8 Ways to Prep Your Snowmobile for Winter

Snowmobile maintenance is a huge part of getting your sled ready for winter.

Nothing ruins a ride more than a breakdown, so we put together some tips to help you get your snowmobile ready for winter.

Check the spark plugs

Inspect spark-plug and wire condition.

Ski-Doo* E-TEC* engines require indexing if removed or replaced, so be sure to check your owner’s manual for proper instructions.

Replace plugs that appear excessively dirty or worn along with any worn or frayed wires.

Inspect clutches and suspension

Check clutches, the drive belt and suspension for wear and tear.

Greasing and inspecting the suspension components and slides (hyfax) are a great idea. Slides typically have a small line across them indicating when they are worn out. If they are below the line at all, replace them.

Items to check in the suspension include loose or worn parts and missing or loose idler wheels.

Inspecting and cleaning the clutches and belt are also a necessary snowmobile maintenance item. Remove any belt dust or rubber from the clutch sheaves.

Rubber accumulation on the clutch sheaves means the belt is slipping.

Adjust track and check skis

Check your track for proper tension and make sure bolts are tight. Look for worn or missing lugs.

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On the skis, look for any gouges, cuts or corrosion and make sure the runners are straight and still have carbide on them. The carbide edge allows the skis to bite into the trail and turn better.

Let there be light

Make sure your electrical system is up to par.

Inspect the ignition and look for any warning lights that can signal problems. Check high/low-beam headlights and brake lights to ensure the bulbs haven’t burnt out.

Check the oil and filter

If you’re riding a four-stroke and didn’t do it last spring, change the oil and filter.

On two-strokes, make sure to top-off the oil reservoir and use an oil with excellent cold-flow properties for best protection. Inspect the exhaust power valves and clean them if needed.

If your power valves are sticking, switch to a high-quality two-stroke oil proven to prevent power-valve sticking, like AMSOIL INTERCEPTOR® Synthetic 2-Stroke Oil.

If you’re not sure which AMSOIL synthetic snowmobile oil is right for you, check out our handy Snowmobile Product Guide.

While you’re at it, check for leaks around reservoirs or seals. Don’t forget to check the coolant level, too, when performing snowmobile maintenance.

Inspect the fuel system

Check the fuel tank along with the fuel and oil lines for cracks or leaks.

Unless you used a stabilizer such as AMSOIL Gasoline Stabilizer, empty the fuel tank and replace with fresh fuel. 

Clean your carburetor and make sure it’s adjusted properly to prevent performance issues or breakdowns. AMSOIL Power Foam® is excellent for cleaning carbs. 

Change the chaincase oil

It’s best to change chaincase oil annually, preferably in spring after riding season is over.

Chains and gears create metal particles that need to be removed from the fluid regularly lest they build-up and cause bigger problems down the trail.

We have just the oil for this important step: AMSOIL Synthetic Chaincase & Gear Oil. 

Video transcript: How to Change the Chaincase Oil in Your Snowmobile

Hi. I’m Len Groom. Welcome to Tech Tips. Today we’re talking about changing the chaincase oil on your snowmobile.

This is something that I recommend you do yearly because the oil can get used up, and a chain and gears does make metal. I also recommend that you do this at the end of the season. That way, when you get your sled out in the fall, it’s ready to go. Here’s a few steps on how to get that done.

The first thing you need to do is locate the drain plug so that you can drain the old oil out. Remove the drain plug, and take a look at the old oil as it comes out of the snowmobile. In this case, you can see that it’s silver. Silver means that the chain and gears has made some metal, and the oil is used.

Replace the drain plug. Make sure that you get it tight. Make sure that the gasket is good. At this point, we need to put the new product into the chaincase.

So remove your fill plug. The location of the fill plug can vary from snowmobile to snowmobile. On this model, it’s located right in the footwell. It’s a good idea to put a rag down.

Then we’re going to go ahead and fill the chaincase. Now, with this sled, we know it’s full when the product starts to run out of the fill hole. That indicates that we’ve reached the max level. We can go ahead and replace the fill plug, wipe down the area, tighten it up.

On some snowmobiles, there’ll be a designated amount of oil that you’re going to add to the chaincase. I recommend that you check your owner’s manuals for proper quantity. Here’s a classic example of why you want to change that chaincase fluid on a yearly basis. If you noticed when it was draining out of the snowmobile it had that silver tint to it.

That indicates that there’s some metal in there. That’s perfectly normal. A chain and gears is going to make some metal. What you don’t want is you don’t want to leave it in there year after year and that metal starts to snowball and you can see wear start to occur.

It can lead to a costly repair. So we recommend that you change that on a yearly basis. And, when you change it, I recommend that you use the AMSOIL Chaincase and Gear Oil. There you have it.

Thanks for watching. We’ll see you next time.

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Get there and be prepared

If using a trailer, ensure everything is good to go.

Before you load up, inspect the tires, bearings, hitch, safety chains, axle, springs, bed, cover, lights and electrical components.

Prepare for emergencies

Anything can happen, so be prepared.

When getting your snowmobile ready for winter, it’s always a good idea to bring fire-starting materials, like a lighter, along with dry clothes, work gloves, water, an extra strap, granola bars, lip balm and any other essentials you deem necessary to have on hand if you end up stranded.

Make sure you have a spare belt, spare spark plugs and your manufacturer-supplied tool kit.

Trail-side repairs are never fun, but being prepared can help keep you on the trail when the unexpected occurs.