Burned up my new viper :'(

Sameyeam

Sameyeam

New member
Joined
Jan 4, 2010
Messages
47
Age
36
Location
Appleton
Hey guys new to the forum so far lots of cool hints and tricks, i just bought a 03 viper er, my first yamaha after suffering through 2 polaris triples. I love how the thing rides and handles and the power is great. I bought it used with 5300 on the clock from the original owner who "said" he maintained it which i believe he did grease the chassis and fog it in the spring. He also told me he cleaned the power valves not long before selling it. I got it and i could tell it was fogged cuz it was still burning the oil out so i ran it a bit put some new plugs in it and some fresh fuel with a mix of seafoam, seemed to clear everything out and it was running great. I was out last weekend, rode a 200 mile day with my buddy and my sled ran flawless all day. I used Amsoil interceptor and Premium fuel all day. Woke up the next day had to fill up w/ 87 oct, still using amsoil and i rode about 35 miles and it siezed up. Same temp as the day before, and i wasnt holding it WOT. Clutch side cylinder looks like it leaned out, piston is scorched, bottom rod bearing is tight, yah the works. Thoughts on what may have happened? I reasearched yamaha triples before i bought this one and felt that they were 10x better than the Polaris triples, thats why i bought it. Any thoughts would be appreciated
 
I guess i forgot to ask that question, being that this is my first yamaha and actually really MY first sled i never cleaned the carbs before and didnt ask the guy if he did. I ran seafoam through thinkin that might help w/ some fuel system cleaning. Do you think that could be the cause of it burning up? Leaning out that one cylinder? Also say i get the carbs clean, in your guys opinion are these vipers reliable? b/c i was thinkin yamaha triples are bullet proof then i go and blow one up lol. I have no problem doing maintenance im not whining at all just looking for some tips to help prevent this from happening again. Also how important is premium fuel? I am going to run amsoil interceptor because i am a dealer and thats what all my friends like to run.
 
Yes not cleaning the carbs probabbly caused it. I rode the dog pi$$ out of my viper and never burnt it down, and I ran it on the edge. Seafoam will not clean carbs good enough to be safe. It may have caused your problem by knocking crude loose in the carb. Maxdlx
 
maxdlx said:
Yes not cleaning the carbs probabbly caused it. I rode the dog pi$$ out of my viper and never burnt it down, and I ran it on the edge. Seafoam will not clean carbs good enough to be safe. It may have caused your problem by knocking crude loose in the carb. Maxdlx
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X2 , any piece of crud gets sucked into the main jet and lodged there, you're gonna lean out...important to have your carbs cleaned pre-season...

I think these yamaha triples are very reliable, when i was shopping for my SRX there were plenty i looked at online with 12000-15000kms on them and people still asking $3000-$3500 canadian for them!!
 
This sled was new to you,did you even go threw it check jetting for your temps and alt?,oil pump,clean carbs,just give it a good going over?

vipers require 88 and higher octane,with today's crappy fuel one needs to run the highest available you probably had detonation happening. when it burnt were you cruising in mid range for a wile? explain?

is the sled stock?,how much oil was it using?? post pics of the piston...
 
well thanks for your input guys glad to know you have confidence in yamaha triples....i still do and ill be more confident after i get this one rebuilt and can maintain it properly im sure ill have a quality reliable machine. 2 of the pistons are still good do you think i should just get 3 sets of rings and a new piston when im putting the top end back together?
 
Sameyeam said:
well thanks for your input guys glad to know you have confidence in yamaha triples....i still do and ill be more confident after i get this one rebuilt and can maintain it properly im sure ill have a quality reliable machine. 2 of the pistons are still good do you think i should just get 3 sets of rings and a new piston when im putting the top end back together?
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yes yes rings for sure with over 5,000 miles it needs it you had blow by rings are the heart of any 2 stoke engine,check the other two pistons for max wear im sure ther good but maybe not.
 
oh and Dman to answer your questions, i did not go through the carbs at all when i got it, i looked over the suspension and made sure everything was greased well which i found it wasnt before i started, i did a compression test before i bought it and i know i have a crappy guage but it was consistant accross the board and the sled ran great once i got the fogging oil out and new plugs in. My riding style is very variable through all ranges so i wasnt running mid range for a long time (read on here that a few burned up that way). I run slow in the woods fast in the open so its varied. when it burned up i was doing about 70 on a railroad bed and with no warning she siezed. It was using oil for sure b/c i was checking that, not sure on numbers as to oz/gallon but i was told at my dealer that these sleds get about 100 miles to a quart of oil? seems like an odd measurment but i took it in stride and it seemed like i was doing about that, 220 miles and the bottle had just over a quart left in it.
 
