Check oil

[kinsmd69]

Is there another way to check the oil, besides the window?

 

Should you be able to see some oil, by looking in the oil filler cap?

 

My bike only has 7500 mlles, but the window is yellowed, and a darker

color is on the lower 25% of the window. Plus, it has a sidecar, so window

is hard to see, and cant get bike on center stand.

 

Thankyou

[Rick Haywood]

No Short answer. Yes you should see oil about half way up is where mine runs after an oil change. Filter and 3.2 quarts.

[MJ44]

Shouldn't need to get it on the center stand as the bike sits upright. Just have to be a contortionist with a flashlight

[kinsmd69]

According to my manual, bike is suppose to be on center stand for oil change, and oil check.

IF bike is on center stand, then its leaning forward with rear wheel up. I thought it was funny, cause I have a sidecar, and getting

it on center stand is not likely!

Window looks full, but still don't see it by looking into oil filler cap. I put 3.8 qts in with filter change. Rick, what year bike is yours?

[Ozlander]

Is there another way to check the oil, besides the window?

 

Should you be able to see some oil, by looking in the oil filler cap?

 

My bike only has 7500 mlles, but the window is yellowed, and a darker

color is on the lower 25% of the window. Plus, it has a sidecar, so window

is hard to see, and cant get bike on center stand.

 

Thankyou

 

When I have my sidecar on, I use a mirror, the kind that has a long handle.

[kinsmd69]

How hard is it to put the sidecar back on the bike , and do you have to readjust it?

 

Do you think driving with a sidecar is a lot harder, turning?? Is there a limit/level adjustment

so the bike drives easier with sidecar??

[Great White]

Well, here's my suggestion.

 

If you can see oil when you remove the filler cap, you can have a cap with a dipstick made.

 

Fill the crankcase and confirm the correct level in the window. Insert the "new" cap with dipstick. Then pull the filler cap with dipstick and mark a line where the oil is as "full".

 

This will now be your quick reference, but the cap is a pain to get off a 1st gen anyways due to the bodywork and the rear brake lever cover panel.

 

A cap with a dipstick is easy to make on a lathe, but of course; you need a lathe.

 

Or find a machine shop that will make one for you. It's just a cap with a small bore in it to accept the dip stick portion. I would not recommend trying to modify the original cap, unless it's made of Al and not plastic. I'd build one out of aluminum and use a grub screw to ensure the dipstick does not come adrfit from the cap.

 

It's an easy afternoon project for someone with half decent machining skills, but it's probably mostly limited to your type of application as it's easier to check the window on a "regular" 1st gen than dealing with the bodywork covering the filler cap.

 

[friesman]

why not just use something like I use? its lighted it folds up small and it works well for me. http://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-7609-Telescoping-Lighted-Inspection/dp/B0062PBMUY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1433027007&sr=8-2&keywords=mechanics+mirror

[kinsmd69]

Friesman, I'm looking for one of those. I have 3 mirrors, non with lights. I checked my oil container, and appears I put in 3.5 qts. Therefore,

I assumed, if look into oil fill cap, normally, should see some oil level. The point that I was questioning, according to my manual, if bike is on

center stand, then rear tire is up 1 - 2 inches, thus oil is in front of motor by window. Since I cant put mine on center stand, then the oil in engine

would be more level and read different. So, I didn't want to put too much oil in. Like Great White stated, since I don't have a lathe, and its hard to

get to anyway, can that idea. I was just surprised not to see the oil in bottom of the casing. Just curious, if anyone else has noticed that when they

add oil, they can see the oil in their side casing.

[Great White]

If you're concerned with accuracy in the sight window and not being on the center stand, just cut a couple pieces of 2X6 and drive up on to them with the rear wheel and side car tire. That should simulate the center stand angle fairly well.

 

A 45 degree cut will make it a tad easier to drive up on to them.

 

[camos]

I assumed, if look into oil fill cap, normally, should see some oil level.

There is no sight line to the crankcase on these bikes so it is impossible to see the oil level through the filler.

 

The point that I was questioning, according to my manual, if bike is on center stand, then rear tire is up 1 - 2 inches, thus oil is in front of motor by window. Since I cant put mine on center stand, then the oil in engine would be more level and read different.

The oil level in the window is not that critical,. Anywhere from 1/4 to 3/4 is good. Above 3/4 and there is a chance for the oil to be drawn into the air cleaner or a cylinder. If the window is fully covered then there is no indication that there is way too much oil. Allowing the level to get too low is not a good idea for fairly obvious reasons. Assuming the oil warning light works, it will come on after the oil disappears from the window, at least that is what it does on my 90 VR.

 

Have you looked at the window after the oil has been drained? While the window might be yellowed as you have stated, on my bikes a yellow window shows clean oil. You also stated there is a darker line across the window. Right after an oil change the oil should be all yellow not dark. The important point here is that you are aware of how the window looks with no oil and then with oil there should be a line across that indicates the current level.

 

With the sidecar and a generally vertical ride there is probably less likelihood of an overfill getting drawn out of the crankcase but it is still not a very good idea. If I were you I would drain the oil into a clean container, check the window then put about half the oil back in before checking the window again for a level.

[Ozlander]

Just put all 4 quarts in it and you're good to go.

[kinsmd69]

Thanks, Clive. Just for peace of mind, Im going to drain oil, check it's cleanliness, and then refill.

[MJ44]

How hard is it to put the sidecar back on the bike , and do you have to readjust it?

 

Do you think driving with a sidecar is a lot harder, turning?? Is there a limit/level adjustment

so the bike drives easier with sidecar??

