2003 Yamaha Kodiak 450 Maintenance

[crkid]

I'm new here. We have had many offroad things quads and dirtbikes (i race dirtbikes) but I just don't know about a 4 wheel drive quad. Well we just got an 03 yamaha kodiak 450. It has 730 miles and i can't remember the hours right now. Looks brand new other than part of the tank decal torn off. It even has brand new ITP mudlite tires. My question is what is the normal maintenance for this thing. Including differentials, oil, and how often to check valves. And are there any grease fittings i need to hit with some grease? and how often? thanks

Edited November 17, 2010 by crkid

[crkid]

Also what octane gas do i have to run, i noticed the compression on this thing is really high, idk if i need to run mid grade or premium

[rideon56]

Your compression is suppose to be high,I think around 150 to 170 psi and you need 89 octane gas,I change my oil and filter about once per yr but it is according to how often and how hard you ride,you can find the grease fittings by looking,you will see them if they are thier.

[crkid]

I have looked around the wheels, steering, a arms and swingarm and i don't see any grease fittings. Also it has itp mudlite tires, they are one size up and have the 1 inch cleat, will they wear out the cv joints and wheel bearings faster?

[superchief]

you need to run 93 its the best for it and with you having the bigger tires it will wear out the cv joints and bearings faster especially if you ride in the mud

[superchief]

another good tip is go on ebay and buy a manual i recommend chilton but you can also get it on a cd and download it. the manual tells you all this the cd costs around $7

[crkid]

We have already ordered a factory manual, and it won't be ridden in the mud. how much faster will it wear? and how often should i check the valves on it?

[superchief]

probaly wear twice as fast unless you keep it clean and lubricated and it will tell you in the manual every so many hours.

[crkid]

ok, your saying the owners manual will have hours for that, but ill have to get a service manual for clearances right? thanks for the help

[superchief]

yeah and yeah the manual will have everything in it

[Ajmboy]

First off, welcome aboard! I used to have a 2005 Kodiak 450, great machine.

I agree, use 93 octane fuel. Depending on how hard and often you ride, I usuallly change the oil at least twice a year before the cold weather and once before the hot weather.

If you ride allot, change it every season to once a month.

* Added year, make, model, and question into thread title. Moved to Yamaha forum.

[crkid]

ok, and i noticed on the cv joints from the engine to front differential there are some grease fittings, we tried to use a regular grease gun to get on them but they won't fit in there, do we have to take it apart to get to those grease fittings on the cv joints?

[superchief]

no if you get a grease gun with a rubber hose to squeeze in there

[crkid]

we had that and we couldn't get the adapter, the silver part through the joint to fit on the fitting, no matter how we turned it

[superchief]

i had that problem with my warrior i jus had to put somee force with it and it slid right on

[crkid]

k ill try tonite, ajm did you have this problem on your old kodiak?

[crkid]

I finally popped it on there and gave it a few squirts of grease, a little came out 2 of the seals but not the others, is that normal? and on the other one that is at the differential it came out one of the seals easily, and didn't even come out of the other three.

[DirtDemon]

I would say that the seals that grease came out of are just weaker than the ones that held, or the seals that didn't seep any grease were just further away and the grease never reached that far.