Essential Snowmobile Care & Maintenance Tips
If you enjoy buzzing over the snowy hills on your snowmobile, you want these feelings of seasonal joy to last a lifetime. And they can, with some extra time and effort on your part. Here are some crucial tips, so your snowmobile won’t have to visit the shop too often and you won’t be paying too many mechanics’ bills. When you’re out in the snow, you need to be safe, and a breakdown in the middle of cold winter mountains is a serious hazard. Whether you are a snowmobile novice or seasoned veteran, here are a few essential care and maintenance tips to help you prepare for the snowmobile season and to keep it in top condition.
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Give Your Sled the Once-Over
Using a wrench and applying oil where needed, give your sled a once-over, tightening any loose bolts or screws that you find. Examine the chassis’s hardware, and apply grease to both the front and rear suspension, the drivetrain, and steering components.
Change Your Chaincase Lube
One of the most crucial parts of your snowmobile is the chaincase, which houses the jackshaft, chain, and driveshaft. And one of the most critical maintenance tasks affiliated with your chaincase is to change out the lube inside. Lube coats the chain and sprockets inside the sled’s chaincase, which transmits power from the jackshaft to the driveshaft. To keep these elements free from grit and keep your engine running clean, change your chaincase lube and replace it with fresh oil every year.
Slivers of metal from the chain and sprockets or water can contaminate the chaincase lube. It’s a normal process that occurs during the heating or cooling cycles. If you have a snowmobile built since the 1990s, there will probably be a plug from which you can drain the lube. In other models, remove the casing and drain and flush it that way. Usually, sleds have 12 ounces of chaincase lube, and machines with reverse holding 6 to 8 more. If you notice your chaincase has less fluid than this, check the sprockets and chain for any damage.
Adjust Your Chain Tension
While you have access to your chaincase, set the chain to the manufacturer’s specifications. If you have a mechanical reverse system, a loose chain makes it difficult to engage reverse or forward gears. If it isn’t properly adjusted, it can skip or grind, possibly leading to a complete engine failure. Your chain should have about a quarter of an inch of free play. To check your chain deflection, squeeze the brake and turn the secondary clutch.
Pay Attention to Your Drive Belt
A blown drive belt can strand you on the side of a trail with a dead sled. And most riders don’t carry the type of tools to fix a disaster like a blown belt. Before each ride, check the lugs or teeth of your drive belt. If they appear frayed or worn down, this may be a sign that your belt is soon going to blow and needs urgent replacement.
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Check Your Carbides
Carbides ensure you can steer your snowmobile correctly and are a vital safety feature. However, carbides wear down over time and, if they are too thin, your sled is more likely to break down or crash. It’s a relatively simple fix, and any parts store will have spare runners. The best way to examine the condition of your carbides is to remove them from the skis. Look for deterioration or missing pieces and sharp or square edges that could catch ground hazards.
Align Your Skis and Adjust the Track
To ensure your sled is aligned and rolls true, you need to pay some attention to the track. A misaligned track reduces the power fed to your sled and increases the rolling resistance. First, make sure your track is aligned, and then reset the tension. If your skis are toed in, which means they are cross-eyed or pointing at one another, the sled will dart to one side or another as each ski tries to follow its track. If your skis are toed out, or pointing away from one another, then your sled will push through turns, threatening a spill.
Don’t Forget Your Hyfax
This slippery covering on the bottom of the suspension rails lets the track move against it without friction. If your hyfax gets too worn, the damage to your rails and track can be irreversible. On the outer edge of the hyfax, there should be a wear limit line. If there’s less than ⅛”, replace it.
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Use a Snowmobile Cover
One of the easiest ways to keep your snowmobile in good working order is to use a quality aftermarket snowmobile cover to protect your machine from debris and denting. You expect your sled to receive some amount of wear and tear on the trail, but it is also susceptible to damage when it's in storage. Invest in a snowmobile cover to prolong your sled’s lifespan. Browse our selection of high-quality snowmobile covers and use our simple search tool to find the perfect fit.
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