New Owner Maintenance

[Cory24]

I just purchased an Argo Aurora 800, and I'm having trouble figuring out all of the maintenance.

Grease. I know this thing has a ton of grease zerks. Anybody know specifically how many? The manual mentions specific grease (i.e. lithium) for some, but doesn't specify for others. Do I use different greases in different places? All synthetic marine? How often (every 10 hours?). Specific grease recommendations - Amsoil? SuperLube? Other. A lot of the manual mentions Argo specific lubes, but I can't seem to find them in stock anywhere. Also seems that mixing greases may be a no no. Any idea what kinds of grease is where now? How much grease? I have a hand greaser, but is there much risk of blowing out seals with too much grease? Seems some things that get greased are okay with too much, but others its a problem and you'll destroy seals. I seem to see 1 to 2 squeezes per zerk. Sound right?

Chain Oil. I know it needs to be water proof/resistant, and low sling. Bel Ray Super Clean Lube looks to be the best option - can anyone confirm or refute? I've seen ChainWax mentioned, but it seems to not be real penetrative (there is multi-bundle with a 3 step process - clean, lube, wax). Dupont Chainsaver has been mentioned, but I get the impression it doesn't hold up real well to water and needs near constant reapplication. How much? Just coat it? How often? Every time you ride? 10 hours?

Sparkplugs - I have the Kohler 30HP. Factory plugs are champions. In the past dealing with motorcycles - seems like there was a benefit to swapping to fancy plugs - NGK, Bosch, split-fire, etc. Is there any reason to replace the Champions prior to end of life?

I will have the dealership do the 20 hour break-in service - oil change & transmission fluid change (anything that needs to be retorqued), but I will likely handle it afterward. It's a bout a 2.5 hour drive, so I'd rather not rely on them for too much.

I've read the bolts at the wheel bearings need to be retightened after a few hours of service or you get leaks around the cork seals. Does a cork seal seem like a bad idea, or am I missing something? Wouldn't rubber have been better?

Chains seem to adjust tension themselves. Anything I need to do here?

Anything that I need to do with the brakes on a regular basis?

Anything else i should be doing on a regular basis - besides just checking fluid levels - oiling chains and greasing all the zerks?

Also how likely is this thing to tip in water? I've had it in water and it feels somewhat tippy with passengers moving around, but I don't have a good sense of its limits.

How often do these things get holes in the tubs? Does flexseal or jbweld work as a field repair?

What tools do you all routinely keep on the machine? Obviously an allen to get to everything, and a basic tool kit - sockets, wrenches, screwdriver. I haven't even looked is it all SAE, or is there metric as well? Any special tools? Any odd or common sizes? I have ordered the specific vice grips for putting on chain master-links, and I bought a low pressure tire gauge. I have a boat hook that can be used as a push pole, and I have a couple extendable paddles on order. Will add a bail bucket. Anything else? Anybody use an anchor? I assume some sort of tie off would be useful.

Any high failure items to keep on hand such as belts?

Anything else I should know?

Sorry I have a lot of questions. Shanks and ArgoAdventure both seem to have lots of good info on these machines. Any other good sources I should look at? I'm making my way through threads on this board, but I haven't found all the "good" stuff yet - any direction would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Cory24]

One more thing. I don't have a dealer close. Presumably most things can be addressed by other dealers - the Kohler engine is obviously pretty common. I assume the transmission is not gonna be covered well by any other dealers? What about the Hayes brakes? Chains and sprockets? Thanks.

[trevorakm1]

e was used and neglected with shotty maintenance. they are also not terribly difficult to work on but can be a pain due to tight spaces. I am not a mechanic but have made repairs to my machine for same reasons no one else to work on it. i've learned a lot about the machine doing it myself and that's a good thing. Get the service manual and the parts manual and if like me realize these things aren't that complex. enjoy.

[Cory24]

Thanks for the rec. I have the operators manual, and I found the parts manual. It doesn't seem like there is a service manual available, yet. I expected there to be plenty of DIY videos on youtube, but there doesn't seem to be. Seems like someone with a lot of AATV knowledge on this forum has an opportunity.

[AcezHi]

Argo Adventure as a resource

I have found Argo Adventure to be a good resource.

I have a split bearing housing at 10 total hours that I need to change out this weekend on a 850 Huntmaster.
They didn't have the maintenance manual yet, but sent me pdf's of what I needed to do the replacement myself.

They got my parts to me in 3 days and I still haven't seen warranty replacements from my local dealer where I purchased the unit. Guess I will have a spare...
I gave up and ordered parts before I heard back from them.

There seems to be a big difference is customer service from dealer to dealer.
My local dealer is also 3 hours away.

Argo Adventure also always throws in a few pieces of candy as a bonus, it's the little things that make customer service. They actually called and talked to me about the part change as well. They will be my go to even though states away.

[trevorakm1]

^^^^^^^

I just started using them for parts and such and yes on the candy. I had ordered the wrong brake disc rotor for my year and model and they emailed and called me to make sure I had listed the correct year and model. the woman saved me alot of grief. she also got me some info on how to remove the secondary clutch and the brake disc, I feared they were seized on like the drive train was.
Good people.

[plott hound]

heres what i use on my 2012 hdi

grease-i use lucas red and tacky synthetic

chain oil-castrol chain lube for me

spark plugs-pulled them out as fast as possible and replaced them with NGK plugs

engine oil-mobil 1 10-w-30 with a napa gold filter for me
always carry an extra belt with me.as for zerks,i grease 'em till it oozes out.i also change the transmission fluid once a year,cheap matinence.

carry a basic tool set and make sure you have spare chain links and the tool for spreading the clutch plates,a must for changing belts.also a few cans of bug spray is a must here in ontario.hope this helps.

[Cory24]

Thanks for the info. Do you use different grease in different places - i.e. interior bearings vs. exterior? My main wonder is what grease to use in the outside wheel bearings. The manual didn't specify. I think it specified NGLI 2 Lithium for all of the interior zerks.

Do chains break often? Do belts? Or is it more of a keep one handy so you don't get screwed? These are the types of things I need to know, so I don't get stranded. I assume the tool for clutch plates is something specific from Argo?

Took it out the last couple of days and starting to get a better feel for the machine. Seems to me the "weakness" if you will is getting in the "tweener" water - that's not deep enough to fully float, but not shallow enough to keep traction on the bottom - I felt stranded in the river when it happened (note it was knee-deep, water about 20 feet from shore, so not really stranded) - I could slowly move forward or back, but couldn't really turn. I've ordered paddles, but they haven't arrived, yet, I'm sure they would have helped.

Thanks again.

[plott hound]

i use the same grease all the way around.always carry an extra belt in case you smoke one.have had them grenade for no apparent reason on the sled.ive never broken a chain yet and dont carry spares although i should.i always keep extra master links with me though.there are so many moving parts on an argo with so many places to have a failure,its really tough to have everything you need with you.if your in the wilds of alaska or northern canada then it would be a must to carry a good repair kit.

[AcezHi]

I did buy a LocknLube for my grease gun as I kept pulling out zerks.
I use Star brite White Lithium Grease - NLGI-2 High Performance - Marine Grade for all greasing needs.
I also use Lucas Oil 10393 Chain Lube Penetrant Aerosol on the chains.
So far so good.

[Avenger Bob]

No one has said anything about transmission oil. If it gets cold where you are use a synthetic oil. I use Amsol 80W90 Synthetic Gear Lube and have no trouble shifting gears in winter.