# Yamaha YS624 Rebuild



## GregNL

I'm not usually one for introductions but as a first post I guess this is as good as any.

It wasn't until I started reading this forum and nabble in the last few days, just now signing up for both, that I realize I'm not alone in some unexplained obsession with buying old often relics of the past and having an overwhelming desire to restore it. It must be genetic as I know it runs in my family though I believe it's partially a trait of being frugal to the ultimate level with the desire to have nice things. There's just something oddly satisfying watching numerous videos of Yamaha machines moving tons of snow with ease at great distances. No doubt Honda equivalents are equally as capable, I personally almost bought a new Husq ST 224 or Toro 724OE until this little blue late model YS624 popped up on the local Kijiji site and I somehow had to have it. Often taking on too many projects at once I'm now constantly reminding myself it's Time vs Money; time taken away from more important things in life and realizing the funds could have been better spent. Hindsight, biting the bullet and financing a new YT624EJ would have been the ultimate investment but who knows, perhaps this little machine now has 20+ more years of life left!

Nov 11, 2014 I picked up this little diamond in the ruff. It went up online around 12:30 AM, I sent a message a few minutes after. 11AM the next morning it was mine for $300. :wavetowel2:

I should mention I had no clue about what to look over aside from seeing if the engine was working, body condition or if it was leaking oil. No doubt it needed cosmetic repair and a few bearings replaced but I took the chance, no haggling and brought it home. If I didn't nab it 2 others were ready and willing to buy.




















Back at the apartment in its many shades of blue:












Unfortunately during the rebuild I didn't have access to a shed so it quickly exploded in the kitchen and livingroom.



















The auger and impeller bearings were definitely toast, no grease left in these:




















Wondering what I just got myself into :mellow:











After a few hours work removing rusted nuts and bolts:











Those random moments when you really wish you had a suitable shed/garage to work in:












In for a penny, in for a pound, no turning back now:




















I've repaired exhaust valve cover leaks on my '92 300ZX, which involves removing the entire fuel rail and air plenum, none of which compares the backward engineered, overly complicated, never to be taken apart design of the YS624. Rusted bearings EVERYWHERE! It definitely wasn't an end user simple repair machine, then again very little went wrong in it's life prior to a mid life refit except replacing all the bloody bearings!











Finally removed one of the track shafts after cutting a few bearings, not much grease left in the gear housing:










Cut the outer race, use a large slotted screwdriver and pop it out of the way over the bearings. To remove simply pry it apart and it should crack.










More precision cutting. With bearings fused on the drive shafts on the outside of the case and the inside behind the gears it's impossible to take the machine apart:











Finally got them out! The hardest part of the tear down complete.











Time for new bearings!











...more bearings, a few rated for snowmobiles and a tube of cold weather calcium based grease recommended for snowmobiles and snowblowers to repack the gears and generously cover all bearings and moving parts:












1/8" steel patch welds courtesy of my brother:











I believe this image is the final top coat of the Jeep Cosmos Blue, a nearly exact color match minus the poor lighting. All pieces were then hit with several coats of clear coat. I've tried various Ford Blues, Brilliant Blue but nothing was as close as this though it wasn't cheap at nearly $30 a can.











A collection of parts ready for reassembly:











I really didn't take as many photos as I normal would with something like this, I wasn't planning on making a write-up, but I do like to either document the process through photos for personal reference, sharing via text or FB.

It's not the best photo, I'll take many more and videos of it in action once I get home from work in 2 weeks but it does give you an idea of the finished look complete with a heat moulded 24" x 24" x 1/16"of Ultra High Molecular Weight plastic sheet available at Acklands-Grainger. It's an extremely durable material, resistant to extreme abrasion with very low friction properties, the Teflon used in the new Yamaha models being slightly better.











For anyone looking to take on such a project and to do a near full restoration, minus the motor, it involves a lot of work, time and money. While I paid $300 for the machine, if I knew the extent of work needed prior I would have tried to get it for less or just purchased something else new. There was a good reason the previous and second owner of this machine never broke off a shear pin as both the augers and impeller were rusted to the shafts. I was able to remove one auger with a lot of BP Blaster, heat and brute force along with the impeller, the other auger had to be removed at a machine shop. The remaining work involved paint and rust removal, applying metal filler in pitted areas for a smooth paint finish and finally painting of all parts removed.

Between purchase price; repair costs of machine shop work; all parts including bearings, stainless bolts and fittings, new Japanese (automotive) bolts to reassemble the bucket and reattach to the transmission body, sourced locally, along with any gaskets, seals and pulleys from my local Yamaha dealer, all paint and paint supplies including 2 sheets of UHMW plastic at Acklands-Grainger I invested about another $600 for a total of $900.

The only thing left to install is a 1/8" piece of UMHW plastic in the impeller housing, same as that found on the YS1028J, and to complete the wiring for the dual 10W Cree LED flood lamps.

For anyone wondering how long it took from start to finish, approximately 2 years as I work away for a large part of the year combined with a lot of procrastination then as it was all assembled I couldn't get it to start again. New gas, new fuel lines, new spark plug, all new carburetor gaskets, cleaning out any needle holes with a wire strand then rinsing it all down with break cleaner and reassembling everything for one last time it finally came to life! The high heat paint on the muffler began to smoke and bake on in seconds filling the 12x12 shed with a white cloud. I stood back with the door open admiring my final accomplishment albeit eager to get to work. No longer living at the apartment, I quickly suited up, goggles and all, and made a track from the shed to the driveway during a blustery night just after a moderate snowfall.

