hey guys new to snomobiling and finally bought my own 97 mxz 670 with 790 miles from a friend. want to know what is the easiest and possibly least messy way to change the chaincase oil. Have been out twice already just to get some shakedown runs ind and man what a sweet machine. But I am going for a long ride friday and want to do this asap. thanks guys.

Place a container to catch the oil, and remove the plug with an allan key(can't remember what size...might be 1/4"). If you're concerned about getting oil on your hand, wear a rubber glove. Most of the oil should end up in the container. Once she's drained, replace the plug, and refill it using a long, long funnel.

Did they have the drain plugs in 97 on the MXZ's? My 98 FZ670 didnt have a drain plug. My 02 MXZ800 does, but I cant use it :slick: The hole in my frame wasnt punched in the right spot so the allen wrench cant get a straight shot at it.

If yours does have the plug in the bottom, great, just do like Zog days and put a pan under to catch the oil.

If it dosent and you have to pull the cover this is the easiest way I know. I would drill a 3/8" hole on the belly pan right under the tranny. If theres no hole there the oil will run all over the belly pan before it runs out all over the place. I spray some degreaser into the pan and remove the screws. I have found that spraying the degreaser in before poping the cover makes clean up later real easy. I leave the top bolt in but loose. Wiggle the cover so that it opens at the bottom first. I have found that just lossening the bolts will start the oil draining slowly anyway. Let the oil drain and spray some more degreaser in there....it helps. Clean everything good and put it back together.

Last weekend I did this to my 800....I didnt feek like messing with grinding the frame to make the allen wrench fit, so I poped the cover like ussual. Im glad I did! The flat head screw that holds the iddler wheel into the chain adjuster had backed out and was wearing on the cover. Breaking the tranny would be a bad way to start the season.

Good Luck
Todd
SWRules

S chassis do not have a drain plug. Go to your auto parts store and buy a suction gun. Looks like a grease gun but you pull out on the plunger and suck the oil out with a short piece of tubing in the dipstick hole. After you get as much oil out as possible, lay the sled on the left side and remove the chaincase cover to finish cleaning and inspect your chain and gears.

Originally posted by dooitslow@Nov 26 2003, 05:50 PM
S chassis do not have a drain plug.
Oops. Sorry!

The hole in my frame wasnt punched in the right spot so the allen wrench cant get a straight shot at it.

Hey SDRENE800RER I use T-handle allen keys with the rounded ends. They work great for those hard to reach out of line areas. I don't know if you have them but its worth a shot. I also have a carbide burr you can use on a cordless or power drill. Would make very quick work out of reaming that hole for you. Just a thought.

SWRules

i do the same as SD but have never had the same luck he seems to have :confused: i have always had to completely remove the cover because the "O" ring gasket never stays where it should so i have to use grease to hold it in place before i can put the cover back on.

well thanks for the responses guys it will help out. I actually went and asked my local Ski-Doo dealer and he said he only checks and adds when necessary. I thought that was a bit lazy considering what these things do all day.

Originally posted by davebosma@Nov 26 2003, 09:17 PM

Hey SDRENE800RER I use T-handle allen keys with the rounded ends. They work great for those hard to reach out of line areas. I don't know if you have them but its worth a shot. I also have a carbide burr you can use on a cordless or power drill. Would make very quick work out of reaming that hole for you. Just a thought.

SWRules
Yup I got the ball end allen wrenches too, and grinding out the hole would be cake, but I was feeling lazy that day and didnt want to mess with it, so I just removed the cover.....hehehe....I was glad that I did when I found that iddler bolt backed out. So lazy worked for me once...lol :p

I have one of the gear oil suckers too and did try that, but the hose was to big to fit into the dipstick hole. For same reason above, my luck was with me. Both easy ways were avoided, so hopefully the same for a potential blown tranny.

i do the same as SD but have never had the same luck he seems to have

Hehehe...Paul, I have felt your pain..lol My FZ was a bear to do the tranny oil for the same reason.

Todd
SWRules

CW,
change it, i've seen that oil white once and i think they all must get a little moisture in them from somewhere.

Buy an oil suction pump. The one we have holds about 6 litres and came with different sized tubes for different dipstick hole sizes. We use ours for our sleds, tractors, lawn mowers etc.

I really feel that the best way is to take the cover off anyway, just so you can wipe out all the grungy stuff ( my 02 700 was really bad!! ) and have a good look at the adjuster, chain and gears. If there is a drain plug, drain it first and then remove the cover and wipe it out real good and re-install. :D

Yea it does look pretty black but thankfully not white. I have a drill pump that will fit but I was thinking since it is a new to me sled I will pull the cover off for a look see anyway. thanks guys for all the comments. Snowmobilers rock! :thumbsup:

I TAKE A PLASTIC BAG LIKE A WAL-MART BAG OR WHAT EVER , AND THEN TAKE ALL THE BOLTS OUT BUT THE TOP ONE TOWARDS THE FRONT THEN SLIP THE PLASTIC BAG UNDER THE CASE THEN TAKE OUT THE TOP BOLT AND THEN THE COVER AND CATCH MOST ALL THE OIL ,MAKE'S THING'S ALOT LESS MESSY! :cool: