I have a 2009 Yamaha Big Bear 250 2-wheel Drive. After the first service bill from the dealer exceeding $200 for $50 worth of lubricants and parts, I can't afford to spend this yearly to change engine oil, oil & air filter, spark plug & final drive gear oil.

Does anyone else own this ATV and do yearly lube and parts change ? If so is there anything you can tell me that would help a 70 year old lifelong hunter with two recent knee replacements that will make this job easier with advanced warnings of any hard to reach filler plugs, drain plugs & spark plug access, oil filter accessability and disassembly and final drive check and drain plug accessability ?

The owner's manual explains the steps involved but first hand experience always trumps written words in a book with small hard to read type.

Joe P

 

It's no harder than changing the oil in your car in fact it maybe easier Just one drain plug in the bottom of the engine for the oil and three Allen head bolts on the side for the filter as for the diff drain on bottom and fill on top no filter for that really easy Joe . I had my son doing his own oil changes on his quads at age 11 you can do it

 

WWW;

Many thanks for taking the time to respond to my thread. Your info was most helpful and encouraging. I have a shop manual on the Big Bear but it covers models up to 2004.

I did my own service on my old ATV and never had a problem. When I looked at the Service Manual Oil Filter Configuation and saw a series of parts under the outer cover that had to be removed before the oil filter, I was a little concerned. The 09 owners manual didn't show the oil filter as being all that complicated as on the older model Big Bears.

Plus the Service Manual covering models up to 2004 mentioned that the foot shift lever had to be unbolted to access the filter. But they must have changed design in the newer models.

I am going to order the lubes and parts for my backyard service work.

I will let you know how I make out.

Joe