• We are no longer supporting TapaTalk as a mobile app for our sites. The TapaTalk App has many issues with speed on our server as well as security holes that leave us vulnerable to attacks and spammers.

2011 XTX Overheating / temp light

Nytro Rocket

Newbie
Joined
Mar 18, 2014
Messages
20
Location
Wisconsin
Country
USA
Snowmobile
2011 Nytro XTX
I guess I had this in the wrong section. I'll try it in this one.
2011 Nytro XTX. 3300 miles
First off I ran into MrSled randomly at a bar in the UP (what are the chances?). I did not know him until we got talking. He and his group gave some great ideas but before I dive into it I thought I would post my issue and see if anyone has had a similar issue or any other ideas. He seemed to think maybe the thermostat.
I bought the sled last year and it needed a subframe. I drove it damaged for 150 miles and never had an issue last year. Over the summer I did the following to it:
New subframe
Steering relocate
New track
Extrovert drivers
New skis
New windshield
New handguards
I never did anything to the cooling system during the upgrades. The coolant bottle was low so I added coolant to it (50 / 50 mix)
So I went to the UP in Michigan last week and the following is what happened:
First day: Went across a lake that was loose snow, 7 miles. When I got across noticed the temp light was on. Shut it off and let cool. Went down a powdery trail for 5 miles and the temp light came on again. I turned around and headed for the cabin. Every 5 miles the light came on and this continued to the Yamaha dealer. We noticed the fan was not functioning while on the trail. Upon arriving at the dealer he tested the plug and it had power. He said: "the fan is bad" but when he plugged it in it started up and continued to work. I rode it for 15 miles and never had an issue.
Second day: Went all the way across the same lake which was slushy, this time going around the outside (12 miles) all was good. Got on the trail and 5 miles later temp light came on. This continued for 10miles till we got to another town.
I called Port Yamaha, a couple contacts I know and did a Totally Yamaha search. After gathering some ideas I waited for it to cool, check the fluid in the radiator and removed an ice dam from the front heat exchanger. We drove the side of the rode for 4 miles and the engine light came on again. My buddies rode back and got the truck and we put the sled in and I did not do anything since beside thaw it out.
What do you think?
 

the fan could still be bad, I havnt had this problem on my nytro but I had a 4 wheeler that the fan would come on intermittently and when it didn't come on it would overheat. found that there was a bad spot in the fan motor so when it hit that spot it wouldn't come on. maybe something to look into?
 
IMO, a temperature guage is priceless. It's like an early warning system. Lets you moniter all the time so you can better troubleshoot. It would make it a lot easier to check your fan coming on at around 190, and you would be able to shut her down or get into some snow before you hit the light at 210.
 
What is the lug height on the new track? You might need some scratchers if your running a 2" or bigger
 
I've had my light come on on -30 Celsius days crusty trails or -5 days with soft snow it seems they have poor engine ventilation. I've taken my hood off to help on days like this but I'm going to put vent kit to relive the hot air in the engine bay. Seems most people use the vent kit or a aftermarket heat exchanger. Also it could be possible the fan relay is malfunctioning, there is a upgraded solid state relay (red) you can replace it with.
 
Thank you for the replys. The track is the same as stock, no studs. I am pretty sure I have a problem of some as I can't go 5 miles in powder without the temp light coming on. I am willing to add the heat exchanger but would really like to solve the problem. What is the heat exchanger I need and MTX with all the hoses and the heat exchanger itself? I would most likely look for a used one. The sled is getting hot as I can see the heat from the sled and feel how hot it is so I'm sure it's actually hot.
 
Have you bled out the air in the cooling system? It could be air locked.
It's possible you're water pump or thermostat has failed.
What steps have you taken so far?

The Nytros are reknown for having an inadequate cooling...small heat exchanger with a poorly ventilated radiator combine for poor cooling under marginal conditions. Yes, your best solution is to install the MTX xooler kit which you can get at the Dealer. If you check out the online parts diagram for your sled, you can see the kit available for your sled...part#8HA-124A0-00-00. Probably cost about $400-500.
 
The MTX heat exchanger is a great option to reduce engine heat but there is definitely something else going on. The temperature sensor can be removed and tested by putting it in a pan of heated coolant and measuring it's resistance. I've never heard of a bad fan on a Nytro but the fan relay could be acting up so I'd just replace it to eliminate it as being the problem. Pull the thermostat and if it's opened replace it. You can also test it by placing it in heated coolant but if I pulled it I'd probably just replace it. In rare cases there have been reports of plugged radiators due to neglected coolant. Pull the radiator hoses and check the ports for blockage.

When you cleaned the ice from the heat exchanger was the exchanger hot?



 
I have my overheating yellow light come on and off sporadically it seems. i guess ill know better whats going on when i get my water temp sensor in.
 
Grimm, I have not done anything yet as I didn't want to jump into it without some more ideas. I realize that the cooling system isn't ideal, however 5 miles on trails with fresh powder is not acceptable.
grizztracks, good info and thank you. I will start with the info you provided. My kids sporting events are not allowing me to work on it yet. ( maybe after the weekend)
I am not sure if the heat exchanger was warm as when I checked it the sled was completely cooled down.
Koning, please let me know what you find out. How long can you go before your light comes on?
 
I would defiantly pull the thermostat first, check that, and if that seams fine I would still replace it since its out. also not a bad idea to check water pump. those would be the first things I would look at. I would jump right into buying a new cooler. something else is going on. prolly should fix the problem before putting a mtx cooler in
 
I am defiantly going to fix the problem before adding a cooler. I am going to look for a used one. I rode it last year in rainy icy conditions for 150 miles without a problem so I know there is another issue here. Now I just have to find it. Thanks for the replys!
 
Grimm, I have not done anything yet as I didn't want to jump into it without some more ideas. I realize that the cooling system isn't ideal, however 5 miles on trails with fresh powder is not acceptable.
grizztracks, good info and thank you. I will start with the info you provided. My kids sporting events are not allowing me to work on it yet. ( maybe after the weekend)
I am not sure if the heat exchanger was warm as when I checked it the sled was completely cooled down.
Koning, please let me know what you find out. How long can you go before your light comes on?
itll be a wait until the gauges get it, ride 20 min with okay snow conditions and then it comes on, and then comes off and on every 3 or so minutes
 


Back
Top