Burning Alpine Sleds!!!

[Tuesday]

I just want to clear the air.

Tuesday you implied that 2 of the sleds you saw burn was because of Powdder Lites Turbos. We have not had a single customer call us because of a fire caused by our kits. What you have now told me is that the reason for these sleds burning actually had nothing to do with the fact they had Powder Lites Turbos.


What you should have posted was the extra info about the problems in order to help guys out, as that is what these forums are meant for, not for bashing products with only part of the facts.

Powder Lites has not used fittings on top of turbos for years and we only use direct oil lines built into the end of the turbo oil hose that shouldn't crack or leak causing fire.

As you have now said the second one was because of a brake issue which could have happened on any Nytro or Apex regarless if it had a turbo or not.


If you look/read closely I never said the kit caused the fire I said I saw fires involving 2 power lites and 1 mcx. I never said the kits caused the fire. What was implied is fires can happen.

It was not a secret if anyone was curious I would be more then happy to post what happened.

If you would like some feedback on the powder lites I would be more then happy to share that.

Telling me I can and can not post..........well you do the math. Again make sure you actually read what is posted before you get your panties in a knot.

 

[Mountaintech]

Cap was glued. If you have ever had anything to do with the cap you would know it barely hangs on takes about 1/2 turn from inserted to tight. Bottom line shouldn't have to glue a threaded cap especially when it is NPT.

BTW the cap was tight when it left.

What is the purpose of the cap.........access to the internals?

 

[m8magicandmystery]

I have personally witnessed 2 Powderlites sleds catch fire and 1 mcx. 2 did minimal damage one got burned up pretty bad.

Regardless gas cap failures is never a good thing. Glad you salvaged most of the sled.

Tuesday..your are dead wrong here imo..you could have stated you saw 2 TURBO SLEDS catch fire..
the inference of your statement in the context of the thread does cause good reason for Powderlite to post the unfairness of the easily possible misinterpretation..jmo

i think you should delete or edit your post and then posts relating to it can be edited and the thread could get back on track..i just think its unfair..

No hard feelings here...just an opinion..

 

[snowmanx]

Tuesday..your are dead wrong here imo..you could have stated you saw 2 TURBO SLEDS catch fire..
the inference of your statement in the context of the thread does cause good reason for Powderlite to post the unfairness of the easily possible misinterpretation..jmo

i think you should delete or edit your post and then posts relating to it can be' edited and the thread could get back on track..i just think its unfair..

No hard feelings here...just an opinion..

[/I]I agree completely, to me your first statement sounded like the fires you saw were related to the brand of turbo setup being used. You are right, you didn't specify WHAT caused the fire, but in the context, it is resonable for the average person to infer that the brand was somehow the cause. Just saying.

Sucks about your sled though, and I hope people that own a Alpine check things out

 

[smwizzz]

Cap

What is the purpose of the cap.........access to the internals?

Good question. I'm not sure if it is something to do with guys running stock fuel pumps setups or something to do with plastic mold process being used or what. I have been involved in injection mold setups and I can't see the need. I don't know where the stock fuel pump was located in the yamaha tank because I had nothing to do with the stock sled.

I would like to know the answer if anyone does know.

 

[smwizzz]

Powderlites

Quote:Private message to Tuesday
Originally Posted by powderlites
Can you give me the names of the guys with Powder Lites turbo sleds that catch on fire and from what?
I want to make sure there is no problems with sleds catching on fire. Thanks Dave Forsyth

Reply from Tuesday:
One was an oil line that was leaking and the fire did alot of damage. Basically melted all the electrical. Long story short we got it out and he re did everything and its working out.

The other one could actually happen on any nytro. In super deep snow or aggressive riding (powder donuts) snow will start to work its way into the brake lever and the brake does not fully release thus eventually the rotor becomes a fire source. You would think you would notice it but in deep snow it was not apparent. The sled it happened on is actually a sled builder and it took him a long time to figure what was happening. Now in deep snow we ride with a bit of tap over the brake. Sounds crazy but 6 of us that ride boosted nytros have all had it happen to different degrees.

The one that had the oil line leak I am not sure it if was a faulty fitting, bad instal or what. In the end any turbo that leaks oil will light up.

The last sled that caught fire was a boosted polaris and the end of the fuel rail started spraying fuel everywhere.

On my mcx the valve cover had a very small leak right where the charge tube goes by and it was leaking a small amount of oil onto the heat shield and it ignited a very small fire but it took me a long time to figure exactly what the problem was.

Hope that helps, happy boosting!
__________________
08 MCX-Nytro

I just want to clear the air.

