| Author | Message | ||
     Geoffg |
Haven't ridden my bike yet (family emergency over the weekend, no chance to ride it since I got it home). Tonight, though, just for fun, I was looking it over, and I pulled the dipstick. The oil level shows almost to the top of the dipstick, way above the "full" level. Now, it was cold--I know it's supposed to be checked warm, but...would the level normally be lower when hot? Should I drain it a bit before I ride it the first time? Any advice? | ||
| Tpoppa |
If you check the oil level with the bike standing straight up (like your supposed to with an HD) the oil will be overfilled. My dealer did this to my bike the first(and last) time they changed my oil. If you run it overfilled, you can cause problems and have oil back up into the air filter. ...Syphon some oil out with a tube... | ||
| 04buell |
My owners manuel for an 04xb12s says to warm the bike for 10 minutes, then on level ground [ON the side stand] with engine off. Screw dipstick in completely. | ||
| Geoffg |
Thanks, guys. I checked it on the sidestand, on level concrete. I'm not completely impressed with the design/location of the oil dipstick/filler hole, but then again, they didn't ask me! I'll siphon a bit out before riding--I really don't wanna blow any gaskets or have oil spewing through the vents... I guess I'd better check the primary oil level, too--hmmm, after the amount of time the dealer took to get this bike ready for me, you'd think they'd have done at least something right!--but I don't trust them. | ||
| Fullpower |
siphon oil??? why not do it the easy way, use the drain plug on bottom of the swingarm. 5/8 end wrench will work. | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
DO NOT take any oil out if you checked it COLD. This is a DRY SUMP oil system. That means when its cold all the oil in the heads and such has gone back into the resevoir where your checking the oil at. Once it has warmed up and all the galleys are full and such the level will be lower then if you check it cold. | ||
| Geoffg |
Thanks, Wycked. That's the kind of info I was after (all my experience is with wet sump engines). That's what I was asking--will the level be lower when the engine is warm? Guess I'll warm it up and check the level before I change anything...just wanted to be sure that I wouldn't harm anything riding it with the oil level showing high during a cold check. (this does seem weird to me, though--I'm used to always checking my oil levels cold...just before starting up...) | ||
| U4euh |
Listen to Wicked, he's right! And remember to check it on the side stand not holding the bike straight. Warm it and post what you find out, just interested in how much of a difference it shows. | ||
| Xbolt12 |
That's funny, my xb12 always measures a little low until run. Typically about 1/4 inch lower than the actual hot level (all measured on the stand and on level ground). xbolt12 | ||
| Geoffg |
OK, after speaking with Buell Customer Service (in the States) about a number of things, I decided to follow their advice and remove some oil from the reservoir before running the bike. I removed 650cc of oil from the bike to get the level even with the dipstick "full" nodule, then took it for a short spin to warm it up. The level when hot is acutally a bit higher (about 1/4" above the upper "full" nodule). So, looks like my dealer (Kamloops H-D) delivered the bike to me overfull by more than 650cc (about 23 fl. oz--over half a quart). That's overfull by around 30% of total recommended capacity. Can someone tell me what these guys were thinking? And just how they expect me to trust them for future "service?" Oh, btw--the bike runs great, and is a blast to ride--of course, I'm not pushing it right now for a whole variety of reasons, including the gravel-covered local roads and the fact I'm in the break-in period... |
