I just purchased a 79 Yamaha Exciter 340 deluxe electric start model with a stuck engine for $50. I thought it would be a good winter project for my son and I but never worked on a sled before. I figured out it was a 79 by the numbers stamped on the right side of the tunnel. Any idea where I can get parts or manuals for this sled. I'd like to get it running and then maybe try to restore it.
Welcome!
I can help you with what all you need for parts!
Start out with pulling the plugs and pour some ATF in the plug holes and let it set for a day or two. (bout an ounce)
But how is the track? They are getting very hard to find and are pricey!
If the track is bad it may not be worth the time and trouble?
I'd say the track is worn but still has some life left in it for what it's worth. I'm new to this so I really don't know what a "bad track" would look like. I sprayed some Kroil in the cylinders last night but I'll try the ATF too.
Camso makes the Durasport .725" in 116" for around $400 if you need a new track. Bad tracks have fiberglass reinforcement rods showing where lugs have torn off, many torn lugs, missing clips, many cords showing, dry rot, and/or delamination.
Original service manuals pop up from time to time on eBay.
Got the cylinders freed up! It was stuck pretty good but wasn't too hard to get it free. Now I need to do some work to the carb as it looked like is was sitting on a dirt floor in a barn for 100 years! There was literally a pile of crud inside the carb when I took it off the machine!
Body and bumper looks to be straight. Looks like a good start for a restoration!
Good luck on the project. Be gentle with the plastic on the grills, they are brittle as all get out! And if you break 'em, good luck finding replacements!!
I want to say a buddy had one of those back when I was in high school in the early/mid 90's. It was a fun machine to ride!
I'm guess a mouse spent some time in that carb. It'll be a good idea to pull all the cooling ducting off the engine and inspect for a nest...or nests! Check the airbox as well. I lost a lawnmower engine once to a mouse. I check cooling ducting regularly. And I set lots of mouse traps!
I'd did take all the duct work off of it and there was some stuff rattling around inside. It need a good cleaning and I'll be going through everything to make sure it's fresh. If anyone has any suggestions where I can find cables for the carb, throttle, choke etc and any other parts I may need to replace to get it going I'm open to suggestions. Like I said this is my first sled so I have no idea where to find parts besides eBay.
Another thing. I pulled it off my trailer to get it into my garage yesterday and it drug off more than rolled. Is the track suppose to roll freely or is it usually pretty hard to spin? I put it up on jacks too and it was really hard to turn it by hand.
From sitting it may be very stiff!
I still have a 78 300 et that I used to race along time ago!
It is the same motor basically as the Ovation as well.
The 300 took even a smaller track, 109" I believe?
The 300 and the 250 as well as the Bravo and the Inviter all used a 101.5
The exciter340/440 used a 116 as well as the ss, srx srv phazer.
Seems to me there was a 109 as well?
Got the carb cleaned! Carb cleaner wasn't touching it so I put it in a bucket of hot water and pine sol and let it soak and then scrubbed it with a toothbrush! It's not perfect but it's way better than what I started with!
I believe I got all the jets out. I just couldn't get the choke out but I think it may be free now because the cable moves now after cleaning it. I blew out all the passages with a blow gun after I cleaned it.
Ok now the problem is the choke slide is stuck in the carb! I've sprayed some Kroil down in there and let it soak for a few hours but it's not budging! Anyone have any idea how to get it out??
Is the cable removed?
You can use a screwdriver to try to break it loose and if you break it off, just drill the center out and use an screw extractor to remove it.
You can also run a screw into it and use a claw hammer to pull it out.
Kroil is a good start, but you will need some patience and some heat. Based on the pics, the carb is out so you shouldnt be overly concerned about ignition sources. If you have a map gas torch, your ahead of the game, but you can achieve the same results with your basic propane torch and some eye for detail.
It most likely will take several tries, and if the Kroil doesnt pan out, try some others like Deep Creep, or make your own concoction using acetone and atf at a 50/50 blend. Heat and pressure is the key here as you have a galvanic corrosion happening between dissimilar metals. You need the chemicals from the penetrant to eat the corrosion and the heat to expand the metal.
Again, patience. You dont want to mess that carb up!
I got it out! Got home from work late last night and gave it a slight tug after soaking in the Kroil for 24 hrs and it popped right out. Now just need to see if I can find a new or used replacement one because this one is junk and I should be ready to put the carb back together.
Am I missing something here where the smooth "shiny" part is? How is the belt suppose to engage with that being smooth. Like I said before this is my first sled and I know nothing about them so I'm just learning as I go!
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