After cleaning my driveway I then tackled 4 of my neighbours as I was having WAY too much fun! This little machine is a beast, I had to be mindful where it was tossing the snow to refrain from hitting cars and houses rather far away. I may install better ice chewing serrations on the augers in the future. One thing I never have to worry is not having the ability to throw snow high, unlike the overly curved MTD plastic chute design which just doesn't cut it for the height of the snowbanks we often get. I can't wait to get home in 2 weeks, assuming we receive several large dumps of snow, as I've only had a chance to use the 624 once so far.


----------



## drmerdp

Thats a heck of a first post. Welcome to the forum. I've got my eyes peeled for an old yamaha to play with too. Only one picture loaded properly.


----------



## db130

Welcome, Greg.

It used to be that picasa and google photos were pretty good image hosts where you could retrieve the URL of a photo that ends in .jpg very quickly and easily so you could embed the photo in forums like this one.

Now, they are THE worst. The URL ends with "-no" nowadays instead of .jpg. I could not retrieve your photos either, I only saw one picture that loaded correctly. You can sometimes manipulate the URL by adding -tmp.jpg or ?.jpg at the end of the URL, but that doesn't work with your photo links either.

I'd suggest flickr or imgur instead.


----------



## YSHSfan

Welcome aboard....! It is nice to have another Yamaha fan on the forum...!

I also can only see one picture. If you are using links they wont go through. Try sending the pictures to one of the moderators and they could properly load them. 
I think as first poster you can copy and paste a picture or load them through "manage attachments" but not using links. For links you'll need to have 15 posts.


----------



## GregNL

Sorry about the photo mess guys, I didn't have a chance to fix it last night. All the images work for me on both the laptop and phone, perhaps as I'm signed in with that Gmail account.

What image is the one that's working, I'll take a look into it today and try to fix it.


----------



## JnC

Only this one is working for me


----------



## bad69cat

Welcome.... you story has a very familiar ring to it! ;>P You have the sickness. No explaining it. I have been hoping for a Yamaha myself, but they don't pop up this far south very often. I have been tempted to make a northern trip a few times......


----------



## GregNL

I think I have the images fixed folks! I had to copy the Image "URL" while logged out as it provided the shorter image link, or in this case just by viewing the shared album in IE as I never use it to login to my account.


----------



## raggdoll

WOW, great job so far and kudos for taking it on. Keep the updates coming!!!


----------



## JnC

Man, those pictures were worth the wait, great job; you'll love the machine once you use it, if you havent already, and surely all the work will be well worth it. Please do post a video or two when you do use it.


----------



## YSHSfan

Awesome job....!


----------



## GregNL

Thanks guys! Appreciate the Welcome and kind compliments. :icon_smile_big:

Having used the Yammie only once I'm hooked! From the size, power and ability it was so fun! I can't wait to get home in a few weeks to tackle all the pending snow that's sure to fall over the next few months, after all winter in Newfoundland doesn't usually end until June, lol.


----------



## YSHSfan

GregNL, that is a lot of work....!

I know just about how involving the process is (though I chose the sandblasting and powder coating route).

I am getting more and more into restoring Yamaha snowblowers (at least partially).

Here are pics of the 2 I've done so far... (and I have 2 more disassembled).

This one is owned by one of our forum members....










And this one which is for sale at the moment...


----------



## GregNL

Looks great! I'd definitely like to go the powder coating route for any future touchups. I have a spare oven I've always wanted to use for this purpose. What equipment are you using and what color did you go with? I assume it was an off the shelf near perfect match?


----------



## YSHSfan

GregNL said:


> Looks great! I'd definitely like to go the powder coating route for any future touchups. I have a spare oven I've always wanted to use for this purpose. What equipment are you using and what color did you go with? I assume it was an off the shelf near perfect match?


I don't do the sandblasting and powder coating myself but get it done at a powder coating place.
The color they use is old for blue (don't know the code if there is any).
It may not be perfect but a very close color match.


----------



## GregNL

hsblowersfan said:


> I don't do the sandblasting and powder coating myself but get it done at a powder coating place.


Mind if I ask how much that set you back? I considered going that route but assumed it would be outrageously expensive and I wouldn't be able to get a color close enough.


----------



## Snowbelt_subie

greg nice going with the Yamaha it will be awesome once finished. cant help but notice the toolbox/ liquor cabinet and the nice beer fridge as well i need one of those for my work space:icon-cheers:


----------



## 69ariens

Fantastic job. thanks posting it.


----------



## JayzAuto1

GEvening GNL, Nice work!!! If it performs half as good as it looks, it'll be a dream to use. I had looked into powder coating a machine, by sending it out. I got a 'phone quote' of $150 +/-, for the tub and chute on an Ariens 24"-26" bucket. That included sandblasting(not disassembly) and color application (of my choice), and the Bake. The shop doing the work(Boston MA), didn't know the Ariens formula, but suggested a Chevy Orange. I thought it was reasonable and would spray the rakes and tractor with a gun and hope for a close match. GLuck Jay


----------



## YSHSfan

GregNL said:


> Mind if I ask how much that set you back? I considered going that route but assumed it would be outrageously expensive and I wouldn't be able to get a color close enough.


So far I've paid $150-250 (highest quote I got was $300-350) depending on the amount of corrosion present on the parts. This is for sandblasting and powder coating auger housing, auger housing sides, auger housing extension, augers, impeller, chute, scraper bar, skid shoes (if in good shape), scraper bar, muffler heat shield and transmission belly pan. Everything has to be disassembled. Colors were Old Ford Blue, Black and Silver (For the Black color I like gloss better) Remember that this is for an 828, 624 may be a bit less.

One thing to remember is that if going the sandblasting/powder coating route, you'll have to find the way to remove and reuse all the decals (I was able to remove most of them carefully with a heat gun, but have not figured a way to "re-glue" them back on yet. Some decals can be purchased, some can not (but can get expensive quick when buying).

