Summertime is the best time to enjoy your favorite local off-road trails, but extreme heat and summer conditions will destroy your ATV or UTV if you don’t take proper precautions. Summer ATV and UTV maintenance is key no matter what you plan on doing with your four-wheeler or side-by-side this season. Long days riding in the hot sun can dredge up every weakness on your machine.
Luckily, we’ve put together the most comprehensive ATV and UTV summer maintenance checklist to keep your machine trail ready all season long. Prevent expensive repairs and downtime by taking care of your ride year-round. The result? More time riding and less time in the garage. Read on for everything you need to know about prepping your off-road vehicle for summer.
1. Keep Your Cooling System and Fluids Clean
Extreme heat means your engine is under more stress than ever before. Overheating is the number one cause of costly summer repairs and headaches for ATV and UTV owners.
Flush, Fill, and Check Coolant Levels: Make sure your radiator is clean and ready to roll when summer hits. Radiator fins that are caked in mud, bugs, and debris don’t breathe as well, inhibiting airflow and cooling efficiency. Check and top off coolant levels before every ride, and flush your cooling system every spring if you haven’t already.
Change Your Oil and Oil Filter: Did you know that heat breaks down engine oil faster? Fresh oil means better lubrication of moving parts and reduces friction that leads to overheating. Be sure to switch to a manufacturer recommended summer-weight synthetic oil designed to keep your engine running cooler.
2. Check Tire Pressure & Monitor Tread Wear
Summer trails are packed hard dirt with large rocks and hot, sandy asphalt river crossings. Without properly inflated tires, you will wear them down prematurely and drastically increase your chances of a blown tire.
Monitor PSI: Heat causes air to expand, which means a properly inflated tire in the cool morning can be way over-inflated by noon. Purchase a good low-pressure gauge and check your tires while they are hot. Adjust pressure accordingly based on local terrain conditions.
Inspect Tires for Damage: Pay close attention to dry rot, failing sidewall plugs, and missing lugs. If your tread starts to get low, consider replacing your tires with a new set of summer rated off-road tires to keep you climbing those dusty hills.
3. Eat Dust? Clean Your Air Filter
There is no avoiding dust if you ride in a group. All that dust your ATV or UTV ingests when eating dust is also going straight into your engine. Riding without a clean air filter will decrease your horsepower and fuel economy.
Clean Your Air Filter After Every Dusty Ride: Prefer a reusable foam air filter? Remove it after every ride and clean it with a filter cleaning spray, allow it to dry completely, and re-oil it before your next ride.
Bring a Spare Filter: If you plan on doing an extended weekend trip at your local off-road park, bring a pre-oiled spare filter in a Ziploc bag. Change your dirty filter out halfway through your weekend for a set of fresh filtering wicking material. This one simple task will save your engine from wearing out too soon.
4. Prevent Battery Damage from Heat
While cold weather is terrible for a vehicle’s battery, extreme heat is actually the leading cause of battery damage and failure. Heat increases the rate battery fluid evaporates and causes internal battery corrosion.
Inspect Connections: Make sure your battery terminals are tight and corrosion free. Use a wire brush to scrape off any corrosion and apply dielectric grease to prevent future buildup.
Ensure Proper Voltage: Use a multimeter to ensure your battery is holding a proper charge (around 12.6 volts when not in use). If your ATV or UTV has been sitting all winter long, place it on a smart trickle charger to top off the battery before trying to start it.
5. Inspect Your Drive Belt and Drivetrain Often
Your CVT belt sees abuse year-round, but summer heat will destroy your belt quicker than any other season. Half way up a trail with a broken drive belt is almost guaranteed to put a damper on your weekend.
Inspect Your CVT Belt: Remove your clutch cover to inspect your CVT belt for glazing, fraying, or missing pieces. If your ATV smells like rubber burning while riding, your belt is slipping and overheating. Always carry a spare belt plus the tools required to change it in the field.
Inspect CV Boots and Axles: Branches and rocks love to sneak up and tear a CV boot open. Once that grease sanctuary is torn, dirt and grime get into the joint and will destroy it. Inspect all four corners of your ATV or UTV after every ride.
6. Grease fittings and lubricate moving parts regularly
Your ATV or UTV suspension takes a pounding every time you hit summer trails. Anywhere you see metal-on-metal contact means you should be lubing.
Attack All Zerk Fittings: Every grease fitting on your machine should be packed FULL of marine grade or off-road specific grease. Locations include, but are not limited to: all your A-arms, ball joints, U-joints, and sway bars.
Don’t Forget Your Cables: Give those throttle and brake cables some love too. Cable lube is cheap and necessary to keep your controls responsive and prevent them from seizing up in dusty riding conditions.
Conclusion: Be Proactive, Not Reactive
Just because summer is the busiest time of year to ride doesn’t mean you can neglect your ATV or UTV maintenance. Spending an hour or two in your garage before trail season starts will pay dividends when everyone else is repairing their broken vehicles. Don’t get stranded or sidelined by a preventable mechanical issue, grab some tools and work through this ATV and UTV summer maintenance checklist once to make sure your vehicle is ready to conquer all the local trails has to offer.
ATV and UTV Summer Maintenance FAQ’s
Q: How often should I change my ATV/UTV Oil in the Summer?
A: We recommend checking your oil levels BEFORE EVERY ride. If you know you’ll be riding frequently in hot conditions and eating dust all day, consider changing your oil and filter every 50 hours of use. This ensures your engine is properly lubricated and running cool all summer long. At the very least, change your oil and filter once before you start your summer riding season.
Q: Why is my ATV overheating?
A: If your ATV is overheating on trails during the summer months, first check your coolant levels and ensure you can see airflow coming from your cooling fan when your ATV gets hot. The most common cause for overheating in the summer is a buildup of dried mud and debris inside your radiator cooling fins.
Q: Will summer heat affect my UTV tire pressure?
A: Yes! Air heats up and expands which can cause your tires to be overinflated if you don’t check them throughout the day. Start with the proper PSI in the morning, but be sure to double check your tires with a low-pressure tire gauge while the tires are hot. Adjust pressure accordingly.
Q: How do I keep my CVT drive belt from slipping in hot weather?
A: Heat is the number one enemy of your ATV or UTV drive belt. You can prevent belt slippage and overheating by running your ATV in low gear whenever possible. Low gear places less strain on your ATV clutch, which means less heat buildup. Additionally, remove any large debris stuck in your clutch housing air intake so your belt can breathe.
Q: Should I clean my air filter more often during summer riding conditions?
A: You better be! Summer time means dry, dusty trails. Inspect your air filter after EVERY ride. If you are eating a lot of dust with a group of friends, consider cleaning your air filter twice a day to ensure no dust makes it into your engine.