Change oil or not to change oil???

[Verminator]

06 Apex RTX - I put 1300 miles on it last season and put it up for the year. I know the manual says to change the oil every season but it seems like I barely rode it last year. Do I really need to change the oil for this season or do can i wait till the end of the season.

If the sled were in my garage i would undoubtedly change it - unfortunately it's 7+ hours away in the riding zone. Changing the oil will mean time spent in the shop vs riding. I already know I should change it but would like to hear if there are real risks, ie oil breaking down during storage, moisture accumulation, etc. - Thanks

 

[Liquid Blue]

You should actually change the oil at the end of the season. Acids are formed during combustion that will stay in the oil during the storage period.

 

[ROCKERDAN]

changing the oil every season(preferably spring) is always best...

changing the filter each time is always best....

but,if you dont do these things will the motor be hurt?....most likely not.

if you talk to my amsoil guy Ken,he will tell you their synth oil after 5000 miles still has much life left,and can run it longer...

that being said,the low miles on your oil,all tell me the oil is not broke down at all, not even close....however when oil sits it does contaminate some. How much i cant tell you.

if you changed your oil in your car,then left the country for 9 mts,would you then want to change the oil in your car when you got home before you drove it?

your answer to that is what you should do....IMO it wont make any difference.

this is similar to why yammie says you can run the same filter for 12000 miles!...but people all change their filter each oil change,is it needed?....no....does it seem to make more sense?..yes.

i bet if you look at your dipstick,your oil is clean still....that IMO is most important.

Dan

 

[dab102999]

How long will it take to change the oil without the filter?? This is my first year having a 4 stroke and I had the oil drained in 15 minutes. (the filter, well that is a different story and a case of beer). If nothing else I would at least change the oil if not the filter. But as Rockerdan said will it hurt, probably not.....(pss I would change though)

 

[Super Sled]

changing the oil every season(preferably spring) is always best...

changing the filter each time is always best....

but,if you dont do these things will the motor be hurt?....most likely not.

if you talk to my amsoil guy Ken,he will tell you their synth oil after 5000 miles still has much life left,and can run it longer...

that being said,the low miles on your oil,all tell me the oil is not broke down at all, not even close....however when oil sits it does contaminate some. How much i cant tell you.

if you changed your oil in your car,then left the country for 9 mts,would you then want to change the oil in your car when you got home before you drove it?

your answer to that is what you should do....IMO it wont make any difference.

this is similar to why yammie says you can run the same filter for 12000 miles!...but people all change their filter each oil change,is it needed?....no....does it seem to make more sense?..yes.

i bet if you look at your dipstick,your oil is clean still....that IMO is most important.

Dan

Rocker Dan spelled out my thoughts perfectly.......

A good fully synthetic oil is much more durable IMO and has more flexibility.

I can't tell from your message if you know who changed your oil last or if you know what kind of oil is in there.... Under those circumstances, I'd change it no question.

I think another thing is water getting into your oils as part of temperature changes seasonally and daily, even when in storage......

I guess my point is why not take the 30 minutes or so and at least drain the oils out. Filter can probably wait since time is a premium for you.......

Just my opinion!

Mike

 

[Verminator]

Thanks all. I know changing the oil is the right answer. The reality is that I bought the sled used last year and although I know it was serviced pre season with fresh oil and filter, I don't know what type of oil was used. Judging from the guy I bought it from it was synthetic. He was very meticulous about the sled. I can change it myself in the hotel parking lot without much difficulty. That is likely what I will do, although with 1300 miles on it I may do a dipstick check and change it at the end of the season. LOL Thanks again!

 

[WFO]

Verminator..........The issue here is not "Is the oil worn out?" Rather, it's "Does the oil contain any contaminants?" The filter will do its job of filtering out and solid contaminants, but won't do much to filter out contaminates that cause sludge or oil breakdown (gasoline.)

Buy a good oil siphon and pump out the oil reservoir at the end of each season. The oil siphon method is fast, simple (no tools needed,) and clean.

 

[06apexrtx]

i only put about 600 miles on my fresh oil change and not going to change it again until the season end. not too worried w/ only that many miles on it as other s have mentioned i don't think it's going to hurt anything. imo

 

[GotJuice]

OK I guess I'll be honest

Well since were all sharing our ut most secrets......I never change all the oil.....yeah I know I know. I change the oil tank 2.5 quarts and the filter which is in the nose of the sled thanks to the relocation kit. I don't ride thousands of miles like most of you but 1000 hard mountain miles yearly. My oil is always pure as the driven snow and I find it hard to believe this will cause any damage in the long run!
No one will run one of these motors for 50000 to 75000 miles ( except Hondo God bless his banned soul) which is when wear will become evident, so does it really matter....NO! Also the moisture that is created by setting or condensation or what ever scientific method you'd like to use will be evaporated from the oil by the time the sled reaches running temp. I'm not talking about cups of water but the very small amount from setting for 6 months. If Yamaha doesn't recommend to change the filter but every 12000 miles that is plenty proof enough! Go ride it like you stole it and at the end of the year then consider it. Cheers!

