Hi CCW thanks you for the video. I have a 2013 FX SHO I have not personally inspected my timing chain but the previous owner said there might be one of the links that is broken. Do you have to remove the engine to replace the timing chain i have never done it but i think i can do it. maybe you can do a video on that. THANKS AGAIN!!!
I checked mine on a 2014 FX. Glad I did. The chain was fine but the glue let go that holds the plastic rubbing block to the inside of the valve cover. It was just sitting on the chain! If it fell off into the engine I would have been screwed. Dont know if you can buy just that part. I think you have to buy the whole valve cover. Thanks for posting
I thought I would share my story here as I am now part of the Yamaha SVHO snapped timing chain failure club. Since my timing chain broke back on 04/01/2016, I have discovered that this defect is well known to Yamaha but they are going out of their way to do whatever it takes to admit fault and enact a recall. This is unacceptable as I have discovered first hand that this timing chain defect is not only an expensive problem, it is a potentially dangerous one as well as both myself and my wife were injured when our FZS waverunner suffered a catastrophic timing chain failure at high rpm while traveling in excess of 60mph. The chain snapped right as we were crossing a moderate sized boat wake and a 45 degree angle. The resultant decelleration caused both myself and my wife to be violently thrown from the waverunner. Our injuries weren't life threatening, but months later they still have not fully healed. Now our circumstances were complicated by the boat wake, but I still feel this is serious enough that Yamaha should have sent all SVHO owners a written notification to be cautious due to possibility of timing chain snapping at high speed. What if I would have had a small child on the back? Furthermore, this breakdown was right in the pathway of the gigantic WA State Ferry. Luckily someone towed us out of the way of the ferry before they either hit us, or had to come to a complete stop, which would have been a ten thousand dollar fine (id rather be chewed up by a ferry prop than fork over that kind of money.) Right after I got home after this failed timing chain, I read on the internet about this same thing happening to dozens of other svho owners, one of them was also injured by the deceleration like myself. Some people who owned two or three svho powered jetskiis had multiple timing chain failures, and very few svho owners seem to have had their engines last past 150 hours before failure, with most failing like mine at less than 55 hours. My skii was pristine and serviced by the book. I could not have treated the machine any more carefully had it been made of solid gold. Yet it broke, sending both myself and my wife flying at 60mph. Here is a quote from Kevin Shaw from an article on the Watercraft Journal: In regards to the timing chain and supercharger issues that some SVHO owners are encountering, that is a matter that Yamaha’s legal department is addressing rather quietly and would like anything but the media to get involved (particularly considering all the grief they’ve just weathered over the Rhino class action lawsuits).Trust me, Yamaha is fully aware of the issue and is speedily working to find a solution that will satisfy all parties. Whether a recall is issued at all, or Yamaha makes an announcement through media channels or through a letter issued through each owner’s respective dealerships remains to be seen." Now...what does one do when this timing chain fails, as most will? Well for starters, do not let them rebuilt your engine...if under warranty. If they just restore the SVHO engine to the 2014 or 2015 design, it will fail again, as many other Yamaha owners have experienced on this very forum. No, you need your engine updated to the 2016 model, where they completely redesigned the new timing chain assembly. There is another issue as well, and that is if your engine fails in saltwater as mine did. with a broken timing chain, you cannot properly flush the engine and the engine will likely be further damaged from the salt. Fortunately my engine was so far gone that the salt damage was a non issue. However, Yamaha did send the dealer engine components to rebuild my engine rather than an entire brand new engine ready to go. By doing so, they delayed the repair process to such a degree that my entire riding season was lost! Further this kit they send did not include head studs and you cannot reuse the old ones due to stretch. So with myriad minor issues not addressed by Yamaha, something that could have been repaired in weeks has taken an entire summer and spring. And thus this was the insult that was added to the actual physical injury. Now, I am finally nearing the end of the tunnel, but the recent light at the exit was eclipsed by yet another ridiculous and inexcusable delay...evidently this new engine needs some sort of specialized puller that is so hard to get ahold of one, my dealership says that it is going to delay things up to another month or even two. The tool is on backorder and there is none in the whole country available!!! Really? And this is on top of a long line of previous delays....like when they finally realized that they should probably change out the badly corroded parts (I couldn't flush my engine due to broken chain) before slapping my engine back together.....they were initially just going to change broken parts and leave the corrosion. I have been dealing with the Yamaha Customer Care department directly this whole time. I can only imagine how much less progress I would have made if all of this was being done by the dealer without me constantly inputting energy to overcome the exasperating inertia and bureaucratic nonsense. I am just lucky I purchased the extended warranty as this repair would be costing in excess of 10,000 dollars had I not been covered. Yamaha should be treating this whole thing like the safety issue that it is. While my case of getting bucked at 60mph might be extreme, water is still pretty hard to impact at any significant speed. I hope this information helps someone as this process has been a long and painful learning experience.
