Engine oil and gear oil

[Ridgehunter]

I have a 2015 Venture MP and in the ten years I’ve owned it I only put 250 miles on it. Sled only has 550 now. I only use it for ice fishing a couple times a year. My question is should I change the fluids yearly regardless of the amount of miles? And is it easy to do yourself there’s not any Yamaha dealers in CT that work on snowmobiles anymore?

 

[YukonMP]

I have a 2014 with 19821kms on it ... all ice fishing here from the house. I'm sure you'll get good advice from my elders/betters around here but I would get those fluids every couple years anyway. I was a complete rookie ten years ago and can handle those jobs easily. For sure you want to do them now since you are just broken in.

 

[74Nitro]

Changing the oil is easy. The filter is the hard part.
You should change the filter this time, but then you can skip the filter change as per Yamaha's recommendations.

 

[YukonMP]

The above reminds me ... make sure the old filter gasket comes off so you don't end up with a leak. Unrelated but since you are new to all of this never turn the primary backwards.

 

[Mooseman]

Despite the low mileage, you should change the oil annually as moisture and acids can form in it as well as the oil breaking down over time. Since it might have the original filter, you should change that as it has the break-in debris in it. After that, I would change the filter every two oil changes. Getting to it from the top after removing the air filter box isn't too bad if you don't have moose sized hands like me.

Check your chaincase oil for level, moisture and condition. If it's milky, it has moisture and should be changed. Dark/dirty, change. At 10 YO, should be changed regardless.

At 10 YO, you should change the coolant as it does break down over time. Add a little Water Wetter to help keep temps down.

Check the brake fluid. If you have a brake fluid moisture checker (they are fairly cheap on Amazon), check for condition and flush if necessary.

 

[YukonMP]

You might find this helpful, just my solution for keeping the front end/steering tight. I warm up a metal oil can containing 80w90 and drizzle it into/onto the joints/balls and mine is nearly as tight as when new. This is after 20,300 km.

 

[Mooseman]

You might find this helpful, just my solution for keeping the front end/steering tight. I warm up a metal oil can containing 80w90 and drizzle it into/onto the joints/balls and mine is nearly as tight as when new. This is after 20,300 km.

That is a good idea! I'd probably go even thicker, like 75w140. Heck, I've got a bottle of Lucas oil additive that I don't use anymore that's as thick as honey that would work well with it and make it sticky enough to stay longer on the joints.

As an alternative, some, including me, use a lithium grease spray to spritz them once in a while. Comes out as a liquid but turns into a grease.

 

[74Nitro]

You might find this helpful, just my solution for keeping the front end/steering tight. I warm up a metal oil can containing 80w90 and drizzle it into/onto the joints/balls and mine is nearly as tight as when new.

 

[74Nitro]

I've been doing this for years also. Sidewinder included.