Tuesday you implied that 2 of the sleds you saw burn was because of Powdder Lites Turbos. We have not had a single customer call us because of a fire caused by our kits. What you have now told me is that the reason for these sleds burning actually had nothing to do with the fact they had Powder Lites Turbos.

What you should have posted was the extra info about the problems in order to help guys out, as that is what these forums are meant for, not for bashing products with only part of the facts.

Powder Lites has not used fittings on top of turbos for years and we only use direct oil lines built into the end of the turbo oil hose that shouldn't crack or leak causing fire.

As you have now said the second one was because of a brake issue which could have happened on any Nytro or Apex regarless if it had a turbo or not.

If you have any problems or concerns with one of our turbos please call, email or PM us as we want to help our customers resolve any issues.

Easy peeps. Guess that kinda started because I suggested to buy Impulse or Powderlite instead of Alpine. I still believe there are better options than Alpine.

Powderlite, it seems like you take care of your customers and fix your product. This is called service and taking care of buisiness. This thread was never intended to drag any other brands into the picture.

Quite simply is meant to tell my story and let people know Alpine Turbo's have some potentially serious problems. Ya we can all say a turbo is high maintenance blah blah....whatever, they don't have to be and shouldn't be much more work than any other mountain sled.

We did a Boondocker in my shop and tuning was the only real issue. I for one have been tuning sleds, bikes, jeeps, hotrods etc for over 25 years, it comes with the territory. Burning sleds are not all that common. I have heard of vehicles catching fire over the years. Not a common thing. How many sleds built by Alpine make it Common? Just my outlook.

 

[hotmail]

Cap was glued. If you have ever had anything to do with the cap you would know it barely hangs on takes about 1/2 turn from inserted to tight. Bottom line shouldn't have to glue a threaded cap especially when it is NPT.

BTW the cap was tight when it left.

As i sead racefuel will desolve the glue, my friend got his plastic welded price was 100usd.problem solved. sorry for the bad spelling.

 

[Mountaintech]

I've been riding turbo Yamahas since 2004. Altered plastic tanks, and their often close proximity to extreme heat sources have always concerned me. Looks like you'll be looking for another tank. Here's what I designed and had built. No internal fuel pump,baffled, multi auto shutoff pickups. Consistent fuel delivery down to the last 1/2 inch.

 

[smwizzz]

Re: race fuel

As i sead racefuel will desolve the glue, my friend got his plastic welded price was 100usd.problem solved. sorry for the bad spelling.

Thanks again. Race fuel and most fuels have solvency that does break down different materials, I agree. For those who wish to use these tanks welding may be an option. This is good information, however as I mentioned before, I will not be using Alpines tank or tanks in the future. Aluminum tanks make more sense to me but if the right plastic tank reveals itself, I would consider one of them also.

Proper plastic blends and compositions will not have any problems with race fuel. I've run different machines with AV gas, Torco fuels and VP fuels and never had tank issues. I have run into cheaper fuel lines that get hard and shrink when in contact with ANY fuel, not just Race Fuel. I have tracked down some real good clear plastic line that seems to last forever. The high preasure injection line seems to be very resistant to break down also but is very expensive.

FYI

 

[BigFish BC]

just out of curiosity how many miles on the sled.iam not sure how you could get bad service from the guys at alpine in 10 years they have always been helpfull.even broke a header after 4 years & they offered help,so not sure what your issue is with them.they make a great kit that makes a ton of power & offer great service to all i have seen,but i have not one turbo maker that would pay if your sled caught on fire.

 

[yammi4ever]

I've been riding turbo Yamahas since 2004. Altered plastic tanks, and their often close proximity to extreme heat sources have always concerned me. Looks like you'll be looking for another tank. Here's what I designed and had built. No internal fuel pump,baffled, multi auto shutoff pickups. Consistent fuel delivery down to the last 1/2 inch.

what kind of seat are you using with that set up and how many gallons does it hold?

thanks

 

[smwizzz]

Re: Kit

just out of curiosity how many miles on the sled.iam not sure how you could get bad service from the guys at alpine in 10 years they have always been helpfull.even broke a header after 4 years & they offered help,so not sure what your issue is with them.they make a great kit that makes a ton of power & offer great service to all i have seen,but i have not one turbo maker that would pay if your sled caught on fire.

I never said they didn't make a good kit. I did say they don't make a good tank. I also said that they do have liability. It is kinda like GM or Ford or any manufacturer having a recall issue. If there was no liability then why do they have recalls? I have read all the BS about no liability. It is BS. I am a businessman, I know what liability is.

