Spring Battery Maintenance
For conventional liquid electrolyte batteries you should check for external
damage, dirty or corroded terminal connections, low fluid levels, broken or missing
filler caps or dirt and moisture on the battery. After removing the battery
from the ATV make sure electrolyte levels are properly adjusted. Using
distilled water, fill each cell until the level is above the minimum level line
on the battery case and at or below the maximum line. If you overfill the cell,
leakage will occur. Too low electrolyte levels mean there’s a possibility
permanent damage may have been done to the lead plates inside and a new battery
may be required. After adjusting the levels, make sure the filler plugs are
securely back in place and the battery is free of dirt and corrosion. If you
need to clean the battery, use a mixture of baking soda and water to neutralize
any electrolyte that may be on the outside of the battery. Simply brush this on
with an old paintbrush or toothbrush and rinse with clean water. You can clean
the terminals with a small wire brush if the corrosion is significant or by
using a piece of emery cloth. Now it’s time to check the state of the battery’s
charge. Using a voltmeter, the terminal voltage should read at least 12.6
volts. If your voltage is below this or you’ve added water, a boost charge is
required. Do not use a high current or fast charger unless you’re familiar with
their operation or permanent damage can occur to the battery. A slow, trickle
charge is best. Even with proper care and maintenance, batteries eventually
wear out. With this in mind, you may want to simply replace the battery every
few years with a new one. Remember, before performing maintenance or testing on
any ATV battery, insure there are no open flames or possibility of sparks
around the battery and, absolutely no smoking.
Courtesy of Yuasa
I’ve got a question for you.
What do you get when you mix mud, oil and water
together?
Answer: A recipe for
disaster.
You also get one ugly, goopy mess.
Over the years there are many things I’ve learned
about water and some of these are:
#1. We need to drink lots of it to flush the
toxins out of our bodies.
#2. The price of bottled water is now getting more
expensive than gasoline.
#3. Dirty water (or liquid mud) can deliver a
killer blow to bearings, seals, ball joints and bushings.
#4. Water will cause rust on metal parts and rust
never sleeps.
#5. No matter how hard you try to keep water out
of something, if there is any tiny opening “water will get in”.
Anyone who rides in water and mud should get in
the habit of checking their motor oil and drive shafts oil on a regular basis
and if the oil is gray or milky white it should be changed right away. Run the
ATV for an 1/2 hour and then change everything again if it's milky white. Run
the ATV again for 2 to 3 hours and check again. If it's gray you can run it for
a longer period before you change it again. It may still look gray after 3 or 4
changes as its almost impossible to get all the water out unless you
disassemble all parts and
clean them. Even 1 or 2 drops of water can turn
the oil gray or white, the main thing is to get 99% of it out and keep an eye
on the oil after that. In the winter this is extremely critical as water
freezes (even if it’s in oil). On your ATV there are many points of entry for
water and also reasons for condensation forming on the inside of your engine
cases. We will try to deal with some of these problems and offer you some tips
on preventative maintenance.
First of all your air box which houses your air
filter should have a good seal and the lid should be bolted down tight. When
entering brooks or streams you should always slow down to prevent splashing any
water up into your air intake. Some ATV air filters are made of paper and end
up looking like soggy toilet paper when they get wet and the ATV ends up
running like the item usually associated with toilet paper. So use a good air filter either the UNI filters or the
K&N, both these stand up fine in wet situations. Check all vent
hoses for splits or damage that would allow water to enter and replace any
missing vent hoses right away. CV boots and any other rubber boots should be checked
for damage every time you take the ATV out for a ride and if you find any the
item will have to be taken apart, cleaned thoroughly, packed with grease and
reassembled with a new rubber. Axles and drive shafts are very expensive so you
will want to keep on top of this. Drum brake seals are known for allowing water
and mud to enter and my suggestion is to remove the drain plug to allow any
water that gets in to also get out. Also disassemble the brakes on a regular
basis and clean out all the mud, sand and the occasional tadpole and lube all
the moving parts. The brake calipers on disc brake models should also be
removed and cleaned along with the disc brake pads and slider pins. Lube the
slider pins with never seize before reinstalling them.
One of the purposes of oil is to coat the parts
with a thin layer, which helps prevent two moving contacting parts from
actually touching each other except for a very small area. This thin layer of
oil also reduces heat from friction and metal-to-metal contact. Oil also cools
by transferring heat to the engine cases and when you take an ATV through a
stream the warm or hot engine cases are cooled by the water and condensation
(water) forms on the inside of your engine cases. Even though no water leaked
into your engine you will now have water turning your oil milky white and
causing you lots of other headaches. Water that gets into bearings will cause
bearings and shafts to overheat thereby shortening the life of these parts and
possibly causing big mechanical damage.
Oil also collects and coats water, acids, unused
gasoline and prevents these harmful substances from damaging vital engine parts
but when the oil becomes saturated with these contaminants then it forms a
sludge which collects at the bottom of the engine cases. From this point on
even when you change your oil this sludge will contaminate the new oil and the
only way to remove the sludge once it’s there is to take the engine apart. To
prevent this sludge from forming get in the habit of changing your oil on a
regular basis.
WHEN YOU SHOULD CHANGE YOUR OIL.
AIR
COOLED ENGINES-every 60 hours of running.
LIQUID
COOLED ENGINES-every 80 hours of running.
The oil should be changed after 6
months even if the ATV has sat idle because like any petroleum product the composition
of oil will break down after a certain period of time even if you are not using
the ATV. Then it is not oil any longer and it’s not doing the job it was meant
to do, this could cause premature wear on parts and bearings leading to big
expensive repair bills down the road. Be on the safe side and change it every 6
months.
Help preserve Mother Nature.
Remember to dispose of used oil in an
environmentally friendly way by taking the used oil to a gas station or other business,
which disposes of petroleum products and ask them to dispose of it for you.
Article
written by Richard Snowdon.