 

http://www.sidecar.com - they have free manuals for download about setting up and driving a hack, also a wealth of information on everything sidecar related. Lots of parking lot practice helps. Sharp right turns and you'll be flying the chair. Ballast in the back helps. I use 75 pounds unless I have a passenger. What bike and sidecar do you have?

[kinsmd69]

MJ44 Thanks, I got manuals with sidecar. Its a 83 venture with California sidecar, deep purple. Only test drove it once, to find out I couldn't drive it til shoulder gets better. Have thought

of taking sidecar off, but my luck, wouldn't go on correctly again.

 

Clive, "no sight line to the crankcase" is the answer I was looking for. Just didn't know how to mechanically ask the question correctly!!

[cowpuc]

Sheesh you guys, I am fortunate I havent burned down one of my 1st Gens. I have always just grabbed the handlebar, lift the bike up carefully until I can feel it balancing (got be careful she dont mousetrap ya), held it and balance and leaned down and checked it - never did center stand it for an oil check. Seems to me that if the side car is set up right so its holding the scoot fairly close to balanced - that would be sufficient.. I have swapped out oil on my little fork type lift, never really noticed a big difference in level after doing so BUT - that is NOT the center stand with its tipping the bike forward..

Kin, I wonder if the darkness your seeing is because its to full and the window is covered with oil. If you were able to leave it on the side stand for a short time the window should clear off some. Maybe do an oil change with the filter, add reguired amount and check the window before you refill and see if it clears a little. Then watch while you add until you see oil accumulating in the bottom of the window just to see if you can see it.

If the window is for sure unusable, another thing you could do is using a drip plug. Measure horizonally across the top fill line and across the clutch cover and see if the hole could go in it. Then, to check the oil all you do is take the plug out and see if it drips, if it doesnt you just add oil until it does. Probably sounds crazy but I have had many bikes that were built that way.. Might be easier in the long run than using a dip stick and, last time I checked, a 10mm hex head bolt with a copper washer was considerably cheaper than a Lathe and the tooling to be able to use it...

[greg_in_london]

I suspect that you have your sidecar fitted on the wrong side. I have had a sidecar fitted to my 1983 Venture Royale for 15 years and it has never been in the way of the oil level sight glass.

[kinsmd69]

Greg, that's an idea; put sidecar on other side so can see oil window! At least, I still wouldn't be driving on the wrong side of the road! I've been to Belgium, and don't want to try driving

on the left side of the road, again!

[Prairiehammer]

Just put all 4 quarts in it and you're good to go.

 

You will be "good to go" as you say (no danger of running with too low of oil level in the crankcase), but even with a filter change, the crankcase will be too full.

Yamaha's specification is 3.7 US quarts with oil filter replacement. That extra .3 quart will put the oil completely covering the window and probably blowing into the air cleaner.

[greg_in_london]

I wouldn't recommend driving far on the left hand side of the road in Belgium either...

[Ozlander]

You will be "good to go" as you say (no danger of running with too low of oil level in the crankcase), but even with a filter change, the crankcase will be too full.

Yamaha's specification is 3.7 US quarts with oil filter replacement. That extra .3 quart will put the oil completely covering the window and probably blowing into the air cleaner.

 

Ha, Ha, Ha, I just knew that when I posted that, somebody would come back with that old wives tale that an extra cup of oil would cause all kinds of badness.

I've been doing it since 1983 and have never had any oil in the air cleaner. Never completely covers the window either.

 

Early bikes were 4 liters and now 3.5 l, not sure what caused the change.

 

Still better that my '57 HD which was a pint a week, mostly on the ground.

[Prairiehammer]

Ha, Ha, Ha, I just knew that when I posted that, somebody would come back with that old wives tale that an extra cup of oil would cause all kinds of badness.

I've been doing it since 1983 and have never had any oil in the air cleaner. Never completely covers the window either.

 

Early bikes were 4 liters and now 3.5 l, not sure what caused the change.

 

Still better that my '57 HD which was a pint a week, mostly on the ground.

 

Merlyn, the "old wives tale" you so quaintly describe, is not urban legend. I too used to blindly follow the herd and just dump in 4 quarts of oil after an oil change. The crankcase oil level window was completely filled but oil would drip from the air box drain tube (when it used to come out under the stator cover). And the "early" Ventures have always had a 3.5 LITER oil capacity when changing the filter. Never has 4 liters been specified. I have been changing oil on my Ventures since 1985 (a 1983 Royale) and until I performed the Yamaha recommended diversion of the air box drain tube to the crankcase vent tube, I would experience the oil drip if I filled to the crankcase with 4 QUARTS of oil.

 

When I picked up my 1991 from the dealer in Iowa, the crankcase window was full. I don't know how much "full" since the oil level was above the top of the window. Perhaps it was very much too full, I dunno, since the window was filled. Anyway, on the 250 mile trip at Interstate speeds to home, the oil indeed "blew-by" and I actually had a good quarter inch of oil in the rear portion of the airbox (since the air box drain is forward and higher than the rear of the air box. I drained the crankcase and replaced the oil filter and proceeded to refill the crankcase. When I had added but 3 quarts of oil, the sight glass was filled above the top of the window. I started the engine and let it idle and the oil level dropped to below the bottom of the window. I added one pint (1/2 quart) of additional oil and the oil level was right smack dab in the middle of the window.

 

So, one can choose to just dump in 4 quarts and be done with it and perhaps experience blow-by into the air box or one can actually adhere to the "old wives tale" and just add enough to place the oil in the crankcase to the middle of the window. No harm either way.