Ok, so I have over 100 miles on my ride now. Before heading out today I noticed my rear diff seals going out to the axle shafts was damp from oil. NOT LEAKING just damp. So with that on my mind I headed out on my ride today 70 miles total. After a 8 mile ride on the highway doing 38-44mph I wait till I get to the trail to check things out. The rear diff was HOT very HOT, the front one was cool to the touch. So I thought that maybe the Viking doesn't like highway speeds long, so I drove on the trail around 45 miles or so and I get out and check that rear diff again to see if it was any cooler since I had been going much slower. To my surprise it was just as hot. Is anyone else experiencing this?
Rear Diff Heat
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Maybe check and see if that rear diff is almost dry. Also make sure you parking brake is not hung up a bit. And ya know, it seems like that glowing exhaust pipe could use a hear shield between the pipe and diff. And that full skid plate/pan, maybe keeping airflow away from the diff and exhaust area. Maybe a void of dead air in that area at speed. This might really suck
. Take it bake to the dealer to see if the bearings are smoked.
. Take it bake to the dealer to see if the bearings are smoked.Differentials get warm and even hot during normal operation, probably nothing to worry about. Inspect the gear lube if you are really concerned. Yamama, you might be on the right track... a little heat shielding can go a long way to increasing component life.
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Just took mine for a short, 2 mile ride going between 20-25 mph. Not "getting on it", just cruising. My rear diff was almost hot, hotter than warm. The top of the diff, by the glowing, red exhaust pipe, was far warmer than the bottom of the diff. I think Yamaha needs to come out with a heat shield for that location. I'm gonna bend up some sheet aluminum and stick it in there to see if it helps.
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I think you can even get a cheap head shield from any local automotive store, one you can trim and bend to your liking. Might be a cheap 'fix'
wonder what that constant indirect heating is going to do to the components inside. I doubt its going to cook the lube but its possible the gears inside start to get soft from constant heat. On a long enough, hard enough ride I'm wondering if its possible for the gears to melt together and really leave you effed...
someone make their own heatshield and see if it helps!
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Experiment time! Ok, here's what I tried. I rigged a temporary heat shield out aluminum foil and placed it between the rear diff and the exhaust pipe. Then I went on a 5 mile ride instead of 2 miles as before. The speed was 20-25mph with a few times jumped up to around 35mph. Now with the home made, foil temporary heat shield, the diff is much, much cooler to the touch. Just a little warm and not hot at all as before. I might try to get a hold of Yamaha to see if there can come up with a heat shield for that location. And maybe some sound proofing too.
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If you can get Yamaha to do that, that would be awesome, if not, there's always aftermarket companies that would be more than happy to work with us.
Keep us posted!
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Ok, I did more temp checks, this time with a digital temp meter. And here is what I found. 1st reading at the diff, with homemade heat shield in place and before the ride; the temp was 60 degrees f. After the ride with shield in place, temp was 80 degrees f. The diff felt uniform in temperature. Now, test 2 without the shield, temp before the ride was 68 degrees. After the ride, the temp was 230 at the top of the diff and 110 degrees at the lower part of diff. I think 230 can be a little hard on the gear lube. And my rides are just little 4-5 mile spins, not 50 or 60 mile tours, which I think would be hard on the lube for sure. I don't know 230 degrees considered high for gear oil, but it has to be tuffer on the seals. Maybe all us Viking owners should call Yamaha for a shield.
I called the Yamaha customer care line and spoke with a lady. She was very nice, took down all my information. I explained everything that we have discussed here and she tells me basically what I was expecting to hear. "First we have heard of it, we are unaware of the issue" "Please take it to your local Yamaha service department" I almost feel like giving up. This issue and the issue of the aftermarket not seeing the potential for a hardcore mod machine is getting on my nerves.
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I called the factory, no help there. Then called the Yamaha cust line in California, they took my number. Lastly I called my dealer and told him the tale. He's a young, good kid with his head screwed on straight, who by the way gave me best price around my area. Hopefully he will work on his Yamaha rep. Until then I gotta rig a permanent shield that won't muck up the paint job on the frame.
I think I may have a back yard solution to this. Guess who is in my town all weekend long? YAMAHA!!!!!!!!! Factory Team Yamaha has pulled a semi truck and trailer down here in Gilbert for the trail fest. I plan on printing this off and inviting them on a ride to test it out. They have a red Viking down there on display and it looks nice. It has all the factory accessories bolted on. Yamaha, Polaris, Can-Am and Kawasaki is all down there. I may have missed Honda but I don't believe they are here this year yet.
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