Oil change (most basic question ever)
#1
05-23-2011, 05:43 AM
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: San Antonio, Texas & Phoenix, Arizona
Posts: 40
Oil change (most basic question ever)
Okay, I pretty much done everything from changing my tires to re-jetting just based on the great advice on this forum. And I am real new to anything mechanical. Now it's almost time to change the oil (I rode about 400 miles on the bike and noticed the oil look glass went from full to about 1/2 full). So in a few weeks I want to change the oil. Here are my questions to be sure I don't mess up the easiest thing to probably do on the bike!
THE BASICS:
1) When I check oil level, do I check it when bike is hot or cold?
2) I assume I check the site glass when the bike is standing perfectly up right?
3) Should the bike be at idle or off when I check the site glass?
THE MORE TECHNICAL:
4) How much oil do I put in the bike once I drain it?
5) I assume I just unbot what looks like the drain plug on the bottom of the case near the shifter?
6) Do I ned to buy any new gaskets or anything once I put the drain plug back in?
7) How tight should I make the drain plug once I replug it? (I do not have a torque wrench)
8) I assume I should also change oil filter? Any advise on this? I assume it is in the round bolted area on the right side of the case?
9) Any advice on what kind of oil or filter to get? I assume AmsOil syntheirc is worth the price. How about the filter?
Okay, any other words of wisdom also appreciated. I am probably ocer complicating this easy task! So you may laugh at me now. But I am having nearly as much fun working on this bike as playing on it!!!
THE BASICS:
1) When I check oil level, do I check it when bike is hot or cold?
2) I assume I check the site glass when the bike is standing perfectly up right?
3) Should the bike be at idle or off when I check the site glass?
THE MORE TECHNICAL:
4) How much oil do I put in the bike once I drain it?
5) I assume I just unbot what looks like the drain plug on the bottom of the case near the shifter?
6) Do I ned to buy any new gaskets or anything once I put the drain plug back in?
7) How tight should I make the drain plug once I replug it? (I do not have a torque wrench)
8) I assume I should also change oil filter? Any advise on this? I assume it is in the round bolted area on the right side of the case?
9) Any advice on what kind of oil or filter to get? I assume AmsOil syntheirc is worth the price. How about the filter?
Okay, any other words of wisdom also appreciated. I am probably ocer complicating this easy task! So you may laugh at me now. But I am having nearly as much fun working on this bike as playing on it!!!
#2
05-23-2011, 05:54 AM
THE BASICS:
1) When I check oil level, do I check it when bike is hot or cold? -- I check mine cold before starting a ride.
2) I assume I check the site glass when the bike is standing perfectly up right? - yup, level front/rear and left/right
3) Should the bike be at idle or off when I check the site glass? - off
THE MORE TECHNICAL:
4) How much oil do I put in the bike once I drain it? - enough to fill, but not overfill it which is about 1 quart, a little more if filter changed, watch the site glass.
5) I assume I just unbot what looks like the drain plug on the bottom of the case near the shifter? - yup, and do this with warm/hot oil, but don't burn yourself, and rock the bike left/right to get out as much oil as possible.
6) Do I ned to buy any new gaskets or anything once I put the drain plug back in? - I didn't
7) How tight should I make the drain plug once I replug it? (I do not have a torque wrench) - best to use a torque wrench and follow specs, at least until you get a good feel for it. Stripped threads aren't fun.
8) I assume I should also change oil filter? Any advise on this? I assume it is in the round bolted area on the right side of the case? - change filter with every 1 or 2 oil changes; careful with those bolts and use a torque wrench or at least go easy; lay the bike on its side or use a little grease or bend the spring to keep it from falling out when inserting the new filter.
9) Any advice on what kind of oil or filter to get? I assume AmsOil syntheirc is worth the price. How about the filter?
Last edited by IDRIDR; 05-23-2011 at 05:59 AM.
#3
05-23-2011, 06:52 AM
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: San Antonio, Texas & Phoenix, Arizona
Posts: 40
#4
05-23-2011, 12:22 PM
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Posts: 407
400 miles to go from full to 1/2? It doesn´t seem normal to me. You sure you´ve checked it before firing the engine?
I´ve just had the 6000km service done to my SF and, after riding 5000km (~3000 miles), the oil was still filling up the whole glass.
I´ve just had the 6000km service done to my SF and, after riding 5000km (~3000 miles), the oil was still filling up the whole glass.
