Oil Change Question

[crackher]

:pissed:

Alright this seems a little confusing to me.

bike: 2004 Vt750C4 "Aero"

I did an oil change over the weekend. I was always told (automotive) that you first put 3/4 the recommended oil in the crankcase, start the engine, wait the idiot light to go out. and the ceck the oil level. Then add as needed. Right?

Here the confusing part. the dealer specs 2.4 litres (~2.54 Quarts) I have ~3 litres in the crankcase now, and the level looks great.

What the hell is going on here,

Oh ya I AM checking the oil level while the bike is completly upright (i.e. not on the stand).

[M@Man]

One of the reasons they tell you to do that, is becuse of the filter. (You did change the filter when you changed the oil, right?) A dry filter absorbs some of the oil which in turn affects the amount of oil that is actually in the case. As long as you don't have a rediculus amount of excess you should be OK. Too much can be just a damaging as not enough. I'm sure someone else can explain it a little better than I just did, but that's the basics.

M@

[98 ShadowT]

Last time I chaged oil I went according to Honda owners recomends. I will do the same this time. Also my manual says that Oil should be changed every 5,000 on my bike. Hardest time I had was using the Torque wrench to tighten the filter.

[crackher]

Well first things, I always change my Oil Filter when changing the oil. And I NEVER wait more than 2000-2500KM to do an oil change. It is one of those super simple things you can do to your bike that actually makes a drastic difference down the road. I guess the main question here is, why does Honda spec a reduced amount of oil? If I were to replace the filter (obviously with a new one) this filter would be dry, and thus would "soak" oil. When I replace the oil with ~3 litres and the level is fine, would the level not be too low if I only replaced 2.5 litres of it?

Unless Honda is only specing the capacity of the crankcase itself and not the crankcase plus filter capacity?

The bottom line is that after checking and rechecking the level, even after a short ride last night, the levels are fine.

I guess it is one of the those baffling things. :rolleyes5

[M@Man]

Well first things, I always change my Oil Filter when changing the oil.

Unless Honda is only specing the capacity of the crankcase itself and not the crankcase plus filter capacity?

Good point, you got me there. :headscrat I haven't seen the manual, but that is a possibility.

M@

[RustyJake]

I put 2.4 ltrs in and changed my filter and it's always at the right level when I'm done. Not sure what is happening with the extra .6 ltrs for you. I'm kind of anal when it comes to measuring, I use 2 full litre containers and then measure out the .4 litres and don't do it 'by eye'.

[AirportFF]

While we are on the subject of oil. Can you use synthetic in these? I use Mobil MX4T (forgot the weight) in mine, never had a problem with the clutch slipping or anything. But then I see oil "specially formulated" for v twins. Just would be easier to use the same oil in both bikes.

[RustyJake]

I've been using Mobil 1 Redcap synthetic since the fourth oil change. As long as the oil doesn't say "energy conserving" or anything like that, you should be okay with the wet clutch. They don't make the redcap anymore but it's been replaced with extended performance "gold cap". They still have the redcap up here and I'll stock up before the season's over. I haven't looked at the label on the gold cap, but I've seen some of the posts on other forums with people using it.
Amsoil is another great synthetic, very expensive though.

[ric9469]

This post on the HondaShadow.net forums will tell you everything you've ever wanted to know about oils and a lot you didn't. I couldn't read throught the whole thing but lots of info:
http://www.hondashadow.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16126

rich f.
Atlantic City, NJ
"Semper Paratus"