How to change the oil on your Can-Am 3-wheel vehicle?

An oil change is one of the most common maintenance done on any vehicle with a combustion engine. Regular oil change is also essential for an engine to stay functional. While you can get the oil change done on your Can-Am at your local dealer, it isn’t that challenging of a task on a Ryker or Spyder. This blog and accompanying video will teach you how to do this

As the engine oil needs to be drained from the vehicle, you will want to have some space under your vehicle to work in. There are many ways you can achieve this, but a responsible rider will always want to ensure a safe working environment. We at Can-Am recommend getting some dedicated ramps on which the vehicle is easy to get up on, raising the vehicle higher and getting more ground clearance for you to work. 

To drain the oil, a responsible rider chooses a container that won’t let you spill the waste oil. It’s also a good idea to wear rubber gloves to protect your hands while draining the oil and keep rags handy for cleaning. You also will need a 15mm socket wrench to loosen the drain plugs and – this is our recommendation – a torque wrench for tightening them back up again. Accessing the required engine parts and oil dipstick will require you to remove the right-hand side service cover and the front hood. 

• oil change kit
• 15mm socket wrench
• 15mm torque wrench
• container for the oil
• rags for cleaning
• ramps for raising your vehicle
• rubber gloves for protecting your hands from getting oil-stained

When you have all of the above at hand, you’re ready to get started with the oil change.

For a successful oil change, the engine needs to be at normal operating temperature – signaled by five bars on the operating gauge. This is easily achieved by getting the engine running for a few minutes. Running your engine will heat the oil, get it running and raise the oil level to where it is at normal use, where it can be measured reliably.

At this point, you can start with removing the oil filter from the engine. The oil filter is located under the front hood. The location is also visible in the featured video. Remove the oil filter by opening the cover with a socket wrench and take the oil filter out.

After removing the oil filter, proceed by loosening the main drain plug with a 15mm socket wrench. It is also handy to loosen the secondary plug at this point as well before the oil starts to spill. After this, remove the magnetic main drain plug and the oil will start to drain from the engine. As soon as the main plug has emptied, remove the secondary one as well. You can then proceed to prepare the next steps in changing the oil.

While waiting for the oil to drain after removing both plugs, you can use the time to clean your plugs from excess oil. The plug washers have been crushed, so after the plugs are clean, you can replace the washers to ensure a good seal.

When the oil has drained and the plugs are ready, you can replace the plugs. To make sure the plugs are tight but not too tight, we recommend using a torque wrench. Using this, tighten the secondary drain plug to 15nm and the main plug to 30nm.

Now it’s time to replace the oil filter. As you already have the cover removed, remove and replace the O-ring to ensure a good seal. Then, insert the new oil filter in its designated place. Before closing the cover, it’s good practice to lubricate the cover with a bit of oil to prevent pinching. Place the cover on the oil filter and tighten the bolt. If you’re using a torque wrench as we recommend, use a 9nm setting. 

Now you’re good to go back on the road and start your riding season with fresh oil and a well-working engine. Remember though that if any of these steps feel too daunting or you prefer not to get your hands dirty, you can always schedule an oil change at your nearest dealer.