Maybe this summer I'll do a full resto and see what the cost is to sandblast and powder coat it all.

I'll have to find a place that does metal "silver" plating as there are several components that have that finish from the factory including scraper bar, engine mount brackets, chute retaining tabs, right and left side upper fuel tank brackets, carburetor linkages, etc....


----------



## Snowbelt_subie

anyone looking for one of these this seems like a great price its in NY by the finger lakes .this one looks in pretty good shape.

https://binghamton.craigslist.org/grd/5944425897.html


----------



## YSHSfan

Snowbelt_subie said:


> anyone looking for one of these this seems like a great price its in NY by the finger lakes .this one looks in pretty good shape.
> 
> https://binghamton.craigslist.org/grd/5944425897.html


Augers and auger housing are ground down on it. Augers are NLA. The augers also look bent (but it may be just the way the picture was taken).

This is also pre-89 with a metal fuel tank, only 3 speeds forward (89 and newer have 4 speeds forward), and the chute turn crank handle down (like a Honda), 89 ad later ones have the chute crank handle up near the left handle bar. (I prefer 89 and newer ones).

Tracks seem in pretty good condition though...


----------



## Snowbelt_subie

hsblowersfan said:


> Augers and auger housing are ground down on it. Augers are NLA. The augers also look bent (but it may be just the way the picture was taken).
> 
> This is also pre-89 with only 3 speeds forward (89 and newer have 4 speeds forward).


thats a bummer the rest of the unit looks pretty rust free.


----------



## GregNL

It's not like the older models were heavily serrated anyway. Anyone handy with a welder could always add on some extra metal or teeth if so desired. Considering the mass majority of blowers once available had no cutting edges at all, I'd say go for it if the price is right.


----------



## Coby7

Funny how all the Yamaha post are of 20 year old machines. Mine is already in it's 4th year of trouble free running. Push lever to choke, turn key, pull lever to running position, open driveway and store machine until next storm. Do the same next year.


----------



## GregNL

Snowbelt_subie said:


> greg nice going with the Yamaha it will be awesome once finished. cant help but notice the toolbox/ liquor cabinet and the nice beer fridge as well i need one of those for my work space:icon-cheers:


Haha, yeah the toolbox was a birthday gift from my brother over 10 years ago, it's been kept as a liquor cabinet ever since. The 1973 Cornelius Pepsi cooler I acquired for $60 to ferment beer and the fact it was cool I had to have it. A little white enamel on the interior and foam seals around the motor and it was as good as new. The 3 Perlick Tap home built kegerator was in the back room.

Thanks for the kudos! The Yamaha is working great with a few small touches to complete.



69ariens said:


> Fantastic job. thanks posting it.


Thanks! :smiley-greet025:




JayzAuto1 said:


> GEvening GNL, Nice work!!! If it performs half as good as it looks, it'll be a dream to use.


Thanks Jay, So far so go!




hsblowersfan said:


> So far I've paid $150-250 (highest quote I got was $300-350) depending on the amount of corrosion present on the parts. This is for sandblasting and powder coating auger housing, auger housing sides, auger housing extension, augers, impeller, chute, scraper bar, skid shoes (if in good shape), scraper bar, muffler heat shield and transmission belly pan. Everything has to be disassembled. Colors were Old Ford Blue, Black and Silver (For the Black color I like gloss better) Remember that this is for an 828, 624 may be a bit less.
> 
> One thing to remember is that if going the sandblasting/powder coating route, you'll have to find the way to remove and reuse all the decals (I was able to remove most of them carefully with a heat gun, but have not figured a way to "re-glue" them back on yet. Some decals can be purchased, some can not (but can get expensive quick when buying).
> 
> Maybe this summer I'll do a full resto and see what the cost is to sandblast and powder coat it all.
> 
> I'll have to find a place that does metal "silver" plating as there are several components that have that finish from the factory including scraper bar, engine mount brackets, chute retaining tabs, right and left side upper fuel tank brackets, carburetor linkages, etc....


That's not a bad price, I may look into it depending on how well the paint holds up. I don't think powder coat will stick to metal bondo but I could be wrong.

You're definitely going all out in that case, will certainly look nice. I'd probably just breakdown and use Tremclad/Rustoleum Aluminum like I did on the track guides, bottom pan, auger bearing cups and muffler. Keep us posted!


----------



## GregNL

Coby7 said:


> Funny how all the Yamaha post are of 20 year old machines. Mine is already in it's 4th year of trouble free running. Push lever to choke, turn key, pull lever to running position, open driveway and store machine until next storm. Do the same next year.


Somebody has to give them a second life and some how we all found each other in this part of the Internet to talk about it, lol. The fact they're still working great in 20+ years says something about the quality.


----------



## YSHSfan

GregNL said:


> That's not a bad price, I may look into it depending on how well the paint holds up.


The reason I went with powder coat was because of durability. I've read that truck plows get powder coated and hold up very well.... will see.


GregNL said:


> I don't think powder coat will stick to metal bondo but I could be wrong.


My understanding is that it has to be bare metal for the powder coat to work, it works on and electromagnetic charge and gets baked to about 400 degrees F.
You could use 2 part epoxy primer and urethane spray paint.


