Well, thanks to my buddy Warrior007 & his spacious 2 car garage we got the head on/off problem free. I took the head to EastCoast atv & they overdrilled the stud bolt hole & aluminum welded it, grinded it down, & redrilled/tapped the hole. Real nice job, looks brand new except for the fresh grinding look. They quoted me $50-$100 but charged me $149, typical! The gasket was another $39 plus $1 for the stud.
The tech said it was a tough job since it was close to the exhaust port-had to be careful not to damage that.
Bottom line is they did a good job & we got it back together in time to ride last Sunday, changed the oil/filter/antifreeze & it ran like a champ.
For those of you taking the head off, don't forget to get a new head gasket, use gasket maker, use a torque wrench, & the manual helps too.
Now that I've removed the cam & seen the huge piston, I can't stop thinking about replacing both for more power!!

 

no doubt the extra $$ sucked BUT look at the other options, 1)you saved $400 over a new head 2) you are riding again = priceless 3) a shop that get it in and out so you can ride again (without a 6 week wait) PRICELESS. All in all I think you did well.


Michael

 

Mike..az, you're right, I made out pretty good, I'm fortunate to have an experienced friend as well. He's taken his share of atv's apart & a few cars. I dropped the head off EastCoast atv Wednesday night & they had it done by noon Thursday so they deserve Kudos as well.

I've heard some real horror stories about people waiting a long time to get work done from other places so I shouldn't complain. I guess I am venting a little because on the way up to our riding spot I got a speeding ticket. The cop pulled me and another car over, a two for one, he cut me a break on not giving me any points which also reduced the fine by $45. He also stated on the ticket that I "failed to obey posted traffic control device" as opposed to saying I was doing 70mph in a 55mph zone. Somehow I have trouble saying I am lucky when I just spent $350 on parts/labor/speeding ticket/cases of beer in one week just to go riding, but its still a lot cheaper than it could have been!

When I saw how easy it was to get to the cam/piston I was thinking about replacing at least the cam but I promised my wife I wouldn't spend anymore on upgrades this year except for much needed tires. Besides, I was in too much of a hurry to get it back together for riding & I heard just replacing the cam & not installing a high comp piston is not going to do much for performance. Maybe next winter?

 

Unbeleivable, I went out to Mt Carmel in PA this past Labor day weekend & when I got back I discovered a different header bolt broken in the head. WTF!!! I didn't use a torque wrench but I let my buddy tighten them when I fixed the last one that broke because he wanted to & felt he would be more careful, I'm not an idiot but I let him do it anyway. Now there is two of us who think we are real careful not to overtighten the header bolts/studs & we both broke one.
It took 4-5 months to break the one I tightened when I first installed the Yosh pipe but this last one broke after one ride.
I will certainly use a torque wrench the next time but if it happens again I would like to ask Yamaha their opinion.
Is this a common problem with the Raptor? Do I just have real bad luck hitting rocks or something. Maybe I'm running too lean/too hot, the fan rarely comes on & I'm usually jetted a little on the rich side too.
I'm getting tired of taking the head off, maybe I'll do some engine work this time!?

 

Your gonna have to go with bigger studs, I think its the pipe somehow expanding and breaking the stud, I didnt torque them any further than I have done in the last 15 years of working on stuff and never had a problem.

Unfortunately there is no 30 day guarantee on my work but your in luck though, I will qoute you a price:

Labor - 1 case of beer

Materials - $40 for a new head gasket
$5 in studs.

that should cover it