Hi guys,
Just came home with a 1999? Yamaha Wolverine 350 4x4.

It had its tires previously upgraded to 25" (decent life left), and has the Warn 424 select kit installed (which I'm quite happy about).

The reason I have a question mark beside 1999 is it was advertised as that, has ownership for that but it reads 11/98 on the sticker on the frame. Is it still a 1999 because it was manufactured so late in the year?

Second, the starter is gone on it but starts well with the pull cord so that isn't a HUGE issue at the moment. A friend of mine said rebuilding them is not too difficult and much cheaper than replacing so I'll likely go this route if possible, down the road.

Third, there seems to be oil leaking out of the top end of the engine. The previous owner said he kept checking the oil level and it would almost never go down, so he didn't bother fixing. I like my toys in tip-top shape so I would like to deal with this issue. I'm guessing I'll have to replace all the gaskets and seals in the top end, which doesn't look like an overly costly repair. Particular aftermarket brand or type recommended before I just grab whatever I find on rockymountain?

Other than that, the bike starts and runs OK, shifts through the gears, moves from 2wd to 4wd fairly easily so I'm overall happy.

My main concern is the oil leak and getting that problem out of the way in case it is an indicator of something more serious.

Again, anyone with experience tip/tricks are always appreciated. I'm no mechanic, but I do enjoy tinkering with small engines and am not completely useless in the garage.

Thanks all!

- - Mike

 

You have a 99 model. Most manufacturers come out middle/late summer with next year models. My old 92 Honda had a manufacture date of 9/91 but the plate shows it's a 92 model. Gasket kit are available on ebay if needed. May be some out there cheaper than this.http://www.ebay.com/itm/95-09-Yamaha-YFM-Wolverine-350-Top-End-Gasket-Kit-NAMURA-/381105998175?pt=Motors_ATV_Parts_Accessories&hash=item58bbb0095f&vxp=mtr

 

Thanks for the clarification! I have had good experience ordering from rockymountainatv and see a few different options like these:
1. https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p...ket-Kit?v=1476 Tusk Brand - $19.99

2.https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p...ket-Set?v=1476 Cometic Brand - $26.99

3. https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p...ket-Kit?v=1476 Pro X Brand - $31.99

I just didn't know if others had good/bad experiences with any brand in particular. Reading the reviews on their site it looks like people are quite happy with the Cometic brand, unless I hear otherwise I might go with that.

 

Used Cometic kits quite a bit on the old 250,300,400 Polaris 2 strokes. Can't remember ever having a problem with them.

 

Excellent news, thank you.

So here are some pictures of the oil I'm seeing (it looks a lot worse because I sprayed some engine cleaner on it to try and clean it up a bit).







I guess my question is, will the top end gasket kit fix this or could this be a bigger issue? I plan on busting out my compression tester, but for now a safe place to start would be replace the top end gaskets?
Also, since I have never done this before...I'm assuming the complete removal of the engine is necessary?

Thanks again!

 

Nasty! I'd clean this sucker up to where it's spotless and then you can see where the oil is coming from before I'd tear it down. May be as simple as leaking valve cover o-rings or cam cover plate leaking oil everywhere.

 

Looks like the value cover Oring gasket is the problem,They let it go so long it made an mess on the engine,,May try to replace them first before an top end teardown IMO

 

pHOTO 27 IS THE oRINGS WE HAVE MENTION

 

http://www.ronniesmailorder.com/fich...=CYLINDER+HEAD

 

Ya, that was my idea by putting the engine cleaner on it. But I'm going to need to really get in there and clean it out. Any suggestions for cleaning products that work best? Engine cleaner doesn't seem to be overly effective right now!

Yes, I would like to avoid that if at all possible! Thanks guys, maybe head to my Yamaha dealer tomorrow after work and pick up a valve cover o-ring and really attempt to scrub this baby clean.


On another note, any suggestion on oil (synthetic vs non) and also thinking I would change the gear oil in the front and rear. Any particular oil for that recommended? I'm going to also look for the Clymer Manual for this bike tomorrow. Should I get the service manual as well or Clymer manual the way to go?