----------



## chaulky45

GregNL said:


> I'm not usually one for introductions but as a first post I guess this is as good as any.
> 
> It wasn't until I started reading this forum and nabble in the last few days, just now signing up for both, that I realize I'm not alone in some unexplained obsession with buying old often relics of the past and having an overwhelming desire to restore it. It must be genetic as I know it runs in my family though I believe it's partially a trait of being frugal to the ultimate level with the desire to have nice things. There's just something oddly satisfying watching numerous videos of Yamaha machines moving tons of snow with ease at great distances. No doubt Honda equivalents are equally as capable, I personally almost bought a new Husq ST 224 or Toro 724OE until this little blue late model YS624 popped up on the local Kijiji site and I somehow had to have it. Often taking on too many projects at once I'm now constantly reminding myself it's Time vs Money; time taken away from more important things in life and realizing the funds could have been better spent. Hindsight, biting the bullet and financing a new YT624EJ would have been the ultimate investment but who knows, perhaps this little machine now has 20+ more years of life left!
> 
> Nov 11, 2014 I picked up this little diamond in the ruff. It went up online around 12:30 AM, I sent a message a few minutes after. 11AM the next morning it was mine for $300. :wavetowel2:
> 
> I should mention I had no clue about what to look over aside from seeing if the engine was working, body condition or if it was leaking oil. No doubt it needed cosmetic repair and a few bearings replaced but I took the chance, no haggling and brought it home. If I didn't nab it 2 others were ready and willing to buy.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Back at the apartment in its many shades of blue:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Unfortunately during the rebuild I didn't have access to a shed so it quickly exploded in the kitchen and livingroom.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The auger and impeller bearings were definitely toast, no grease left in these:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Wondering what I just got myself into :mellow:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After a few hours work removing rusted nuts and bolts:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Those random moments when you really wish you had a suitable shed/garage to work in:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In for a penny, in for a pound, no turning back now:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've repaired exhaust valve cover leaks on my '92 300ZX, which involves removing the entire fuel rail and air plenum, none of which compares the backward engineered, overly complicated, never to be taken apart design of the YS624. Rusted bearings EVERYWHERE! It definitely wasn't an end user simple repair machine, then again very little went wrong in it's life prior to a mid life refit except replacing all the bloody bearings!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Finally removed one of the track shafts after cutting a few bearings, not much grease left in the gear housing:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cut the outer race, use a large slotted screwdriver and pop it out of the way over the bearings. To remove simply pry it apart and it should crack.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> More precision cutting. With bearings fused on the drive shafts on the outside of the case and the inside behind the gears it's impossible to take the machine apart:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Finally got them out! The hardest part of the tear down complete.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Time for new bearings!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...more bearings, a few rated for snowmobiles and a tube of cold weather calcium based grease recommended for snowmobiles and snowblowers to repack the gears and generously cover all bearings and moving parts:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 1/8" steel patch welds courtesy of my brother:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I believe this image is the final top coat of the Jeep Cosmos Blue, a nearly exact color match minus the poor lighting. All pieces were then hit with several coats of clear coat. I've tried various Ford Blues, Brilliant Blue but nothing was as close as this though it wasn't cheap at nearly $30 a can.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A collection of parts ready for reassembly:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I really didn't take as many photos as I normal would with something like this, I wasn't planning on making a write-up, but I do like to either document the process through photos for personal reference, sharing via text or FB.
> 
> It's not the best photo, I'll take many more and videos of it in action once I get home from work in 2 weeks but it does give you an idea of the finished look complete with a heat moulded 24" x 24" x 1/16"of Ultra High Molecular Weight plastic sheet available at Acklands-Grainger. It's an extremely durable material, resistant to extreme abrasion with very low friction properties, the Teflon used in the new Yamaha models being slightly better.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> For anyone looking to take on such a project and to do a near full restoration, minus the motor, it involves a lot of work, time and money. While I paid $300 for the machine, if I knew the extent of work needed prior I would have tried to get it for less or just purchased something else new. There was a good reason the previous and second owner of this machine never broke off a shear pin as both the augers and impeller were rusted to the shafts. I was able to remove one auger with a lot of BP Blaster, heat and brute force along with the impeller, the other auger had to be removed at a machine shop. The remaining work involved paint and rust removal, applying metal filler in pitted areas for a smooth paint finish and finally painting of all parts removed.
> 
> Between purchase price; repair costs of machine shop work; all parts including bearings, stainless bolts and fittings, new Japanese (automotive) bolts to reassemble the bucket and reattach to the transmission body, sourced locally, along with any gaskets, seals and pulleys from my local Yamaha dealer, all paint and paint supplies including 2 sheets of UHMW plastic at Acklands-Grainger I invested about another $600 for a total of $900.
> 
> The only thing left to install is a 1/8" piece of UMHW plastic in the impeller housing, same as that found on the YS1028J, and to complete the wiring for the dual 10W Cree LED flood lamps.
> 
> For anyone wondering how long it took from start to finish, approximately 2 years as I work away for a large part of the year combined with a lot of procrastination then as it was all assembled I couldn't get it to start again. New gas, new fuel lines, new spark plug, all new carburetor gaskets, cleaning out any needle holes with a wire strand then rinsing it all down with break cleaner and reassembling everything for one last time it finally came to life! The high heat paint on the muffler began to smoke and bake on in seconds filling the 12x12 shed with a white cloud. I stood back with the door open admiring my final accomplishment albeit eager to get to work. No longer living at the apartment, I quickly suited up, goggles and all, and made a track from the shed to the driveway during a blustery night just after a moderate snowfall.
> 
> After cleaning my driveway I then tackled 4 of my neighbours as I was having WAY too much fun! This little machine is a beast, I had to be mindful where it was tossing the snow to refrain from hitting cars and houses rather far away. I may install better ice chewing serrations on the augers in the future. One thing I never have to worry is not having the ability to throw snow high, unlike the overly curved MTD plastic chute design which just doesn't cut it for the height of the snowbanks we often get. I can't wait to get home in 2 weeks, assuming we receive several large dumps of snow, as I've only had a chance to use the 624 once so far.


