and 2 on bottom as well as a metal bushing at each point
4. 4 on the W arm pivots with a metal bushing as well
5. 2 on the lower mount point of the transfer rods where they bolt to the rail by the rear idler wheels.
I think thats all of the plastic bushings in the rear skid.
I found a pic of the 2 L shaped brackets that hold the W arm bushings I mentioned adding a grease fitting to.Drill and tap a hole in the round part of the bracket where convenient to access a grease fitting so it'll make maintaining them more trouble free.Hartman Inc or Mountain Lites used to make aluminum replacements with a fitting installed but I cant find a pic of them.
While your at it you might want to consider adding a grease fitting on the front radius rods as there's bushings and collars there too that get alot of wear.
Remove the 4 bolts from the radius rods where they mount to the trailing arms,take out the 4 metal collars(bushings) that are inside the plastic bushings and drill a small hole in the middle of each one.This will allow the grease to flow out through them easier.Slide the collars onto the 4 bolts and note where the holes are on the bolts(how far down the bolt) because this is how far you'll have to drill into the bolts from the heads to make a path for the grease to flow out from.It may be easier to drill the hole in the sides of the 4 bolts first to make sure they line up with the holes in the collars.You dont need a very big hole either just about the size of the hole in a grease fitting,and you only want to drill about half way through the bolts from the sides not completely through.
Take your 4 bolts now and drill the center of each from the top(head) down as far as the hole you put in the side using the same small drill bit first.Once thats done take a drill bit a size smaller than the grease fitting threads,typically 1/4 inch,and drill down the tops of each bolt deep enough to thread each fitting into them.You can either tap each hole for the grease fittings or try and thread each one into the bolts,all depends on how tight the holes are and how straight they are drilled.
You may want to practice on another bolt before you tackle your good ones to get the holes lined up and depth right.
Attachments
Last edited: