vk540 TSS - AAEN pipe?

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idaho_h2o

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I have a 1994 VK540 in need of some help.

1) The TSS suspension is shot, the spring seat and bumpstop have disentegrated into nothing. I found everything else but can't find the struts/shocks. They don't seem to be rebuildable. The listing on the yamaha site is backordered and ridiculously expensive. Any other model struts could I use or any ideas where to find these at a decent price?

2) Will an AAEN SRV 540 pipe work on this sled? I am not trying to get extra hp, just trying to lose weight. The stock pipe is huge and heavy, even if it lost a bit of hp that would be ok considering the weight loss.

3) Thoughts on running premix? Trying to get it as light as possible and the tank on it now leaks. Anything I should know before I start ripping it out -ie taking out the plastic pump drive?

thanks!
 

Hi H20...I just aquired a 93 last week and even if you
lighten up some stuff ...it feels like there is still 600
pounds left ....What is the curb weight and why do want
the tractor/tow truck to be lighter ??
...Maybe keep an eye out for a trapper Bravo ??
Ron
 
I ride alone many times and the lighter it is the less it gets stuck. When it is stuck every extra pound really adds up. The area where I ride got about 400 inches of snow last year and I don't have to go too far to get to where I am going. A mountain sled would be better for some of this but I also want the widetrack, articulating rear, and low range for roadbuilding and towing skiers. Also I don't have that kind of money to spend on a new mtn sled.

I have some of the VK pro skis with the 11" skins on the way which should help. Eventually I will put a 1.5" lug xcavator track on it as well. It is amazing how heavy some of the stuff that is easy to take off is. The hood, rack and seat alone weigh something like 75 lbs, and it doesn't cost much to build my own lightweight versions of each and can be done without losing much functionality. The dry weight is 607 lb, not sure all total. Yes, it will still be on the heavy side but should have one of the lightest footprints of any sled given the ski and track size.

I realize this seems stupid to most people but I think it is what will work for me. Also I've never seen a widetrack modified like this, so it is an interesting and fun experiment for me.
 
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Interesting; I'd like to see some pics if you can post them in the working log. I would lose the steel skis, even wit the ski skins and go to plastic skis.
 
Good answer about the weight....If you noticed where I live you can
now understand my question . Last winter was a good one in this
area north of Toronto....Probably only had 30 inch all winter...
I can hear you laughing from here ......
...I would leave a working injection system alone ...Nice thing is when
you snap the throttle back a high rpm , it keeps pumping oil in ...
Std mix sleds are just getting an idle's worth of mix when that
slide / butterfly slams shut...
Older racing 2 cycle bikes had to drag the rpm down with the brakes
with the throttle on after a long straight of way or risk seizing up.
A sled will disengage the clutch and drop there rpm quicker but
still will be getting idle mix ratio..ANYWAY , I can see dumping the
orig. seat and riser and any lighter track would help.
Have fun
Ron
 
Thanks for the comments Ron. I hadn't really thought about that and sounds like maybe I should leave it on there.

BM76- The skis I have coming are plastic, the ones the new VKs use. I will try to get some pics when it looks more like a sled and less like a pile of parts...

Anyone have any idea about the struts?
 
idaho_h2o said:
I have some of the VK pro skis with the 11" skins on the way
Click to expand...

Where did you find 11" skins?

Are you sure your shocks are bad? You might find some aftermarket shocks on eBay yet, but some may be of lesser quality than Yamaha's. Check with some of the used parts places or eBay and you can probably find some low mileage used ones.
 
the kimpex struts usuallly show up on ebay, I put a set in my SRV and it gave me a full 1" more travel....weather my stockers were that worn...although they did not seem like it! and the AAEN will work on the 540fan and the 440fan mill for that matter.
 
Here is the page where you can find the skins. I think you can only get them from yamaha canada. They are spendy if you have to buy them new.

http://www.yamaha-motor.ca/accessories/accessory_details.php?item=3037&group=S&model=2176

I am sure the shocks are bad. I took everything apart and the damper rod moves with just about zero resistance.

I have found some on ebay already (link below), just not sure if they will work for a VK. It doesn't list VK 540 in the models but I didn't know if they will bolt in - are they the same diameter? Hoping someone on here would know if they are interchangeable.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=300212038840
 
Google the Sled Parlor, he's in Alberta, and the last time I saw about a year ago, he had three of them, all low milers that were bought by some company to use in survey work or something. In any case, they just sat in the sun, and while the seats are pretty much eaten off of them, under the hood, they're like brand new!

He was kind of wondering what he was going to do with them as he never got any calls for parts for them. You never know, you might be able to turn yours into a parts sled. Good luck. G.
 
i was just going to mention him gorkon. he still has one at least because i just bought a chain case from him for my uncles. the one it came off of was a 2003. gorkon posted the ph# in a thread last season for me.
 
Here is another one, I was just there and saw a VK sitting out back, don't know what year and never really looked as I was busy and in a rush, but he does have one. Al's Snowmobile Salvage, Tel: 780-352-0027.