Nice job on the Yammie Greg, I has 2 like it last year I sold to a guy and he took the engines off,,,bought 2 15 hp powerfist engines off Princess Auto in St johns and put on, do it ever roar and have the power,,,, think you are the one who commented on my modded hss928 on honda forum a few days ago,,,,, where did you get the teflon, i was planning on doing it with my honda 928,,, and is it one peice if so how thick is it and how did you get it to mold or bend,,, heat gun maybe,, if you respond go to my post dumped in nl,,, post your blower with it showing and info if you can on my post thanks,,,It was on my brand new yt624 yamaha i bought last feb and i sold it a few weeks later, love the machine but buckets are way to small on them, but much easier to use then my 2014 hss 928


----------



## Bob Cat

I'm sure the time and money you've invested in this gem will be worth it in the long run . These older machines were built to last. Plus you have the personal satisfaction of bringing it back to life .


----------



## GregNL

chaulky45 said:


> Nice job on the Yammie Greg, I has 2 like it last year I sold to a guy and he took the engines off,,,bought 2 15 hp powerfist engines off Princess Auto in St johns and put on, do it ever roar and have the power,,,, think you are the one who commented on my modded hss928 on honda forum a few days ago,,,,, where did you get the teflon, i was planning on doing it with my honda 928,,, and is it one peice if so how thick is it and how did you get it to mold or bend,,, heat gun maybe,, if you respond go to my post dumped in nl,,, post your blower with it showing and info if you can on my post thanks,,,It was on my brand new yt624 yamaha i bought last feb and i sold it a few weeks later, love the machine but buckets are way to small on them, but much easier to use then my 2014 hss 928


Thanks Chaulky! =D

Yeah, I was looking at the Honda clone "PowerFist" engines at PA this week. It's tempting for the price just to see the difference. No doubt the Yamaha engine is still going strong but at 6 impeller shaft HP she will slow down when you hit the heavy stuff. At nearly 25 yrs old it's still able to throw snow farther than most new machines, certainly farther than anything else on my street, which says a lot for such a small machine. Maybe when the engine blows up or loses compression I'll make the switch. No videos of them in action with the 15HP engines no? I'd love to see that.

I watched your YouTube video with the YT624 yesterday actually, noticed in the comments you let it go for the same reason above, that's too bad. I can certainly see where you're coming from. The old models had the black drift cutter/snow collector which helps, same as on your Honda you posted, ideally a shortened bucket, collector extension and exposed augers would do a lot in making the machine more efficient. I wish Yamaha had an 8HP model again as the jump in price and size from 6 to 10 not to mention 13HP is extreme.

While the new Yamaha's use Teflon I actually purchased Ultra High Molecular Weight (UHMW) plastic ordered from Acklands-Grainger in store, as it's a minute away from my house, and next door to the Platinum Yamaha Dealer, rather convenient in my case I think. =D

I sourced the sizes and thickness I wanted based on what is available from Grainger.com as Acklands in Canada doesn't have all the same stock, certainly not in house on hand.

3/16 and thinner:

https://www.grainger.com/product/POLYMERSHAPES-UHMW-Film-Stock-WP7164863

1/4" and thicker:

https://www.grainger.com/product/TIVAR-UHMW-Sheet-Stock-WP7164864

Determine the size and thickness you want to order, call up the St. John's branch and give them the Grainger Item# and they can order it in, will take about 1-3 weeks.

I lined the chute with a 1/16" piece cut from a 24" x 24" sheet. First I made a template with a cereal box, cut and trimmed, checked fitment about a dozen or more times then finally traced it out on the plastic with a sharpie and cut using a utility knife. If you have access to a scroll saw your life will be a lot easier. Trimmed a little more here and there, heat molded into the corners then bolted in place it works beautifully. I originally used 1/8 or 3/16" for the liner but it was much too difficult to mold using the heat gun and it wouldn't keep its shape.

I posted about the same project here as well:

http://www.snowblowerforum.com/foru...-plastic-snow-sled-material-line-chute-2.html


I'll pull the Yamaha outside and take some better photos, I need to make room in the shed for the new to me Ariens 926LE I picked up last night.

Not sure about any modded HSS928 post you're referring to, I'm not in the Honda section all that much, sorry.


----------



## GregNL

Bob Cat said:


> I'm sure the time and money you've invested in this gem will be worth it in the long run . These older machines were built to last. Plus you have the personal satisfaction of bringing it back to life .


Definitely Bob Cat! At first I thought you were going to say with all the time and money invested I would have been better off buying a new machine, lol. You'd be right in either case. It was a fun project for sure, I love using it and it runs so nice. I'm still working on a few mods like installing an impeller liner, as found on the Yamaha 10 and 13HP machines, plus wiring up the LED lights. Hopefully I get a long time out of it but I'm itching to buy an older YS828 now, just to have on hand, of course. With all the time and money spent on the 624 I don't think I could ever sell it.


----------



## malone

nice work you'll have a blower you will be proud of


----------



## dbert

Today I learned that with at least some plastics, 3/16th is a film, but 4/16th (1/4) is a sheet.


