A couple oil changing questions

[3pedalmini]

we just hit 35 hours on my 2011 GTI 130 (dont get to ride much ) and i want to change the oil my self, found the process on line and it seems simple enough my dealer charges 295 for service intervals and im not going to pay that (paid it for 10 hour service) going to buy a mighty vac

should i just get sea-doos kit or can i run Amsoil 10w-40 marine oil & aftermarket oil filter (which im sure is better then seadoos)
Should i replace the sparkplugs?
at the 50hour service, how can i clear the "reminder" or is the only way todo it is to buy a home version of a "Candoo"
how many quarts of oil will i need? my oil is right between the two lines so should I just replace with the same amount of oil i pull out? from what i read should be around 3.5 quarts +-

Thanks! :thumbsup: btw im out of warranty. Was shocked to find out that seadoos only have a year warranty

 

[devonte007]

Oil changes are really pretty simple if you take your time and do it correctly, and can save you $$$$. It's up to you if you want to buy the 'kit' from Seadoo but I personally do not. On the supercharged engines, I have heard it is very important to use a mineral oil NOT a synthetic oil because of the supercharger washers, but on the non-supercharged engines you can use any good quality 10w-40. I use a name brand semi-synthetic. Always replace the filter as well, and it is good to have a couple extra o-rings that go on the oil filter cap (there are two). Sometimes they can break as you pry the oil filter cap off.

When you suck out the old oil from the dip stick tube you will not get all of it out, some of the oil (about .75 quarts) is trapped in the engine passages. I usually get close to 3 quarts out. The service manual says to turn the engine over to get out the last 1/2 quart or so but I do not do this. I just pump out what I can, change the filter and fill it back up. Just make sure to purchase a good quality fluid pump, the cheap ones don't work well and fail.

Not sure about how to re-set the maintenance light, but if it is not in the user manual I'm sure someone else on here will chime in. Good luck!

 

[door54]

007 is spot on, so I'll focus on a few points.

I just did the oil change (for the first time) two days ago on both my units. I took my time to absorb the lesson, and saved myself the frustration of a three week wait at the stealership, and alot of cash. There are some task specific tools you will need to invest in, but they pay for themselves in the first oil change.

1. Fluid Pump - Make sure the pump you choose has a rigid insertion tube. You want to insure it hits the bottom of the pan. Your manual will tell you how far to insert. In my case it is 18 3/4". I selected a HT Moto UG-188B. Its small round and compact, with calibrated lines on the exterior...each line = 1 liter. It was around $50. There are other good pump choices available as well.

2. Oil - Buy the best available that meets or exceeds your spec requirement.

3. Oil Filter - Change each time you change the oil. For me its OEM. It should come with two O rings, if not, buy them seperately.
The oil filter housing has a star nut that will accept an 8mm socket (on mine anyhow)

4. Spark Plugs - Change each time you change your oil. No matter how they look, or perform...Throw them away and put in fresh ones.

5. Oil removal - Opinions vary within this forum as to what is the best way to extract the most oil. Most of which are common sense mixed with a trick of the trade or two.

This is what I did- A member named Dennis responded to a thread stating he had "changed a lot of oil in 4Tecs in the last nine years, and did not start them up first" (sorry if I screwed the quote Dennis). So being 110 outside and not wanting to work over a hot engine, I took his path. Now remember that the siphon tube is very small, so the rate of flow will be slow. Once it drained out. I used the 'drowning mode' technique three times...10 seconds each time.

Drowning mode - Full throttle, then push the start button, and hold for 10 secs. The Unit will not start... just turn over and pull hidden oil back down into the pan. Then drain. Repeat the process two more times. This process netted me a four litre extraction. When I put the fresh oil in, started it for 30 secs, and pulled the dip stick out, the oil had settled dead center in between the two bends.
The next time I change it, the only thing I would do different, would be to ride it, park it, pull the seats, let it cool and settle for a couple hours, then drain it.

I have the SC on my RXT's so oil selection is crucial, so I just bought the kit. Contents were : *3 plugs * Oil filter + (2) O rings * 1 Gallon oil * and factory instructions with high resolution pics. It was around $50

Good Luck to Ya

 

[3pedalmini]

You guys ROCK! thanks! I just ordered this, http://www.mityvac.com/pages/products_hvpo.asp

Im going to go ahead and order the maintenance kit from sea-doo, i have a coupon for $10 off and free shipping. Ill let you know how it goes

Do either one of you know how to clear the code? especially when the 50hr service indicator shows up? TIA!

 

[door54]

How much for the mityvac?

I agree with your choice on the 'kit'. You cant go wrong there...all BRP spec stuff...a bit $ but it buys you time to do your homework, and sharpen your research skills...?+ a coupon & free shipping? I'd be on that in a heartbeat.

I'm not up to speed on your unit's code clearing sequence... other members might

 

[3pedalmini]

How much for the mityvac?

I agree with your choice on the 'kit'. You cant go wrong there...all BRP spec stuff...a bit $ but it buys you time to do your homework, and sharpen your research skills...?+ a coupon & free shipping? I'd be on that in a heartbeat.

I'm not up to speed on your unit's code clearing sequence... other members might

Here you go!
http://www.amazon.com/Mityvac-MITMV8500-Silverline-Automotive-Vacuum/dp/B0002SQYUA

 

[devonte007]

I might reconsider your fluid pump purchase, from the link you provided it does not look like it has rigid plastic tubes to insert into the dip stick tube. From the picture they look flexible and that will not work. The pump I have is this one: http://www.amazon.com/Mityvac-7400-Liter-Fluid-Evacuator/dp/B000JFJM14/ref=sr_1_12?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1345301388&sr=1-12&keywords=fluid+pump

This pump works very well, has a large reservoir, and it is even the same one pictured in the shop manual. By the way, did you download the shop manual for your ski? If not it is good to have and explains step by step how to perform maintenance including the oil changes. You can download them from this site, just click the 'manual' link at the top of the page.

Also, with the spark plugs it is a good idea to put a little dielectric grease on the ceramic part of the plug and some anti-sieze grease on the threads when you change them. I always change my plugs at the beginning of the season regardless of hours after the first run. I like to burn off the fogging oil first (with the old plugs) before putting in new ones regardless of hours. It never hurts to replace them though, they are cheap and easy to do.

Hope this helps and let us know if you have any other questions!
--Deven