| Author | Message | ||
     Tankhead |
Checked oil yesterday and it was quite low because the CEL and oil light came on briefly. 09 Uly. Amsoil since 1000 miles. How much is too low for damage to occur. Don't want to say how much I had to top off till it registered> Appears to be no damage but still I worry. I can't believe I hadn't checked earlier than this. Dumb ass. | ||
| Dmmblaze |
How low was it? How much did you add? Running a bit low shouldn't hurt anything. I would imagine you would have noticed more then a temporary flashing oil light if it was extremely low. Like the bike over heating. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Yes, you most definitely need to check it more often than every 5000 miles. The roller bearing bottom end in these engines is pretty tolerant of low oil pressure (much more than an engine with bearing inserts) so unless you were at redline when it happened I doubt you caused any damage. I typically use ~0.25 quarts between ~2500 mile oil changes on my Uly running Mobil 1 20W-50 V-twin synth. Air cooled engines just use a little oil so you have to check them fairly regularly. Make sure you're up on the latest oil checking techniques (the 2008-up XB's are really tricky about reading the oil level correctly); there are several threads here on the subject. Also note that if you add too much oil, the engine will simply blow it right out the rocker box breathers and into your intake. These engines seem to work best with the oil level maintained in the lower half of the working range on the dipstick. (Message edited by hughlysses on August 14, 2010) | ||
| Johnboy777 |
""I typically use ~0.25 quarts between ~2500 mile oil changes"' +1 I try to keep mine at the top of the bottom X - if I fill it much higher, it blows out. . | ||
| Jphish |
2X on dipstick, hot, (fan running) engine off. Anymore oil than that and... what Hughlyses said...you'll be cleaning your airbox. You gotta check it right after shutting down - the oil goes somewhere into the cosmos - and you'll get erroneous readings otherwise. Some check it in "run" mode - I dont know that there is agreement on that though. | ||
| Invisible_monster |
Air cooled engines just use a little oil so you have to check them fairly regularly. I heard that same sentence from a HD/Buell service manager when I complained about my Ulysses using oil since new. It was as untrue then as it is now. My air cooled Ducati Monster has never used any oil in over 18k miles. 80 mph on the interstate all day, commuting, or banging against the rev limiter while canyon carving. Never used a drop. That said, I still check the oil level every time I ride. On all my motorcycles. | ||
| Ourdee |
I check the oil every 2500 miles weather it needs it or not. I do it at the same time I dump the oil and drop the filter. If it looks like the amount I put in, I don't worry about it for another 2500 miles. Another reason I don't run expensive oil. Just change it often. If I abused it or did track days, I'd check it all the time. I check the oil in my Jeep every 6000 miles. Some may call it blasphemy, but, it is not my God. | ||
| Etennuly |
 Sounds like you went to the same "I got a new vehicle" school my mother went to. She went like 9000 miles before even thinking about the first oil change in a new car(after my dad died many years ago). She was living 1200 miles from me at the time or I would have checked it over for her. Good thing a light burned out, or she would have continued until it had run out of oil. Ya'll don't make much time for reading the owners manual.....eh?  | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
How you ride will determine whether and how much oil your XB will burn. If you do a lot of engine braking, you'll burn some oil (sucked past the rings by the vacuum). If you ride it harder than Grandma, it'll burn some oil (looser tolerances to allow for greater swings in temperature). If you are anal retentive about keeping the oil level exactly between the full and fill lines, it'll burn some oil. Not every bike is the same. Break in can also determine the level of oil consumption. There are a lot of factors. If those 5,000 miles were put on during "spirited" riding in say North Georgia, I wouldn't be surprised if it needed nearly a quart. | ||
| Tankhead |
Etennuly, yeah that's the thing my last bike (xb9sx) I checked regularly. I don't know where my head was for the last 4000 miles. DUH. Anyway yes it was a crazy mystery how long it took to register oil on the dip stick. Almost two quarts. I am stupid. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Two quarts? Can't see how that's possible. The system only holds 2.5 quarts. The oil filter holds at least 4 of those 16oz. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Low oil will also drive higher temperatures and increase oil consumption. VW Beetles were notorious for the "run away oil consumption" problem. | ||
| 88b |
I thought my Uly was running hot on wednesday night, I added 250cc. POS certainly likes a drink | ||
| Tankhead |
Fatty yes I know that's why I was very concerned. Like where the hell did all the oil go. When I changed the oil at 1000 miles I filled up the filter and then added just about 2.5 quarts. Where the hell did it go. No evidence of leak. Freaked me out. I guess I will pull the air box and take a look. | ||
| Hughlysses |
For an oil change, it's exactly 2.5 quarts including the filter. If you put more than that, you put too much. The best way to find your correct oil level is to do an oil change, refilling with exactly 2.5 quarts. Ride the bike until it's hot, and then immediately check the oil level. Whatever level shows on the dipstick is the "right" oil level for your bike. Maintain it between the bottom of the X's on the dipstick and the level you determined above. If you try to keep the system higher than that, it's over-filled and will continually blow out the excess making it appear to use oil. | ||
| Nobuell |
The only way I get an accurate oil reading is hot, with the engine idling. When changing oil and adding 2.5 quarts, the oil level will be at the 2X from the bottom of the stick. That is where I maintain it. Any higher and will puke out of the vent line. The oil level will not register on the stick with the engine stopped. As a matter of fact, if I check the level immediately after shutting down, it will register on the stick but within a couple of minuets, its gone. Over the course of 5K miles, I will need to add less than 250 cc. Not bad considering it is run hard. | ||
| Etennuly |
I did the same thing on my '05 City X. Red light came on as I was turning into my driveway. Took two quarts to get it back to normal. Not a problem though. Mine went away in about 800 miles. Right after an oil change. I put 20 50 in it in mid summer. Went back to 60W per the book for really hot weather. That fixed it. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
It also depends on the type of oil, the weight of oil, and the oil's specific vaporization attributes. Oil level on XB's has one additional variance to checking the level, rear preload. Since the oil is in the swing arm and the swing arm deflects downward as the pre-load is increased, the oil level appears to be decreasing as you increase the pre-load. |