GregNL said:


> 3/16 and thinner:
> 
> https://www.grainger.com/product/POLYMERSHAPES-UHMW-Film-Stock-WP7164863
> 
> 1/4" and thicker:
> 
> https://www.grainger.com/product/TIVAR-UHMW-Sheet-Stock-WP7164864


Dont let me forget to tell you what a great job you did on this rebuild.
FWIW I'm still curious about the North Pole icebreaker connection.
We'll let you settle in and become more like family before we ask you about non-snowblower things.
Del


----------



## GregNL

malone said:


> nice work you'll have a blower you will be proud of


Thanks Malone! Loving every minute of using it, makes me smile for sure. It was an effort of love, perseverance and determination as there was a brief moment while I was assembling it all again I considered tossing it all out, mind you it was only brief. The no start issue brought back those same feelings but I gave it one last kick at the can before it was going to Yamaha. Thankfully I figured it all out.



dbert said:


> Today I learned that with at least some plastics, 3/16th is a film, but 4/16th (1/4) is a sheet.
> Dont let me forget to tell you what a great job you did on this rebuild.
> FWIW I'm still curious about the North Pole icebreaker connection.
> We'll let you settle in and become more like family before we ask you about non-snowblower things.
> Del


Haha, Del. I discovered the same myself, film vs sheet, at least what it's known as in the Grainger world perhaps, 3/16" is still pretty thick all the same.

Thanks for the kudos on the machine! :smiley-greet025:

As for the icebreaker, comes with the line of work. I've been to the North Pole twice, first time in 2014, second in 2015, both in late August. It was an amazing 6 week adventure to say the least.


----------



## GregNL

I pulled the Yammie out of the shed today to clean up and to make room for the Ariens 926LE I picked up yesterday so no better time than to take a few photos. Enjoy!














































1/16" UHMW cut, molded and bolted in place. It's not as clean as factory on the new Yamaha's but it works:



















1/8" scraper bar installed between the old metal scraper bar and the auger box. This machine didn't see a lot of love in its time. You can see how much the old bar was worm in comparison:



















Tilt adjust foot lever, among many items coated with Rustoleum bedliner. If I were to do it again I'd have it sprayed with Line-X or similar for extreme durability, especially on a part that gets beaten and abused:


----------



## chaulky45

GregNL said:


> Thanks Chaulky! =D
> 
> Yeah, I was looking at the Honda clone "PowerFist" engines at PA this week. It's tempting for the price just to see the difference. No doubt the Yamaha engine is still going strong but at 6 impeller shaft HP she will slow down when you hit the heavy stuff. At nearly 25 yrs old it's still able to throw snow farther than most new machines, certainly farther than anything else on my street, which says a lot for such a small machine. Maybe when the engine blows up or loses compression I'll make the switch. No videos of them in action with the 15HP engines no? I'd love to see that.
> 
> I watched your YouTube video with the YT624 yesterday actually, noticed in the comments you let it go for the same reason above, that's too bad. I can certainly see where you're coming from. The old models had the black drift cutter/snow collector which helps, same as on your Honda you posted, ideally a shortened bucket, collector extension and exposed augers would do a lot in making the machine more efficient. I wish Yamaha had an 8HP model again as the jump in price and size from 6 to 10 not to mention 13HP is extreme.
> 
> While the new Yamaha's use Teflon I actually purchased Ultra High Molecular Weight (UHMW) plastic ordered from Acklands-Grainger in store, as it's a minute away from my house, and next door to the Platinum Yamaha Dealer, rather convenient in my case I think. =D
> 
> I sourced the sizes and thickness I wanted based on what is available from Grainger.com as Acklands in Canada doesn't have all the same stock, certainly not in house on hand.
> 
> 3/16 and thinner:
> 
> https://www.grainger.com/product/POLYMERSHAPES-UHMW-Film-Stock-WP7164863
> 
> 1/4" and thicker:
> 
> https://www.grainger.com/product/TIVAR-UHMW-Sheet-Stock-WP7164864
> 
> Determine the size and thickness you want to order, call up the St. John's branch and give them the Grainger Item# and they can order it in, will take about 1-3 weeks.
> 
> I lined the chute with a 1/16" piece cut from a 24" x 24" sheet. First I made a template with a cereal box, cut and trimmed, checked fitment about a dozen or more times then finally traced it out on the plastic with a sharpie and cut using a utility knife. If you have access to a scroll saw your life will be a lot easier. Trimmed a little more here and there, heat molded into the corners then bolted in place it works beautifully. I originally used 1/8 or 3/16" for the liner but it was much too difficult to mold using the heat gun and it wouldn't keep its shape.
> 
> I posted about the same project here as well:
> 
> http://www.snowblowerforum.com/foru...-plastic-snow-sled-material-line-chute-2.html
> 
> 
> I'll pull the Yamaha outside and take some better photos, I need to make room in the shed for the new to me Ariens 926LE I picked up last night.
> 
> Not sure about any modded HSS928 post you're referring to, I'm not in the Honda section all that much, sorry.


Just seeing this, and again wicked job on the rebuild, the modded hss928 2014 I was talking about is mine,,,, since I replied I came across 3 people here where I am lined their Hondas with crazy carpet, I thought of it years ago but thought it would be to thin however it works perfect on the chutes,easier to mold with a heat gun, and easier to cut,,, only difference is the color is blue and on the sides where you have 3 bolts and nuts they have 4-6 a side and a few in on the back part of the chute, in the corners to keep it tight, never had my cell to take pics of it,,,,,, we had a wicked storm last Sunday, and I made 4 videos of my 928,,, little shaky video cause its hard to film and use blower at same time except for one the wife did from the door for me,,,,mine machine was 5200 new when bought my buddy only put 6 hours on it and I got it for $2500, i bought it to sell,,,,but keep it,,i normally sell 15-20 hondas a season,,,, I boosted the govenor up another 400 rpm with a gauge,,,, put 2 Led lights on and some red ones on the back,,,, I want to be seen in the dark blowing the driveways i do as i live on a bust street, few weeks ago a neighbour go picked off with a car while doing the edge of his driveway in dark,, no lights on blower and driver didnt see him,,,, broke his arm and few bruises on body,,,, but not my 1st blower I put lights on over the years for this reason,,,, I also added drifftcutter bars and bucket extension,,,,,,, I loved my new yt624 yamaha I had new for a few weeks last Feb, even easier to use then all the hondas,,, I loved it but bucket to small, finaaly convinced my brother inlaw to buy one,,, he bought the last new yt yamaha on friday,,,, sold 60 of them since dec,,, they out sold honda in the 724 which same place sells honda and yamaha www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbNIkt8394k,,, when you open the link click on watch on you tube if not already there and to your right you will see part 1 to part 4 of my videos of last Sunday here,,,,,,, no the lights dont flicker,,,, only in videos,lol