At the very least, I would highly recommend getting another oil tank rather than disconnecting the oil injection, but hey, it's your misery you'll be adding to if you do. Good luck.

Glad to hear that Sled Parlor tip helped you out Maim. Did you get straightened up with the enticer engine? I just acquired another project myself, stopped to ask this guy if he would interested in selling his 340 enticer sitting on his lawn, and he gave it to me! 79 Enticer deluxe, it's all there, hoods a little cracked and needs a couple of hood vents and some TLC. He said it sat for years and then wouldn't start anymore, so we all know what that's about, nothing major, just neglect. Now if I could just get these kids to start lending a hand on fixing the sleds that I get for THEM to ride!!!!! G.
 
I think I am all set parts wise. I ordered the shocks off of ebay so hopefully they will work.

Just curious about the premix bit. This is the first time I have heard such strong opinions about leaving the oil injection system intact. Is it just for the general hassle factor of having to premix or do you guys really feel the motor will not last? I thought an older sled would be better off running premix because less chance of oil inject. failure?
 
They are a VERY reliable system! Yamaha traditionally sets them heavy from the factory, and in my opinion you can't even adjust them back enough. Heard lots of talk from guys who removed it for high performance purposes, racing and what not. I don't know for sure how those guys made out, but the local yokel backyard mechanics who undid it all had trouble that I saw.

In fact I just picked up a GP 292 that someone disconnected it on, and guess what, the piston and cylinder are scored! For day to day use, I would never be without it. But that's just my opinion. Best. G.
 
it oils the main bearings as well. most of the ones that are disconnected throw a rod bearing at some point.

no still need to do crank seals in the 78et340 and replace the taillight we lost. since i bought the chaincase i get to put it together but since the motor has not run in 5 years+ i have to change those seals and clean it all up. fun fun fun.
 
I've spent the last 3 months of weekends and some weeknights working on sleds without a break. I'm still not done! Yippee!

I must be nuts. G.
 
Maim said:
it oils the main bearings as well. most of the ones that are disconnected throw a rod bearing at some point.
Click to expand...

The VK 540 is direct injected?

I would not disable the oil injection and run premix on my sleds, but there is nothing wrong with doing it if you want to. Most sleds ran for many years without oil injection before it became universal.

The normal way on sleds is that oil is injected with the gas before it enters the motor, so it makes no difference if the oil pump adds it to the gas or if you add the oil to the gas. You can mix it as rich as you want.

The oil pump adds oil in a variable ratio. At low speeds it adds proportionately less oil for a leaner ratio. When you premix, you are mixing in a ratio that is adequate at wide open throttle. At less than WOT the engine is getting more oil than is necessary.

When running at low speeds on premix and then the throttle is nailed, the internals are already running in a rich oil mix. With oil injection and running at low speed, there is only enough oil being injected for the low speed when the throttle is opened.

When you add oil to the gas you KNOW the engine is getting oil. There are several things that can happen with oil injection that will cause oil starvation and engine failure.
 
True enough, but conversely, when you mix, you get that mixture throughout the rpm range no matter what and they simply don't require that much oil at idle. My first sled was a 71 SL 338 with the belt drive pump. We used Veedol oil in it exclusively and it ran like a top till we sold at over 7000 miles getting 60-1 at WOT and 100-1 at idle. The people we sold it to used it for years after without problems.

They ran without oil injection, but I remember buddies bragging with their Olympics that they could get a whopping 300 miles on a set of plugs. I stood there and said, "Gee, is that all? I got 1600 out my last set and only changed them because the electrodes were about worn off". It never fouled and never hurt the motor, even when it repeatedly spent hours idleing at night shining the headlight while we fixed my buddies brand X stuff! Yamaha baby! G.
 
Yes that is true. In the "Con" column of Pro's and Con's of premixing oil it will have to be put that more oil will be used, and that plug life can be shorter. Although with today's modern oils, plug life can be expected to be longer than in the days of Olympiques.

Back then only Yamaha (and maybe Suzuki? - Suzuki was the first motorcycle with oil injection) snowmobiles had oil injection. All the rest of the snowmobiles worked fine without injection, and did so until sometime in the 1980's when they all finally had it. The reason for the addition of oil injection was only for convenience. Many smaller 2 stroke engines still are sold today in various types of equipment that do not have oil injection. Premixing oil will not damage an engine.

7000 miles on a 1971 sled - that must have been astounding back then.


.
 
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It was on it's third track, numerous bogies, straightened shafts, a couple of recoil fixes, and second oil pump belt, replaced merely as a precaution though and not because of failure. My Dad would weld 1 1/2 X 1/4 flat bar on the bottoms of the ski's and then weld on wear bars and then hard surface it all. 5 kids, it went pretty much steady and only left me walking when the tracks grenaded. So as you can imagine, it was Yamaha from then on for my family.

As for the premixing, while what you're saying is true, I must take exception to your use of the word 'fine' for how those sleds ran without oil injection. lol Let's just say, they ran. Fine is relative. Best. G.
 
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