#7
05-24-2011, 01:06 AM
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: San Antonio, Texas & Phoenix, Arizona
Posts: 40
Wish I had a manual, but the guy I bought the bike from did not have the manual. Of course he probably lied about that too, but we won't go there.
I did find an online manual someone scanned in, but the quality of the scan is very poor. But still much appreciated to the person who scanned all those pages!
I did find an online manual someone scanned in, but the quality of the scan is very poor. But still much appreciated to the person who scanned all those pages!
#9
05-24-2011, 10:57 AM
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 12,584
The only time my KLX used oil was when the piston was hitting the intake valves...then this happened.
This was after a moronic "mechanic" (use that term loosely) put a new head on it and didnt check the piston-valve clearance.
This was after a moronic "mechanic" (use that term loosely) put a new head on it and didnt check the piston-valve clearance.
#10
05-24-2011, 03:22 PM
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Oklahoma City, OK
Posts: 1,102
THE BASICS:
1) When I check oil level, do I check it when bike is hot or cold?
2) I assume I check the site glass when the bike is standing perfectly up right?
3) Should the bike be at idle or off when I check the site glass?
THE MORE TECHNICAL:
4) How much oil do I put in the bike once I drain it?
5) I assume I just unbot what looks like the drain plug on the bottom of the case near the shifter?
6) Do I ned to buy any new gaskets or anything once I put the drain plug back in?
7) How tight should I make the drain plug once I replug it? (I do not have a torque wrench)
8) I assume I should also change oil filter? Any advise on this? I assume it is in the round bolted area on the right side of the case?
9) Any advice on what kind of oil or filter to get? I assume AmsOil syntheirc is worth the price. How about the filter?
Okay, any other words of wisdom also appreciated. I am probably ocer complicating this easy task! So you may laugh at me now. But I am having nearly as much fun working on this bike as playing on it!!!
1) When I check oil level, do I check it when bike is hot or cold?
2) I assume I check the site glass when the bike is standing perfectly up right?
3) Should the bike be at idle or off when I check the site glass?
THE MORE TECHNICAL:
4) How much oil do I put in the bike once I drain it?
5) I assume I just unbot what looks like the drain plug on the bottom of the case near the shifter?
6) Do I ned to buy any new gaskets or anything once I put the drain plug back in?
7) How tight should I make the drain plug once I replug it? (I do not have a torque wrench)
8) I assume I should also change oil filter? Any advise on this? I assume it is in the round bolted area on the right side of the case?
9) Any advice on what kind of oil or filter to get? I assume AmsOil syntheirc is worth the price. How about the filter?
Okay, any other words of wisdom also appreciated. I am probably ocer complicating this easy task! So you may laugh at me now. But I am having nearly as much fun working on this bike as playing on it!!!
The Basics:
1. Doesn't matter, you can check it hot or cold
2. Yes, keep the bike upright when checking the oil level
3. Engine should be off when checking the oil level. If the engine has been running, give it a minute for the oil to drain back into the crank case.
Techenical:
4. 1.5 qts (US quarts)
5. Yes, it will be a lonely bolt that doesn't go to anything. If I remember, it is a 14mm.
6. No, new o-ring is included with oil filter, drain plug has its own.
7. Not very tight. Remember, the engine crank case is aluminum and will strip threads easily with some force. Just hand tighten the bolt in and then give it about a 1/16 of a turn more with a wrench.
8. It is always a good idea to change the oil filter when doing an oil change. You can pick up a Fram CH6015 filter from Wal-Mart and the oil too for a reasonble price. The oil filter is located on the right side of the engine with 3x 8mm bolts that hold the plate and filter in. Those bolts don't need very much torque when re-installing. It is also a good idea to use a little oil on the bolt threads, the KLX bolts are prone to corrision. Also, if the oil filter spring hasn't had the enlargement mod. It would be a good time to do so. Take a needle nose pliers and bend the base of the spring back to enlarge it. This will make changing the oil filter in the future easier since the spring will not be so likely to fall out.
9. Oil should be designed for motorcycle use. While you can get away with using automotive oil. Motorcycle oils contain its unique blend of additives for its use. Valvoline & Castrol make good motorcycle oil and can easily be found at Wal-Mart. On the higher price end is Mobil 1 and even higher than that is Royal Purple MaxCycle (But for $16 a quart, ouch!). The conventional motorcycle oil can be found for about $4 a quart.