----------



## 69ariens

That ariens will be a fun to restore. That also was a powder coated ariens. I see more of them rotted in the town dump than I see older painted blowers. Most of the painted blowers in the dump have bad engines not rot. That is why I like plain old fashion paint. I have had trouble with powder coatings on snow plows and lawn mowers. Some how moisture gets under the powder coating and it starts to peel and rust


----------



## GregNL

69ariens said:


> That ariens will be a fun to restore. That also was a powder coated ariens. I see more of them rotted in the town dump than I see older painted blowers. Most of the painted blowers in the dump have bad engines not rot. That is why I like plain old fashion paint. I have had trouble with powder coatings on snow plows and lawn mowers. Some how moisture gets under the powder coating and it starts to peel and rust


Yep, that's exactly what's happened to it, which is unfortunate. A little clean up, zinc primer and a top coat of orange I should have it all cleaned up again. I won't be hauling it apart like I did the Yamaha as the Ariens had regular service and is only 8 years old.


----------



## GregNL

So, I was thinking... since using the 624 on Monday's 6-8" snowfall I'd have to say she performed well, as good as to be expected for a 25 year old machine, I suppose. When hitting light powder it can definitely throw it far but it didn't seem to have the brawn I was expecting and used to seeing in other videos. It chugged along fine until I'd bite off more than I thought it could chew. A bucket width of powder resulted in slower work with bursts of throttle to keep her moving along at a slow pace, anything more and the engine would strain sometimes to the point it would almost cut out. Any form of wet snow or slush resulted in a regurgitation like a grade 4 volcano science project flowing over on the front of the bucket and sides of the chute. It easily kept up with any other machine on the street and then some despite certain conditions. Perhaps I reached the limitations of the machine, I thought, it is after all on its 3rd owner and its my first snowblower, maybe I'm expecting too much.

Due to space limitations, as I parked the Yamaha behind the Ariens in the shed, I pulled it outside out of the way. Thinking back about the performance earlier the week I figured something was off, something didn't seem right. Since the throttle lever had a tendency to vibrate back from full now was a good time to tighten that up. A quick look at the throttle lever adjuster I returned with a Philips screwdriver in hand as well. A couple turns on the throttle stop screw and suddenly we're into power territory! While I don't have a tachometer to check actual RPM, though I will be buying one after today, it's far from over-revving compared to when I'd manual move the throttle valve lever. Of course, the moment I started poking at this I notice sparks coming from the front of the engine and I immediately shut it down. GREAT, now what... Removing the plastic shroud covering the belts/pulleys I quickly find out that one of the belt retaining rod bolts has backed out and has been making contact with the pulley and several other bolts are loose. A few minutes with a file and I'm able to clean up the head to get a 12mm wrench back on it and tighten it back into place, shifting the pulleys back down on the shaft, tighten those in place and install the cover and we're back to in action. I'm glad I caught this when I did, perhaps greasing up every nut and bolt upon re-assembling wasn't the best idea or they needed to be tighter than I felt comfortable doing to avoid twisted off bolts.

Upon firing it back up, snowing all the while, I made a few quick passes at full speed from the shed to the driveway, what a difference, that's more like it! Not fully satisfied with that little demonstration I stuck her nose deep into a few backyard snowbanks, WOW! RELEASE the KRACKEN!!! :yahoo:
HOLY [email protected] this thing can move snow, it's a savage and wants to be fed! The engine doesn't slow down and struggle like before, instead the RPM's only drop slightly under full load all while tackling up to 20" of snow without hesitation. Dammit, I wish it would snow for a week now, I want to have some fun and of course show off a little, Hehehe.

*Next upgrade:* Tachometer / Hour Meter


----------



## GregNL

Well, I picked up a Laser Tachometer at the local Princess Auto, I could have purchased the exact same one on eBay for $10 but would have to wait a month. It's a good thing I purchased one when I did as it seems I over-adjusted the throttle screw slightly. Originally, when testing, I couldn't seem to get a reading above 2400 RPM off the pulley shaft. I was a little disappointed at first thinking if this thing runs at nearly double that speed it will be ultimate insanity of snow throwing! A quick search online quickly determined the crankshaft speed is 1/2 the engine speed, Ooops! The ideal range should be 3800-4000 RPM so I tightened the screw in as far as it would go, beyond what it was before I adjusted it the first time, leaving me with 1960 RPM / 3920 RPM which I'm fine with.

I also started using Yamalube Ring Free Plus and Seafoam. Between using both of those, filling it with premium fuel and dialing in the RPM's I have a significant increase in power with little to no stumbling I experienced during my first few times. Initially it would get close to stalling if trying to take more than half a bucket width more than 12" high.

After using the Yammie for about 4hrs today I'm beyond impressed with the capabilities of it. She easily powered through bucket extension height snow 24" wide on forward speed 2 without skipping a beat. This was the Yamaha performance I was expecting!

After about 30cm / 12" from the recent storm on Tuesday with 30cm more forecast for Wednesday:











The one thing I determined after the last snow fall is that the 624 needed drift cutters. Sure enough it came fitted with the holes already in place. A quick trip to local structural steel facility which cater to hobbyist I had two 1" x 24" lengths cut and 5' to spare for the next project due to a now $10 minimum charge.


