In television and on the big screen, ATVs are usually used during the summertime. It’s rare to see them driving around town when the first sign of winter shows. However, with proper winterizing, your ATV can brave through the snow, even in the Salt Lake city kind of snow.
Many of you might be asking how to winterize your own ATV or if it might even be a good idea to do it yourself. Of course, the obvious answer is for you to have it done by a nearby service center. In the case that this option is not available to you, here are some ways that the average person like you can start winterizing your ATV.
1. Make sure to clean your ATV
Often, the simplest solution is the most crucial one. As with any other machine, or object for that matter, these vehicles are prone to dust build up. Especially during the winter season when owners tend to keep their ATVs in storage. The accumulation of dirt can be detrimental for many parts of the machine.
On the surface, you might notice how dust, combined with some smears of road dirt or dried mud, can cause chipping or scratches on the paint or chrome.
Make sure to use a detergent that won’t be too harsh to the point that it adds more insult to injury.
2. Take care of the fuel system
Winterizing doesn’t mean letting your ATV sit in your garage until it freezes. This is why filling up the tank with fresh fuel and adding a fuel stabilizer is essential to avoid corrosion in your engine. After that, you can run the engine for 8 minutes or until it at least reaches the temperature need for your ATV to operate fully. Doing so allows the stabilizer to flow through the vehicle’s lines and keeps it at its top performance.
3. Keep your batteries strong
Batteries are already fragile, what more when they are put through an environment with extreme conditions. The winter is said to leave battery cells in cold murder (pun intended). It achieves this by promoting the build-up of sulfite that will ruin the battery’s flow. You can either take a chance and apply some vaseline on the batteries’ terminals when you want to avoid destroying them, but you can also just easily take it out of the vehicle until the next time that you’re going to use them.
4. Don’t kill the sparks of your spark plugs
Remove the wires and the plugs with the help of spark plug wrench. If this proves to be a difficult task, lubricating it with a little oil can go a long way. After that, ease in the wires to a place where they may be safely kept. Make sure to spin the motor oil because this will help your ATV fight off any rusting.
Whether you live in Salt Lake City or Toronto, you can always take proactive steps in making sure your ATV beats the cold!
