Tmax CVT Recall

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MrGrumpy
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Re: Tmax CVT Recall

Post by MrGrumpy »

My problem seems to be at high speeds (over 5500 rpm) or trying to accelerate briskly - the engine spins up but the CVT doesn't hook up as it should for a bit, and there is often a metallic metal-on-metal grinding noise on these occasions which does not sound right at all! If you are sitting at 5500 rpm on a dual carriageway, it can be quite difficult to persuade it up to 6000. There was a post on here that said that the reason for the recall was one of the pulley had been made out of too soft a material and was bending under load - this does sound broadly consistent with my problems, but I won't know for sure until next week.

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EvilRacer329
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Re: Tmax CVT Recall

Post by EvilRacer329 »

Huh; mine did that...once. Sounded like the clutch slipped for a moment, the engine spun up, and then it caught again. I made a mental note and kept going. This trip of mine will be fully loaded, two-up, through alpine mountain passes. If it's going to rear its head, it'll be here!

Are you getting yours repaired under the recall, or are you having to cough up for the parts yourself?

Nick

MrGrumpy
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Re: Tmax CVT Recall

Post by MrGrumpy »

EvilRacer329 wrote: Fri Aug 16, 2019 7:31 am Huh; mine did that...once. Sounded like the clutch slipped for a moment, the engine spun up, and then it caught again. I made a mental note and kept going. This trip of mine will be fully loaded, two-up, through alpine mountain passes. If it's going to rear its head, it'll be here!

Are you getting yours repaired under the recall, or are you having to cough up for the parts yourself?
Its being repaired under the recall, though I don't know if a new Vee-belt is included. Its worth paying for that even if its not included as the current one is half worn anyway, and the labour will be free effectively.

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EvilRacer329
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Re: Tmax CVT Recall

Post by EvilRacer329 »

Agreed; I'll see how it performs during the trip, if I start getting problems I'll kick up a fuss with Yamaha UK and see what I can do. The bike is out of warranty now, so if anyone else has any tips on how to get them to play ball I would certainly appreciate it!

Nick

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EvilRacer329
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Re: Tmax CVT Recall

Post by EvilRacer329 »

Update: I'm definitely experiencing the same issue. When riding at a high speed around 5k RPM, snapping open the throttle under certain conditions will cause the engine revs to surge and then snap back down as the belt slips and then grips. It's hard to replicate, but it's definitely there. Any suggestions? Should I talk to my dealer first, or go straight to Yamaha customer service? Do they have a name for this "recall" I should reference?

Nick

MrGrumpy
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Re: Tmax CVT Recall

Post by MrGrumpy »

EvilRacer329 wrote: Mon Aug 19, 2019 6:11 am Update: I'm definitely experiencing the same issue. When riding at a high speed around 5k RPM, snapping open the throttle under certain conditions will cause the engine revs to surge and then snap back down as the belt slips and then grips. It's hard to replicate, but it's definitely there. Any suggestions? Should I talk to my dealer first, or go straight to Yamaha customer service? Do they have a name for this "recall" I should reference?

Nick
Oh bugger! I don't think there is a name for this, although the recall was to replace the CVT - though I couldn't find any documentation on the web as it may not be a safety issue (unlike the Drive belt recall). I'd talk to Yamaha Tech Support. I went to the dealer around a year ago when I first noticed symptoms, but of course the dealer couldn't reproduce the fault - part of the difficulty being that it only occurs at high speeds and when you accelerate smartly - and of course as an owner you know what it normally does and should be doing but a mechanic who's probably never ridden a Tmax won't have a clue! I started the process off by talking to Yamaha Tech Support, but the conversation then took place between the dealer and Yamaha. The dealer was talking about having 'made a case' to Yamaha, given the other hassles I've had. Very murky!

I won't find out to Wednesday whether the replacement improves things or not.

As I've said, mine works mostly fine up to 5500 rpm, but then gets difficult, or if you want to overtake and grab the throttle - which is the real snag because if you are going for an overtake you really want to be assured of power. Mine did start like yours - occasionally, but has been worse since I got it back from the bearing fiasco.

MrGrumpy
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Re: Tmax CVT Recall

Post by MrGrumpy »

PS Try talking to Yamaha Tech Support, NOT Customer Service - the latter seem the normal know-nothing-do-nothing call centre drones! (sorry to any call centre workers on here!)

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bugsy
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Re: Tmax CVT Recall

Post by bugsy »

Have to admit to being a bit confused reading the last few posts. Surely opening the throttle wildly on the T Max from 5500rpm is going to cause a rpm surge until the bike accelerates and catches up with the belt. I thought your original complaint was a metallic noise at this point which would point towards a pulley breaking up.
I’m wondering if EvilRacer is just getting anxious about this ongoing problem. Otherwise this could b3 affecting a large percentage of TMaxs built over the 2017,18 build period..

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Ralph
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Re: Tmax CVT Recall

Post by Ralph »

Now I have never ridden a Tmax but I would think at 5500 rpm it would be close to max torque revs
so you open the throttle and this puts max torque on to the transmission forcing it into a lower gear,
as the revs rise and speed increases the and the transmission starts to change back up, I know you say
it does not want to go over 6000 revs but is the scooter still accelerating as you would expect? if
no acceleration then I would think you have a problem. neither would I expect any metallic noises.
Ralph
Nr Fleetwood
Yamaha X-max 300
Ariel NG 350
AJS Model 18S.

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MrGrumpy
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Re: Tmax CVT Recall

Post by MrGrumpy »

bugsy wrote: Mon Aug 19, 2019 1:26 pm Have to admit to being a bit confused reading the last few posts. Surely opening the throttle wildly on the T Max from 5500rpm is going to cause a rpm surge until the bike accelerates and catches up with the belt. I thought your original complaint was a metallic noise at this point which would point towards a pulley breaking up.
Yes, revs normally rise when you open the throttle, but there normally is drive, especially on something as well sorted and progressive as the Tmax. But there is the definite feeling on mine that engine revs rise, but its not hooking up, until it does quite suddenly, when drive kicks in (and revs fall again). Normally its a very smooth operation as the drive is fed in progressively, not like this. You can feel something isn't right, especially as it didn't use to be like that. AND there is often the metallic grinding noise - this normally kicks in at higher speeds if you try to accelerate. I normally close the throttle when I hear it as its not a good noise!

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