Cart Oil Change
 

DIY - Oil Change on your Golf Cart?

Suggestions?:welcome:

Yes, my yamaha holds exactly 1 quart, no filter, remember its glorified air cooled lawn mower engine. I Change it atleast twice year minimum. It's best to know you're engine and known oil consumption rate if any? by monthly checking. Majority just get in and go. Running cart low on oil causes overheating, wears seals quicker, and wears the engine connection rod and cylinder wall out quicker. If let go the engine will start knocking and soon fail. Another area of concern is transaxle grease. Unless it's leaking level will be good. I change mine every 4 years. If you see oil spots on garage floor best to find out what's leaking. So, IMO yes you want to change the oil regularly or have it done.

About every 4 months I drain my oil and put in a quart of Mobil 1 10w30 full synthetic oil. Simple and fast job.

Shimpy - that’s the way to go! Just a bit of work like that lets you KNOW that the cart is working as designed and will last a “lifetime”. If you ever sell your cart, let me know!

I changed the oil in my cart and a neighbors cart today; took all of about 20 minutes.

I take the used oil to O'Reillys Auto Parts in Leesburg to recycle when I buy the oil and filter to change it in our Traverse.

I've always changed my on oil since my 1st car ('66 Chevelle SS396) 48 years ago and probably always will.

If you have a Yamaha, every 1200 miles or about 75 hours. It takes one quart and about 15 minutes.

If you have a newer Yamaha with an internal brake, it requires a friction modified gear oil in the transaxle. What gear oil do you use?

If you change your own oil, just be very careful not to over tighten the oil drain plug. The plug is made out of steel, but the engine block is made out of aluminum. The steel plug is much stronger than aluminum and can easily strip the threads out of the engine block. Trust me on this, I did it! After having to put a heli-coil into the engine block to accept a newer and larger oil drain plug, I wished I didn't try to save a couple dollars and had the oil changed by a professional. I did not do this on our golf cart, but on my Yamaha Grizzly 550 ATV at our home up north. In the Villages, we have Todd Casey come to our house and service the carts for us with no worries and at a very reasonable price. I still change the oil myself on my Nissan Truck, my wife's Honda CRV, and our daughters Subaru, but always use a new washer on the drain plug and am very careful not to over tighten. Wrench on!

Tophcfa is right, I did the same thing. You have to change the aluminum o-ring every time as well. I didn’t, over tightened the steel bolt and stripped the aluminum block. Learn by our mistakes!

Also, there has been a lot of controversy on this. I texted a Yamaha technician about the use of Synthetic oil. He stated NO! It is a splash oil system and synthetic oil is to thin. Use 10 w 30 oil for our climate here in Florida. I change mine every six months.

Yamaha recommends Yamalube which is a semi-synthetic.

You can use 10w-30 synthetic just fine. 10w-30, what Yamaha specifies, has the same cold (the "10" number) and same hot (the "30" number) viscosity (+/- within the API standards) whether it is synthetic or conventional oil. Considering that synthetic is better at maintaining it's viscosity than conventional oil, I am not sure why anyone would choose not to use synthetic.

Yamalube Friction Modified Shaft Drive Gear Oil. You will need 2 quarts. The Villages Golf Cart Store has a good price. It is easy to change - just take off the plastic cover on the back of the cart where the golf bags sit.

Yamaha friction modified oil. Yes, mine has internal rear brakes. Changed it about 4 years and 8k miles. In my case it wasn't that bad, but didn't want to let it go after 4 years. Sumter landing golf cart store reasonably priced. Just pull the back cover off remove the drain and fill plug and refill. If I remember correctly it 3/8" racket/breaker bar slot.

Sorry for you're problem. Some of us been mechanics for long time know what tight is based on size and materials. For those less knowledgeable it best to invest in torque wrench and use it on critical parts.

I agree, especially since my 2014 Yamaha manual specifically states the recommended oil as “YAMALUBE 4-cycle oil or SAE 10W30”. No mention of Synthetic oil.

