This may be the wrong place(or not if it gets moved) but I recently got a 1986 Ski-Doo Snowmobile and was wondering what oil is correct for the chaincase? Is there a comparable syn? Is gear oil OK? thanks
What oil to use in a Snowmobile chaincase?
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Amsoil has a dedicated chain case lubricant. Pablo or MSparks can hook you up.
Most owner's manuals specify gear lube (75-90 weight or thereabouts), many people, including me, use ATF because it's thinner and the gear lube is like mud in cold temps. Change it annually.
My personal opinion, as long as the chaincase lube gets changed annually, it is probably not too fussy. I am an amsoil fan, but have found a fully synthetic chaincase lube at Fleet Farm called Arctic Blue. I think it has Moly too. seems to work great and runs about $3. much cheaper than other stuff.
Racers will use anything and sacrifice everything for advantage so because something is used for racing does not mean its appropriate for everyday use.
Go with a dedicated chain case lube and you will have nothing to worry about. I know guy who rents sleds and he used nothing but the Amsoil chain case lube. Said he looked at them all but chose the Amsoil because it seemed to be the best her could get. One of his sled suppliers actually told him to use it.
Go with a dedicated chain case lube and you will have nothing to worry about. I know guy who rents sleds and he used nothing but the Amsoil chain case lube. Said he looked at them all but chose the Amsoil because it seemed to be the best her could get. One of his sled suppliers actually told him to use it.
I normally would use all AmsOil lube in my XLT. When I go to Hurley, WI over New Years, it sometimes will get really cold, as in 10-30 below at night. Needless to say, the std Polaris oil I was using the first time I went there was sludge. The next year I had AmsOil injector oil, chain case oil, and suspension grease. I never had a problem turning the engine over or the suspension being stiff. Highly recommend switching to a synthetic for next year. If for no other reason then people like to sled behind you because your exhaust doesn't smell like smoke.
Originally Posted By: w9awx
If for no other reason then people like to sled behind you because your exhaust doesn't smell like smoke.
You betcha', converted a lot of my friends over to Amsoil 2 stroke lubes the past few years. Several comments were made about the smoke issue. Of course I also went thru all adjustments after making the switch.
BTW we were in Hurley this past Dec. Had a blast at the bear trap.
If for no other reason then people like to sled behind you because your exhaust doesn't smell like smoke.
You betcha', converted a lot of my friends over to Amsoil 2 stroke lubes the past few years. Several comments were made about the smoke issue. Of course I also went thru all adjustments after making the switch.
BTW we were in Hurley this past Dec. Had a blast at the bear trap.
I have an old vintage 1973 Sno*Jet SST 440 that I've recently restored, and I used straight Lucas Oil Stabilizer in the chaincase. There isn't much of anything sealing it other than a couple flimsy rubber seals that had definitely seen better days. At first, I ran 80w90 and it leaked out within a few hundred miles. With the Lucas glop in there, it stays put. The sled isn't a race machine or anything, so thick goop in there is fine. It'll still go 70+ MPH on hard pack! It's not a "daily driver", but still fun to play with on the local trails. I've gotten quite a few thumbs up from other riders, and impressed the socks off a couple when I carried the skis from a dead stop for about 50 feet or so! 38 HP doesn't sound like much, but on a machine that only weighs 300#, it's pretty impressive HP/weight ratio!
You can use just about any lube in a chaincase. Factory fill is likely a GL-4 75W90 gear oil, as you can smell the sulfer in it. I have been using 80W-90 GL5 because I have it in stock and it's cheap, but there are other options. I don't think a simple chain case needs a hypoid oil. I have seen people use ATF, Gear oil, Snowmobile gear oil($$$), Motor oil. ATF seems thin, but if it can stand up in a automotive transfer case for 250K, then it will work in a sleds chaincase. My buddy owned a Yamaha shop for years and they used 10W30. I asked why and he said its cheap and all you need. They never had a problem with it. The most important thing is a regular change to flush out the metal filings. Synthetic is overkill if you change every year anyway.
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FWIW, old 1970's Skiroule sleds used grease in the chaincase.
I bought an old 1991 Yamaha Phazer with 15,000KM last year, and asked the owner when he last changed the chaincase oil. He just looked at me and cocked his head in wonderment. It had never been changed. When I pulled it apart, there was a thin coat of varnish on the case from the age of the oil, but the chain and bearings were still like new.
I bought an old 1991 Yamaha Phazer with 15,000KM last year, and asked the owner when he last changed the chaincase oil. He just looked at me and cocked his head in wonderment. It had never been changed. When I pulled it apart, there was a thin coat of varnish on the case from the age of the oil, but the chain and bearings were still like new.
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