I choose to do the type of business I am qualified to do. I have a fabrication shop. I get requests to build fuel cells on a regular basis. For the record I have already addressed this in this post but to restate it... Fuel cells are regulated!!! Fuel cells are supposed to have Canadian approvals on them!!! Fuel cells are supposed to be certified!!!

I was trying to purchase one for a gasoline fired heater for a trailer. I thought I would purchase a marine tank and explained it to the supplier. Guess what? They wouldn't sell me one. They said it was not designed for the application and they would not take responsibility for the tank.

Funny... that is kinda what I tell my customers when they want me to fab a tank. Even my best customers are told NO!!!

Bottom line... I do like the Alpine kit I own. I DO NOT like the fact there are parts that fall off or the fact the tank is so close to the turbo it can melt. I HAVE taken care to pay attention to these items and when I sent the sled out with my local mechanic to do some work on it.... yes the guy riding it is certified to work on these rigs... and he builds these rigs... and... and... and... whatever!!! I am stating the obvious "If you buy ALPINE, BUY INSURANCE!!!! LOTS OF INSURANCE!!!". The best of the best can have a fitting come loose. The best of the best can have something go wrong. The best of the best overlook simple items that should not fail!!! The best of the best have mechanical failures!!! If you don't think so then you should take up watching drag racing. Failures and crashes... are things that happen!!! These guys ARE the BEST OF THE BEST!!!

I'm not trying to be rude. I believe the fact that ALPINE IS aware of the tank issue is reason enough for them to issue a recall notice or something. This is not the first Alpine to have a gas tank light a sled on fire. If you don't believe me, ask around. You may be surprised at how many have had the same issue.

It has been addressed here already by one of Alpines customers that they knew about this and had the cap plastic welded. Maybe Alpine should have this done prior to installation. Did they make me aware of this? NO!!! Did they make any of their customers aware? I don't know.

Their sales pitch was something to the effect of..."This will be the last sled you buy for 20,000 km. Your buying Yamaha, guess your belt problems will be over. No mod sled will touch this. Your maintenance on mod sleds just disappeared. Keep it at 10 lbs and just change the oil, add premium and ride." Does this sound familiar.

If this a high maintenance Turbo Sled, then maybe they should sell it as such. If they don't want to stand behind a product because it is not maintained by them then they should let you know. Bottom line... again... I live 14 hours away. Do you think I am going to run down and drop it off? Do you think my service issues will be addressed at my local dealership? I don't know.... . I do know that if I purchase a GM, Ford, Dodge or any other vehicle that I can have it serviced anywhere.

I am done beating this to death. Once again I am going to explain this is not about picking Alpine to death. They P'd me off and I am going to maintain this thread and have considered posting on snow and mud, bcr etc and even linking a blog to their website. I have even considered going the route of the court system. But once again I am not sure if I wish to do this kind of damage to a small business. I do wish to be acknowledged and demand respect from those who I spend $$$ in their shops. I have also a challenge of time and once again I can probably focus my efforts on making $$$ in my shop.

What I do wish to achieve here is expressing the fact there is a potential hazard associated with Alpine. There are those who are looking to purchase a Turbo and don't understand the hazards with certain products and brands. I am expressing my concerns and experiences with the product. Simple as that... take it as you like!!!

 

[pelon]

what kind of seat are you using with that set up and how many gallons does it hold?

thanks

I second that question!

 

[Mountaintech]

I second that question!

I will be designing my own, or have one built to my specs. It will cover 1/2 to 3/4 of the tank leaving the rear of the tank exposed.

 

[smwizzz]

Seat

I will be designing my own, or have one built to my specs. It will cover 1/2 to 3/4 of the tank leaving the rear of the tank exposed.

Keep us informed... I think I need a new tank and seat lol!!!

 

[smwizzz]

Still Flamin...

Any more thoughts????

 

[powpounder]

Still Flamin...

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Any more thoughts????


Nope......guess not, time for ya too move on

 

[smwizzz]

Ya...

Still Flamin...

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Any more thoughts????


Nope......guess not, time for ya too move on

Guess I'll join ya.....

 

[smwizzz]

Thread is here to stay!!!

FYI, this thread is here to stay... unless snowest removes it....

 

[FBM]

**** Happens

I had my Turbo Apex light up. It was not the shops fault or mine. A flex pipe cracked. I was running 14 lbs of boost at 1300 ft. The leak melted a hole in the fuel tank. The sled was on fire and so was I . Like someone said before, turbo sleds are not turn key. That said I am still going to get another Tapex. Good luck with yours.