I used 5/16-18 stainless hardware as it fit perfect in the holes. Since I had scrap 3/16" UHMW plastic left over I put that between the bucket and the bar to keep it from touching the corner of the bucket extension:











Debating between 24" and 27" I went with 24" as they extended exactly 9" beyond the bucket, just like the Ariens. Any longer than that and they'd be getting in the way though I can always attach an additional swing out bar if needed for even higher drift cutting. Initially I thought about getting them CNC machined so I could extend or retract them at any desired height, no idea what that would cost. The other thing to consider is that the factory bolts keep them at a higher angle so they're not as far ahead of the bucket but overall they should be fine. A coat of zinc rich primer and Tremclad Professional gloss black, letting them dry over night in the house, they were ready for installation:





















The snow started to get heavy and mix with freezing rain, hence the stuck on coating of white on the blower but the drift cutters worked perfectly especially when cutting the drifted banks on the road in front of the lawn:




















The only thing left to do is attach a strip of reflective tape to each one.


----------



## GustoGuy

You did an awsome job on restoring that Yamaha with great attention to detail. Could you post a video of your machine throwing snow? It looks like you have tons of snow to throw too. I wish we had some snow the last couple years have been relatively snowless here in Minnesota with temperatures in the 40's and 50's melting what ever seems to fall even in the middle of the winter.


----------



## GregNL

GustoGuy said:


> You did an awsome job on restoring that Yamaha with great attention to detail. Could you post a video of your machine throwing snow? It looks like you have tons of snow to throw too.


Thanks Gusto! It's been a labor of love at this point. I've invested enough as well that I can't walk away but I honestly love using it now that I have most everything dialed in but there's always something more to do or tweak on what was once a neglected machine.

I've been trying to record some decent videos to share but it's always been too windy to give an idea of the performance of the snowblower or the Action Cam lens gets covered in snow no matter where I place the tripod due to the high winds in all directions. I'll try again today when I dig out.


----------



## Coby7

If it wasn't for Honda this forum would be dead. Every day I check to see if people are having problems with their Yamaha blower so I can maybe help out! But they must be like me trouble free... Goes to show that to see anything about these 624 you have to look at a 15+ year old machine being restored.


----------



## GregNL

Coby7 said:


> If it wasn't for Honda this forum would be dead. Every day I check to see if people are having problems with their Yamaha blower so I can maybe help out! But they must be like me trouble free... Goes to show that to see anything about these 624 you have to look at a 15+ year old machine being restored.


You have to consider that very few new Yamaha's exist in the US and it's only been in the last 5-6 years that they're back in Canada. Couple in the higher price and there's even fewer of them around than other machines. Of those that do own one not many are joining the forum as they don't have a need, the machine works and they like it. I probably wouldn't be here either if it wasn't for rebuilding what I have.


----------



## GregNL

Between trying to figure out how to use Lightworks, taking the plunge and signing back up for high speed internet as I've been maxing out the 5GB data limit on the phone with tethering, I finally managed to edit and upload a video of the 624 in action from the Nor'easter that passed through two weeks ago.

Enjoy!


----------



## br2an

GregNL said:


> I pulled the Yammie out of the shed today to clean up and to make room for the Ariens 926LE I picked up yesterday so no better time than to take a few photos. Enjoy!


Hi GregNL,

You did a super job on that Yamaha. I recently bought what looks like the same machine, YS624T with tracks and plastic gas tank only my tank is faded away to a very pale blue. Yours looks new, did you paint the tank as well? If so, how did you get it to stick to the plastic?

Btw, I'm in NL as well but other side of the rock. Small world.

Thanks,

Brian


----------



## idahoblower

Hi Greg
Can you post more info on the LED light install please?
Lights, wiring, mounting etc.?
thx


----------



## dhazelton

I take it you live alone - tool chest as liquor cabinet, large stereo speaker in kitchen....

Great job!


----------



## idahoblower

br2an said:


> Hi GregNL,
> 
> You did a super job on that Yamaha. I recently bought what looks like the same machine, YS624T with tracks and plastic gas tank only my tank is faded away to a very pale blue. Yours looks new, did you paint the tank as well? If so, how did you get it to stick to the plastic?
> 
> Btw, I'm in NL as well but other side of the rock. Small world.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Brian


Yes I also have a plastic faded tank that I would like to paint
I ordered a can of the Krylon blue and am wondering how you prepped it for the paint to stick?


----------



## GregNL

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't been here last season, we had less than 40cm of snow during the 2017/2018 winter so the snowblower only seen 3 days of use with less than an hour each time. It's not officially winter yet and we already have about 45cm down for 2018/2019.

Thanks for the Kudos, Brian! 

To followup on a few questions, nope I didn't paint the tank. It's stock/original, I guess it's always been kept out of the sun in a shed or otherwise. If you were to paint it I'd probably lightly buff it with a scotch-brite pad first. Primer is most likely not needed as Krylon or similar off the shelf spray cans say you can topcoat as is. Unless it's just the top layer faded I'd try polishing it up with an automotive cutting compound first.

dhazelton, yeah, good old apartment days. The kitchen and living room were kind of one space including a shed/workshop as well. All painting was completed in my greenhouse I built while living there. The liquor tool box has since been converted back to a tool box now that I have a shed and house and well, a lot more liquor.

idahoblower, unfortunately the lights are just for "looks" at the moment as I have yet to wire it all up neatly in a waterproof project box. There's a link here on the forum how to do it albeit a rather poor explanation though the following YouTube video references it also and explains a little better despite the messy install.

https://www.snowblowerforum.com/for...rading-your-snowblower-lights-led-lights.html


----------