I planned on doing at least rings any way w/ everything, im passed the point that it blew up, im pretty sure i have the reason why now im just gonna concentrate on building it back to be a reliable machine. Im planning on keeping it stock, maybe some clutching to help bottom end out a bit but all in all i love the sled i just wanna get on it again and not have to worry.
 
Sameyeam said:
oh and Dman to answer your questions, i did not go through the carbs at all when i got it(mistake #1) , i looked over the suspension and made sure everything was greased well which i found it wasnt before i started, i did a compression test before i bought it and i know i have a crappy guage but it was consistant accross the board(good) and the sled ran great once i got the fogging oil out and new plugs in. My riding style is very variable through all ranges so i wasnt running mid range for a long time (read on here that a few burned up that way). I run slow in the woods fast in the open so its varied. when it burned up i was doing about 70 on a railroad bed(that worries me your on the needles still,mistake 2# w/o checking jetting,cleaning carbs) and with no warning she siezed. It was using oil for sure b/c i was checking that, not sure on numbers as to oz/gallon but i was told at my dealer that these sleds get about 100 miles to a quart of oil? (you want 1 qt to full tank fuel,12 gals,50:1) seems like an odd measurment but i took it in stride and it seemed like i was doing about that, 220 miles and the bottle had just over a quart left in it.
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Sameyeam said:
I planned on doing at least rings any way w/ everything, im passed the point that it blew up, im pretty sure i have the reason why now im just gonna concentrate on building it back to be a reliable machine. Im planning on keeping it stock, maybe some clutching to help bottom end out a bit but all in all i love the sled i just wanna get on it again and not have to worry.
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theres killer set ups here and when dialed in to the right rpms a stock viper will hold it's own aginst some big iron.
 
Yea a quart to a tank is what i was running so that seems good. I really think it was cuz the carbs are probably dirty, not to mention i had no choice and had to put gas in from a station that survived the depression, way up north here in wisconsin but any way im gonna chalk it up to dirty carbs. Now the question is how do you guys feel about putting in a low mile crank? Im going to get a new piston and new rings for all 3 cylinders, clean the carbs real good, clean the power valves and obviously get new gaskets and such but im not gonna go buy a new crank im gonna look for a nice low mile used crank to save some cash. Or im am going to look into having mine repaired. Opinions?
 
Sameyeam said:
Yea a quart to a tank is what i was running so that seems good. I really think it was cuz the carbs are probably dirty, not to mention i had no choice and had to put gas in from a station that survived the depression, way up north here in wisconsin but any way im gonna chalk it up to dirty carbs. Now the question is how do you guys feel about putting in a low mile crank? Im going to get a new piston and new rings for all 3 cylinders, clean the carbs real good, clean the power valves and obviously get new gaskets and such but im not gonna go buy a new crank im gonna look for a nice low mile used crank to save some cash. Or im am going to look into having mine repaired. Opinions?
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tear it dowm and inspect everything, post back you'll have an idea on witch way to go with the crank,but it sounds like your on top of things pretty good. gota plan! ;)!
 
To become a true TY junkie, you must know all and become one with your "YAMAHA"..... Cleaning your carbs is the most sacred ritual you can perform to insure a long and prosperous life for your sled, grasshopper!
 
ALWAYS clean the carbs !!! I have an O2 Viper ER w/M10, and we're going up tomorrow for the Muni TY ride. Since it's my first outing this year (work sucks.....) I did what I have always done, went thru the carbs before the first ride. It's 1:15 am and I'm finally getting to bed, but it's worth the peace of mind....

Hope to finally meet up with some TY folks in Muni !!!
 
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