[celdred1]

Hey, I'm new to the site but loving all the info I'm finding as I have a mid 80's Bravo Long Track that died in the back 40 with no spark the other day. Plan to drag it home and tackle that this weekend.

Also have a mid 80's Excel III that I've been trying to figure out how to make better for the kids to get around our rather steep property. They are young and I remember when I was a kid my dad would heat up the primary clutch spring and compress it in a vise so the sleds would engage at a really low rpm and pretty much walk up anything. Short of doing that, I cleaned the clutch yesterday with my air compressor and sanded the sheaves of both primary and secondary clutches and that helped it engage quicker and slip a bit less.

My real problem is that the belt seems to long as it's slipping at low/mid range. You can really see it slap up and down when removing the guard and spin the track on a stand. I guess I'll buy a new belt but I was wondering if there's any adjustment that could take up some of this play? The belt measures 1.25" with a tape and that's spec for a new belt but rides about .5" below the top of the secondary clutch and I think it should run flush.

There are no spacers in the secondary clutch so I can't remove them to get the belt running higher and take up some slack. If I loosen the motor mounts could I slide the engine forward a whisker? Does anyone know of a belt that is maybe a 1/16" wider than the stock (828-17641) recomended for this sled? Dimensions for the stock belt are 43 5/16" long by 1 15/16" wide (some sites state 1 1/4" wide)

Thanks for any advice. These sleds have been waiting for my boys to come of age and now that they've got the bug they want to ride!

Chuck

 

[rainbro]

About the bravo, I had an ovation. It died on the lake. It had very weak spark. I installed my spare plugs(slightly used), still weak spark. I almost died dragging it to a road 1km away. When at home I swapped a spare coil,cdi.etc...same.I then tried a set of NEW plugs. It started first pull. Take a NEW Plug with you when you go to get your bravo. It might save you some aggravation

 

[Yamaha440]

You will have to make sure it is the correct belt.

 

[yamadad4]

you could check the center to center on the clutches and see if it is close to spec. moving the engine in the mounts can help.

have you cleaned the secondary? apparently you had it apart to know there are no shims in there. what shape were the plastic buttons in? those being worn will drop the belt a little. perhaps you didnt put enough wrap back on the helix.

check and compare the measures to what used to be a dayco 1106. seems like those were a bit better fit. also, the yamaha belt 820-17641 was a bit wider and the same length.

 

[celdred1]

Thanks guys! Ordered a new belt for the Excel III yesterday and towed the Bravo back to the house last night. I'll be sure to try a new plug in the Bravo first.

Hopefully the new belt will cure my slipping on the Excel but to answer Yamadad4's question, I didn't completely disasemble the secondary clutch. Just cleaned up best I could with carb cleaner and air compressor. Buttons looked ok, wear but plenty of life left. I just assumed no shims as the sheaves are tight against each other with or without the belt installed.

This summer I'm going to go completely through both sleds so I'll be ordering manuals from Yamadad4 once I write down the VIN's and figure out the exact vintage.