Just happened to me😭 out in the gulf can't flush the motor and begging Yamaha to help waiting on there reply, same thing I take such good care of my skis have 2 Yamahas svho's this one broke at 105 hours roughly... If I don't get any help it's going to be 4-5k replacing the motor... I love Yamaha but if they won't cover the ski I'm done with them will become a Kawasaki rider
this happened to my young amish contractor friend two summers ago. he got one summer use almost and spent $12,000 financed via yamaha financing marryland!!! Timing chain shit out. Only 80.9 running hours !!!! Terrible!! 2014 machine financed in early 2018!!!
So that is the original chain of course, does the revised chain just have more links to make it wider or is it a bigger chain overall like the gear teeth and everything
Hello can you please tell me from your knowledge does the timing chain break in just a few boats or is this issue on all of them and a person shouldn’t buy a 14 or ‘15? Thanks!!!
Aaaahhhhh I have like 50 hrs on my 2015 normally aspirated ... Aaaahhhh I'm scared ... This is not suppose to happen ... I have all Honda or Yami sled and this unit .... Aaaaahhhh ! Is there an honest place that can do a serial # check to tell me I've hit bad luck again ...
Yamaha revised the timing chain in 2016 models onwards..... so I'm assuming the newer chains are of better construction, they can be retrofitted to older motors
Yamaha FX is slow as fuk from factory. My SHOFX only gets 65 gps and basic HOFX gets 57 gps. That’s with just me (185lbs) and 1/2 tank of gas. Disappointed. Hope this video helps
Do a video on how to change the timing chain and how to put it on time
Very nice and well done. Very good idea to inspect that chain just before you roll off warranty.
+jon “slingshot” doe , thanks for the reply. I agree.
Hi CCW thanks you for the video. I have a 2013 FX SHO I have not personally inspected my timing chain but the previous owner said there might be one of the links that is broken. Do you have to remove the engine to replace the timing chain i have never done it but i think i can do it. maybe you can do a video on that. THANKS AGAIN!!!
I checked mine on a 2014 FX. Glad I did. The chain was fine but the glue let go that holds the plastic rubbing block to the inside of the valve cover. It was just sitting on the chain! If it fell off into the engine I would have been screwed. Dont know if you can buy just that part. I think you have to buy the whole valve cover. Thanks for posting
awesome video. Bet the job isn't too bad I can see the cam block there looks like you can take those off and replace the chain
I thought I would share my story here as I am now part of the Yamaha SVHO snapped timing chain failure club. Since my timing chain broke back on 04/01/2016, I have discovered that this defect is well known to Yamaha but they are going out of their way to do whatever it takes to admit fault and enact a recall. This is unacceptable as I have discovered first hand that this timing chain defect is not only an expensive problem, it is a potentially dangerous one as well as both myself and my wife were injured when our FZS waverunner suffered a catastrophic timing chain failure at high rpm while traveling in excess of 60mph. The chain snapped right as we were crossing a moderate sized boat wake and a 45 degree angle. The resultant decelleration caused both myself and my wife to be violently thrown from the waverunner. Our injuries weren't life threatening, but months later they still have not fully healed. Now our circumstances were complicated by the boat wake, but I still feel this is serious enough that Yamaha should have sent all SVHO owners a written notification to be cautious due to possibility of timing chain snapping at high speed. What if I would have had a small child on the back? Furthermore, this breakdown was right in the pathway of the gigantic WA State Ferry. Luckily someone towed us out of the way of the ferry before they either hit us, or had to come to a complete stop, which would have been a ten thousand dollar fine (id rather be chewed up by a ferry prop than fork over that kind of money.)
Right after I got home after this failed timing chain, I read on the internet about this same thing happening to dozens of other svho owners, one of them was also injured by the deceleration like myself. Some people who owned two or three svho powered jetskiis had multiple timing chain failures, and very few svho owners seem to have had their engines last past 150 hours before failure, with most failing like mine at less than 55 hours. My skii was pristine and serviced by the book. I could not have treated the machine any more carefully had it been made of solid gold. Yet it broke, sending both myself and my wife flying at 60mph. Here is a quote from Kevin Shaw from an article on the Watercraft Journal: In regards to the timing chain and supercharger issues that some SVHO owners are encountering, that is a matter that Yamaha’s legal department is addressing rather quietly and would like anything but the media to get involved (particularly considering all the grief they’ve just weathered over the Rhino class action lawsuits).Trust me, Yamaha is fully aware of the issue and is speedily working to find a solution that will satisfy all parties. Whether a recall is issued at all, or Yamaha makes an announcement through media channels or through a letter issued through each owner’s respective dealerships remains to be seen."