 

[Super Sled]

Re: OK I guess I'll be honest

Well since were all sharing our ut most secrets......I never change all the oil.....yeah I know I know. I change the oil tank 2.5 quarts and the filter which is in the nose of the sled thanks to the relocation kit. I don't ride thousands of miles like most of you but 1000 hard mountain miles yearly. My oil is always pure as the driven snow and I find it hard to believe this will cause any damage in the long run!
No one will run one of these motors for 50000 to 75000 miles ( except Hondo God bless his banned soul) which is when wear will become evident, so does it really matter....NO! Also the moisture that is created by setting or condensation or what ever scientific method you'd like to use will be evaporated from the oil by the time the sled reaches running temp. I'm not talking about cups of water but the very small amount from setting for 6 months. If Yamaha doesn't recommend to change the filter but every 12000 miles that is plenty proof enough! Go ride it like you stole it and at the end of the year then consider it. Cheers!

Amen Got juice!!!

 

[tomanytoyz]

06 Apex RTX - I put 1300 miles on it last season and put it up for the year. I know the manual says to change the oil every season but it seems like I barely rode it last year. Do I really need to change the oil for this season or do can i wait till the end of the season.

If the sled were in my garage i would undoubtedly change it - unfortunately it's 7+ hours away in the riding zone. Changing the oil will mean time spent in the shop vs riding. I already know I should change it but would like to hear if there are real risks, ie oil breaking down during storage, moisture accumulation, etc. - Thanks

If it looks dirty change it just like a diaper..

 

[GotJuice]

06 Apex RTX - I put 1300 miles on it last season and put it up for the year. I know the manual says to change the oil every season but it seems like I barely rode it last year. Do I really need to change the oil for this season or do can i wait till the end of the season.

If the sled were in my garage i would undoubtedly change it - unfortunately it's 7+ hours away in the riding zone. Changing the oil will mean time spent in the shop vs riding. I already know I should change it but would like to hear if there are real risks, ie oil breaking down during storage, moisture accumulation, etc. - Thanks

If it looks dirty change it just like a diaper..

>>>
"like a diaper"....lmao....BWWAHAHAHHA.

 

[mud99]

You should change the oil but not the filter, the oil change is really easy, 30 minutes tops. You need the allen wrench from the toolkit and a 12mm socket and some oil that's it.

You take the bottom plastic cover off the engine and open the drain bolt, and then you take off the plastic below the oil tank, and remove the other drain bolt.

Once it's drained, put everything back on and fill oil.

Mark

 

[Super Sled]

You should change the oil but not the filter, the oil change is really easy, 30 minutes tops. You need the allen wrench from the toolkit and a 12mm socket and some oil that's it.

You take the bottom plastic cover off the engine and open the drain bolt, and then you take off the plastic below the oil tank, and remove the other drain bolt.

Once it's drained, put everything back on and fill oil.

Mark

It really is easy!

 

[LazyBastard]

Eh, you guys know what?

The only time when it is *really* necessary to change oil is when the vehicle is going INTO storage. This is because the contaminants in the oil will be acidic and have a tendency to CORRODE engine components. Acidic oil isn't bad for an engine when it is being run regularly since the oil is moving around and protecting the engine. A little bit of moisture in the oil won't hurt ANYTHING -- first time the engine is heated up, it'll all evaporate out, and then get replaced by new condensation from the water vapor left over from the combustion process.

The oil ITSELF, whether regular or synthetic, doesn't break down when just sitting -- think about how long it might sit on a shelf somewhere, what *does* break down are the polymers used for multi-viscosity, but really only under severe heat (like when running the engine). In storage they won't go anywhere. In other words, after 1300 miles and then sitting all summer, the oil is quite the same as it was at the end of winter. If the oil was still good to run then, then it is still good to run NOW.

It really is a good idea to change the oil right away before storage -- i.e. in APRIL. At the same time, shove a rag in the exhaust and intake to keep moist air from flowing through the engine and causing damage. This will protect the engine over the summer. And this goes regardless of the mileage on the oil -- whether you have 100 miles or 5000 miles, change it at the end of the season. Either that, or be sure to run the engine REGULARLY to keep the oil moving around and covering things uniformly.