There is no controversy about the use of synthetics. The manual states 10w-30 with an API Service rating of SE, SF, or SG. These are old API Service ratings and virtually any oil, synthetic or conventional, easily meets these ratings. As long as the oil meets the multigrade specification (10w-30) and the API Service rating, it is fine. There is a reason there are industry standards.

So why use synthetics ? Oil has two components: the base oil and the additive package. The synthetic base oils can typically deliver multigrade viscosity ranges without the viscosity index improvers and pour point depressants required in conventional oil additive packages. When these additives are depleted, the operating temperature viscosity will decrease and the cold temperature viscosity will increase in conventional oils. Synthetics, on the other hand, will better retain their original viscosity and provide better protection as the oil ages.

Agree. Be sure to change the washer every time.

Naturally the Yamaha manual going to recommend yamalube, as far as I know Yamaha don't refine crude oil? Probably shell, Mobil, or any other leading refinery. But, they get to add their Name, dictate the specifications, and up the price. IMO yamalube will get just as dirty with containments as other leading brands. So, if you don't change and check it regularly (regularly matter of opinion??) it will wear out just the same with yamalube.

Why? Mine soft metal washer and not crush asbestos filled gasket. So far I have tore it up or have even drop of oil around the plug it tighten properly?

The soft aluminum washer is considered a one time use "crush" washer.
You are right, if you are careful and not over tighten the plug, you don't need to replace it and it won't leak.
I change mine as it's included in the maintenance kit I use.
Yamaha Golf Cart Factory Tune up kit

where do you buy the O RING?

Yamaha G2-G29/ DRIVE Oil Drain Plug Gasket (For Gas Carts) | Golf Cart Tire Supply

or Google - crush washer for yamaha golf cart :ho:

Over 15 oil changes on my Yamaha. Never changed the gasket. No leaks if you do it right and don’t over tighten.

:bigbow:

O ring? usually Rubber or neoprene material. depending on what year or model you may have O-ring instead of the soft metal washer? For that you can get assortment of several sized at auto parts stores/harbor freight/big box stores, and I think even at Walmart? For the Soft Metal washer you will have to find OEM parts supplier. It's really not Crush gasket but soft metal washer. You really have to try to destroy it for it not to re-seal. The main thing that damages the washer and threads in the block is way over torqueing or cross threading it and driving it in with wrench. It should spin freely all the way down and then slight tighten or recommended torque with a Torque wrench preferably Inch pounds torque wrench.

You ask Why inch pounds? Torque wrenches are calibrated plus or minus 1. so difference between the two would be 11 inch pounds. which shouldn't make difference unless the foot pounds torque wrench is out of calibration? Inch pound torque wrenches are more actuate when compared to Foot pounds torque wrench due to the finer Calibration specs.

OEM part#812-11198-00

812-11198-00 - Google Search

oil plug washer

Carts & Clubs Ocala carries them. Villages GC may also

The washer is hollow, and meant to "crush" when tightened.
Use care when tightening, and you won't need to replace every oil change.

I have had no problem reusing the washer, but I also put a small amount of teflon pipe joint paste on the threads of the plug, and a little bit of the paste on the back surface of the head as well as the surface of the washer that contacts the block. With the teflon paste, the plug never seizes up.

There is a reason for the crush washer vs using Teflon tape. The heat that can be generated at the bottom of the oil pan could exceed the temperature of the Teflon tape specs. Probably wouldn't under normal use unless oil was low and excessive heat was generated. If it does there could be two issues. It gets in the oil, probably not a big issue as it would be such a small amount, and it could start to leak, bigger issue. Teflon tape is great for water lines, even hot water lines, but I would be cautious using it on engine parts. A new crush washer every time it looks really crushed and some oil on the threads should work just fine. Specs claim 260 degrees, but have seen it fall apart at boiling temperature.

has anyone tried changing oil on a new yamaha 2018 "quiet-tech" I was told that they now siphon the oil out because of the full length plastic cover they added under the cart ??

Not tape. Paste. Micro particles of teflon in an oil base. Looks like other pipe dope but the filler is teflon.