Now...what does one do when this timing chain fails, as most will? Well for starters, do not let them rebuilt your engine...if under warranty. If they just restore the SVHO engine to the 2014 or 2015 design, it will fail again, as many other Yamaha owners have experienced on this very forum. No, you need your engine updated to the 2016 model, where they completely redesigned the new timing chain assembly. There is another issue as well, and that is if your engine fails in saltwater as mine did. with a broken timing chain, you cannot properly flush the engine and the engine will likely be further damaged from the salt. Fortunately my engine was so far gone that the salt damage was a non issue. However, Yamaha did send the dealer engine components to rebuild my engine rather than an entire brand new engine ready to go. By doing so, they delayed the repair process to such a degree that my entire riding season was lost! Further this kit they send did not include head studs and you cannot reuse the old ones due to stretch. So with myriad minor issues not addressed by Yamaha, something that could have been repaired in weeks has taken an entire summer and spring. And thus this was the insult that was added to the actual physical injury.
Now, I am finally nearing the end of the tunnel, but the recent light at the exit was eclipsed by yet another ridiculous and inexcusable delay...evidently this new engine needs some sort of specialized puller that is so hard to get ahold of one, my dealership says that it is going to delay things up to another month or even two. The tool is on backorder and there is none in the whole country available!!! Really? And this is on top of a long line of previous delays....like when they finally realized that they should probably change out the badly corroded parts (I couldn't flush my engine due to broken chain) before slapping my engine back together.....they were initially just going to change broken parts and leave the corrosion.
I have been dealing with the Yamaha Customer Care department directly this whole time. I can only imagine how much less progress I would have made if all of this was being done by the dealer without me constantly inputting energy to overcome the exasperating inertia and bureaucratic nonsense. I am just lucky I purchased the extended warranty as this repair would be costing in excess of 10,000 dollars had I not been covered. Yamaha should be treating this whole thing like the safety issue that it is. While my case of getting bucked at 60mph might be extreme, water is still pretty hard to impact at any significant speed. I hope this information helps someone as this process has been a long and painful learning experience.
Seattle Flyboard we here you. your putting this on every yamaha thread or forum.
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Just happened to me😭 out in the gulf can't flush the motor and begging Yamaha to help waiting on there reply, same thing I take such good care of my skis have 2 Yamahas svho's this one broke at 105 hours roughly... If I don't get any help it's going to be 4-5k replacing the motor... I love Yamaha but if they won't cover the ski I'm done with them will become a Kawasaki rider
this happened to my young amish contractor friend two summers ago. he got one summer use almost and spent $12,000 financed via yamaha financing marryland!!! Timing chain shit out. Only 80.9 running hours !!!! Terrible!! 2014 machine financed in early 2018!!!
@W M look up all genuine yamaha parts nd labor!
Did you have to put a new gasket on when putting it back?
So that is the original chain of course, does the revised chain just have more links to make it wider or is it a bigger chain overall like the gear teeth and everything
Hello can you please tell me from your knowledge does the timing chain break in just a few boats or is this issue on all of them and a person shouldn’t buy a 14 or ‘15? Thanks!!!
Is it possible to replace a chain without pulling the motor? I've read things that sound like you can, but nothing definitive.
Question is the timing chain to blame or is it poor engine design, hate to replace with same timing chain from yamaha.
how much would cost to have chain replaced?
Aaaahhhhh I have like 50 hrs on my 2015 normally aspirated ... Aaaahhhh I'm scared ... This is not suppose to happen ... I have all Honda or Yami sled and this unit .... Aaaaahhhh !
Is there an honest place that can do a serial # check to tell me I've hit bad luck again ...
Nice vid BUT has anyone ever came up with a fix for this issue? Some kind of kit to prevent this very huge failure?
Yamaha revised the timing chain in 2016 models onwards..... so I'm assuming the newer chains are of better construction, they can be retrofitted to older motors
do a rebuild please
Yamaha FX is slow as fuk from factory. My SHOFX only gets 65 gps and basic HOFX gets 57 gps. That’s with just me (185lbs) and 1/2 tank of gas. Disappointed. Hope this video helps
Ride it like you stole it. Hope it blows. Yamaha fixing until end of 2020!!
fixing what!
if yamaha is fixing 2014-15 year sxvho 1.8 litre engines failures until december 2020 we all would like you to back this up! please!
According to who? I talked to Yamaha today and they said they absolutely do not fix it if it blows out of warranty.