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1988 exciter chaincase seal/torque specs

6K views 26 replies 4 participants last post by  snowdad4 
#1 ·
I blew what I think would be the lower chaincase oil seal yesterday as there is oil all over and slung up all over the hood. It's wet down by the lower part of chaincase and I'm pretty sure its the oil seal where the jack shaft is. Do the case bolts have to be torqued to a certain spec when I re-assemble? Anything else I should look for while in there? I'm asking because I do not have a manual. Any help would be great, thanks!
 
#3 ·
chain tensioner is adjusted to finger tight. pay attention to the way things come apart, there is a difference as to which way the gears go and there are collars behind the gears and in front, i think. there are torque specs. while your in there, just check the overall condition of the chai and gears, and a small amount of metel filings are normal. i have a manual on cd for that sled i would sell you for a nominal fee.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the offer snowdad but I ended up buying a downloadable manual today.

One question: In the manual for chain case removal, it says I have to remove the secondary sheave. Do I really need to do that? All I'm after is to replace what I hope is only the lower oil seal. Will the chaincase not come out if the secondary sheave is not removed?
 
#6 ·
It seems like I would only have to remove the secondary if I were to take the shaft out to take track off, etc; correct? I don't have a puller for the secondary or any other puller, how else could I unload the spring?

Could I just pull both halves of the chaincase off without having to pull off secondary? Just need to change lower seal for jackshaft on backside of case.
 
#7 ·
we need to get on the same page here. the secondary clutch runs on the jackshaft, thats the upper shaft in the chaincase. there are no special tools required to remove this clutch. the drive shaft is the lower shaft in the chain case, it has the drive wheels attached to it that makes the track go. to remove that chain case, the worst thing you need to do is loosen the track to take tension off the driveshaft so you can slide the chaincase off and reinstall it after you change the seal. little tip here, count the number of turns on the track adjuster bolts as you loosen it so you can retighten and save the alignment, assuming the alignment is correct prior. i guess to answer your question, no, the secondary should not have to be removed, both the chain case cover and the housing will come off with the secondary clutch in place.
 
#9 ·
Got everything off and apart. Turned out it was the lower seal as the upper one has the metal ring on the backside of the housing, while the other doesn't. Case gasket cracked/ripped with splitting case, pretty dry. Called dealers and yamaha has that gasket on back order!!

Could I scrap off old gasket and wipe down case with prep-all and lay a bead on each half of the chaincase of high-temp red silicon RTV? Will it hold up? I've heard of people doing that but with motorcycles.

Want sled done by tomorrow night, we're supposed to get 12+" of snow by Sat.!
 
#12 ·
Got new bearings and seals that are getting pressed in tomorrow. Old upper bearing was very hard to turn n bottom one was on its way out. Both seals had pin-hole cracks in them. Having a new chaincase gasket being shipped which should be here by monday or tuesday of next week.

Only problem is that when I pulled case housing off, the driveshaft dropped down n hit the frame hole...maybe I didn't loosen track enough (did 12 turns) or maybe cause of the weight of skid and track. Is it bad that it's not centered in the hole from frame? Could I just jack of front of skid to center it in the hole and put case back on?
 
#14 ·
There seems to be a lot of weight on the shaft though. I'll figure it out one way or another. Also noticed gouges like something was scraping the back of the housing and come to find out....there isn't a brake pad on it! First time I've ever had case apart so I didn't even know. Do dealers usually have brake pads in stock?
 
#15 ·
Also when I was loosening the track, the right side bolt was centered with the lug so easy to get it. Left side was very hard to get a socket on, so not centered with the lug. Could the track be shifted? Can I correct this by tightening one bolt farther than the other?
 
#17 ·
i use a gasket adhesive to keep it in place or you will learn some more foul words trying to line it up. i have actually gone away from the oem gaskets and just use a permatex product called permaseal 1. those oem paper gaskets are a one use only typically, and they dont give them away. as for your track alignment question, dont use the windows as a guide, use the track drive lugs and the rails. you want the same spacing per side. sounds like the track may have been changed, but its not uncommon to have to force the socket past the track window.
 
#20 ·
Almost done with sled! Torqued sprockets down tonight, scraped old gasket off of cover, tensioned chain to where it was originally, and adjusted the brake.

Brake lever doesn't really "stop" when you pull it, but it is much firmer after adjusting. Pad clearance is .008. Even though the lever doesn't stop moving when squeezed, the brake should definitely stop the sled, right? Didn't notice how it was before...

Also, torqued sprockets down to spec but they seem really tight...like the sprocket wouldn't turn by hand with chain tensioner loose. Is that normal and just the tension from everything being torqued? Just don't want to chew up my new belt from the sprocket not turning and putting out power to track...
 
#21 ·
theres alot of stuff attached to the sprockets so turning by hand probably wouldnt be easy as the lower sprocket is trying to turn the track, and the upper is spinning the jackshaft and clutch, and with the chain on your turning it all. i usually spin the track by hand with the case cover off to check for any binding and ease of motion. one note on the chain tensioner: it should be finger tight. spin the track a few times and check again. dont forget to set the locknut. putting the tensioner "back where it was originally" may or may not have been right. you may want to test the brake on a stand or elevate the rear before you go ripping out and find you have none.
 
#22 ·
Got everything adjusted (brake, chain tension) the other night. Case is all done, just needs cover and oil. My new problem is when I went to do my track tension, I tightened the left side nut too tight before doing the right so it made the axle crooked. Then when I went to tighten the right side, the nut stripped. My fault, I know and when I went to the hardware store, the nut that they gave me doesn't fit. Probably the wrong pitch so I might just order new nuts from yamaha.

Before, the nuts/washers on track tension bolts were not against the bracket...are they supposed to be? I'd assume so since I don't see how it would hold tension without being tight against washers and brackets.
 
#23 ·
heres how the adjusters work. basically an eyebolt that goes around the rear axle, through the axle bracket and the nylock nut, and some models a flat washer, pull the eyebolt through the adjuster pulling on the axle to tighten the track. the nut should be tight against the bracket or its not holding tension. step one in track adjusting is to loosen the axle locknut. no need to remove the cotter pin. if the nuts werent against the bracket, my guess would be an attempt at adjusting without loosening the axle first. for adjusting purposes, there shouldnt be alot of force required to move the axle with the adjusters. a common problem on the older sleds is where the bolt goes through the bracket the threads will be damaged from wearing on the bracket. take a close look at the bolt for thread damage. could be why you stripped the nut. you may need the bolts as well.
 
#24 ·
Yeah I got how it is adjusted and I did all that. Trying to find nylocks locally so I don't have to order them. Threads on stud look pretty good too. Only reason I couldn't get the other side tight is cause I think the left side bound up from being too tight without the right side even with it.

My lower sprocket slide on the shaft about 3/16 of an inch. Everything and all washers are there and it's torqued to spec. Is the play normal?

Also, I put sealed pre-packed bearings in for the case, one person said to leave em sealed, another said to take seals out. What should I do? The dealer didn't say anything when they pressed em in.
 
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