Ski Spindle Bolts & Bushings Help

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propuckstopper

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West St.Paul, MB
Hi everyone. I have a question about my 2001 Yamaha SRX 700. Today I removed the bolts that hold the ski to the spindle. It took some good penetrating oil and a few good smacks with a hammer but it all came apart fairly easily.

However, I have noticed two things about the bolt that I am unsure about. First, there is a long collar (almost the length of the actual bolt) that is rusted on the bolt. Looking at a parts microfiche, it looks like Yamaha sells the bolt and the collar separately. So, I am going to assume that these parts were actually separate pieces before they rusted together. Can someone please confirm this?

Secondly (and it again involves the ski bolt mentioned above) there is yet another collar or bushing up tight against the bolt head. This piece cannot be removed as it is frozen to the bolt. This piece fits right into the aluminum ski saddle hole.

The other saddle hole definitely still has some sort of bushing in it (inboard side). So my question is do these saddles come brand new from Yamaha with these bushings pressed in already? If so, then I guess I will have to order saddles because I can't see these bushings on the microfiche.

I am hoping someone has been through this and can steer me through here. Thanks!
 
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man this sounds just what I went thru a few years back..lol They are all separate. They are fused together from the moisture gathering around it.I had a hell of a time getting bolt out of collar.I think I destroyed one end of a bolt but saved the collar.I pu bolts from a hardware store later.I use penetrating oil but wouldn't move.So when all else fails grab your propane torch and heat up good.I started to tap the bolt(with nut on the end) as I was heating it.It eventually came out.Just did my stepsons the other day.Put on Simmons skis for for his XTC.I was thinking the worse but his bolt popped right out and the sleeves came out clean.Looks like they had a film of grease on them which helped.It is good to grease these up good every season,usually after the season so the water can't sit in there all summer and bind them together.Try to at least save the collars..bolts can be bought cheap...
 
Thanks Blue. I never even thought about disassembling and re-lubing this area each year, but I am going to start now! I am pretty much resolved to the fact that I will be replacing most of the hardware with new, then I will carefully maintain it in the future.

I will only let the dealer get in my wallet once! Thanks.
 
Might want to give what blue said a try first. My daughters viper had the same problem. A little pb blaster and some heat and it all came apart. Cleaned everything up good and greased. Worth a try if you are going to buy new anyway. Cant hurt anything. Plust torches are fun to use LOL!
 
super1c said:
Might want to give what blue said a try first. My daughters viper had the same problem. A little pb blaster and some heat and it all came apart. Cleaned everything up good and greased. Worth a try if you are going to buy new anyway. Cant hurt anything. Plust torches are fun to use LOL!
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X2 - again. Heat the collar so it expands than beat it off the bolt. Or cut a groove in the collar the full length of it to allow splitting it to save the bolt.

You may want to take a close look at the saddle holes to ensure they aren't woowed out. I'd guess that the ski saddle may have been rotating on the bushings rather than rotating on the collar.

Polaris used to have a zerk to allow greasing of the collar but on Yamaha there isn't a good place to put one.

I cut grooves into the collars the full length about half the thickness of the collar that is used to hold grease thus avoiding the need to yank and lube every season. At the very least I'd suggest using anti-sieze on the bolt and collar when assembling.
 
snomofo said:
You may want to take a close look at the saddle holes to ensure they aren't woowed out. I'd guess that the ski saddle may have been rotating on the bushings rather than rotating on the collar.
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This is my biggest concern. I am worried that the saddle is wowed out and the bushings will be sloppy in there. There are two bushings per saddle, and on both my saddles, one bushings remains attached in the saddle while the other is stuck on the bolt (until I get it off).

If I am forced to buy a new saddle, do the bushings come pressed in already or are these bushings separate? If you look on the microfiche, it is very, very difficult to tell.
 
These bushings pop out pretty easy with a punch and mallet. Just punch that one out and move it to the other side to check for slop. At least they all come out on my viper saddles. I take them out when i polish the saddle's. Chris
 
i belive the bushing comes pressed in the new saddles ..if you are just needing the bushing i can spin you up a few real quick on the lathe .so you dont have to buy new saddles ..even if the hole in the saddle is sloppy i have drilled the hole bigger and made new bushings to fit tight again ...let me know i can make you a set of bushings for a few dollars
 
YA*AM*A*HEAD said:
i belive the bushing comes pressed in the new saddles ..if you are just needing the bushing i can spin you up a few real quick on the lathe .so you dont have to buy new saddles ..even if the hole in the saddle is sloppy i have drilled the hole bigger and made new bushings to fit tight again ...let me know i can make you a set of bushings for a few dollars
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Thanks for all the quick replies, gentlemen. We got it all sorted out. We pounded the wider bushing (or sleeve) off the bolt with some healthy heat. Then, the saddle bushing basically fell right off the bolt. I reinserted the saddle bushing back into the saddle and it fit nice and tight.

So, I picked up new bolts, the wider bushing (or sleeve), a nut, and a cotter pin today. Now everything looks sweet and I will be sure to include cleaning and re-lubing of this area each and every year in the spring when the sled gets put away.

Thanks again, everyone. You have all been more than helpful. Safe riding!
 
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