I just changed my oil and am confused about how much new oil to add. From a quick Google search, I learn that older Daytonas require 2.6L, but at some put that was upped by a half litre to 3.1L. I just added 3.5 quarts (3.3L) and my dipstick is DRY. Am I missing something? I even had a friend help so I could try checking it with the bike upright - still dry. I ran the engine for a bit. Dry. I let it sit for a few hours to allow all the oil to drain back down. Nope, still dry.
I'm guessing I should just continue adding oil until I can get it to register on the correct spot of the dipstick? At this rate, I feel like I'm going to be adding a lot more oil than I should, however. What should I do?
Hey, service manual says 3.2L wet fill after changing oil filter (3.6L dry fill) but from memory when i changed mine last i thought it took a lot more than 3.2L... but i didn't measure it.
Just remember that the dipstick is designed to be fully screwed in to get the correct measurement (bike upright). I don't know why they designed it like this but that is what the service manual says
And black dipstick is also ridiculous but oh well.
All 675s prior to 2013 hold about 3.8liters. The original spec was revised around 2010 and along with it is a shorter dipstick that is retorfitable to all prior models.
Somehow I've managed to screw this up! I shouldn't be allowed anywhere near wrenches or anything that doesn't have an undo button!!!
So, after changing the oil the other night, I added about 3.5 quarts (3.3L) and the dipstick was dry, even with the bike upright. This morning, I went out and bought another quart. I added a just over half of it, bringing my total to 4 quarts (3.8L). I let the bike idle for about 5 minutes and it was smoking a bit from somewhere near the headers (no smoke in the exhaust).
I assumed the smoke was just from some spillage during the oil change, shut the bike off and let it sit for a few minutes. I first checked on the side stand and it was near the lower marker. Then I stood it up and checked and it was all the way at the top of the dipstick!! I was surprised at the HUGE difference between measuring on side stand vs. straight up. I was also shocked that I went from NO oil on the dipstick to over-filled by simply adding a half quart!!
I also noticed a small puddle beneath the bike. I don't think it's oil but I'm not sure what else it could be.
I let the bike idle for another couple minutes and didn't notice anything dripping. Also, the smoke was gone. I did notice a few bubbles on the dipstick (not foam), likely due to the overfill.
From what I understand, some racers and stunters intentionally overfill their bikes by a half-quart or so. So I can't imagine I've done any real damage as a result of simply idling the bike for a few minutes.
Question:
Obviously, I need to drain some oil. But do I need to change the oil all over again to get rid of the bubbles? Or maybe I'm just paranoid and a few bubbles are normal? FWIW, I only see the bubbles when I measure the oil on the side stand - I'm guessing there is a little froth on top?
Combined with the stupid fairing screw rivet things, this oil change has been the biggest PITA ever!
The ironic thing is I was being extra cautious, doing this oil change with only 100 miles on the bike after a hard-ish break in. It's going to be quite a while before I hit 600 miles and am due to go to the dealer so I didn't want to wait that long to get any metal shavings out. Hopefully, I haven't done more harm than good.
T3 recommends running 200mL more oil over OEM spec, so you probably haven't done any harm. Get a syringe and around a foot of plastic tubing and suck out the overfilled amount through the dipstick hole. Easy.
Yeah, I can't imagine I did any harm, being that I'm only a half quart over and I only let it idle for 5 minutes. The puddle under the bike is very concerning, however. It's not slippery like oil and it's practically odorless. Weird.
But like I said, when I let it run the second time, the smoke was gone and nothing was dripping onto the puddle.
I'm going to drain some oil from the dipstick hole and see how it does. If the bubbles remain or get worse, I won't hestiate to spend another $20 and change the oil again just for peace of mind.
Okay, I just finished draining some oil. I used the tube from a sprayer bottle and it worked like a charm. I removed .4L to get it to the high level mark. I removed .6L to get it dead center. I ran the engine and followed the manual exactly as I checked the oil. It's perfect now. No more smoke. No more leaking.
I've done quite a bit of Google research today and learned that the overfilled oil likely wound up in the airbox breather, then dripped down an overflow hose. This would explain my puddle and the smoke was likely caused by the leaky oil hitting hot surfaces - maybe the headers.
So if oil reached my airbox, do I need to change my air filter? Even if it was only a little oil as I only ran the engine for a few minutes?
To get to the air filter, it looks like I have to take the tank off. That sounds like a job for the dealer so maybe I can just wait until my 600 mile service to have them check it out?
As I drained the oil, I was checking for bubbles and there were none. I'm guessing the crank had started to whip the oil, but I didn't run it long enough to make it frothy. It looks totally fine now - no bubbles.
The airbox breather vents aft of the air filter then gets sucked into the throttle bodies, so your filter is probably OK.
Triumph made it really easy to check the filters on 13+ bikes. Make sure there's less than half a tank of fuel. Take off your seat, take off the 2 bolts at the front of the gas tank and the whole tank hinges upright. Remove the 7mm bolts on the top of the airbox and you can check your filter.
Thanks - that certainly sounds easier than the tutorial I found online. Maybe that tutorial was for older bikes?
I'm assuming if the filter is dry, it's okay. But if it's wet and slimy, I should change it, right?
Is there anything else I should check while I'm at it?
I'm certainly glad I only idled the engine for a few minutes before catching the issue!! I'm also glad I wasn't riding while the oil was leaking out as that could make for a very slippery back tire.
Yes, on pre-13 bikes you need to remove the tank entirely to get the airbox. It's not hard, but the extra steps of removing the fuel line and the tank's rear hinge can be a b¡tch if you're not experienced.
There will probably be some oil where the breather vents into, so you'll want to clean that. Should be pretty obvious if the filter is soaked in oil. If there's only a little bit, don't worry about it. I doubt it will be but if the whole thing is soaked, get a new one.
Update: I took the bike out for a spin last night. Runs perfect. Crisis averted. Now that I see just how easy it is to overfill this bike, I'm going to be extra careful next time. And when the dealer does oil changes, I'm always going to double check their work. Thanks again for all your tips and info!!!
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