What the........

[Stralya]

3000ml

It's supposed to take 3000ml or three litres plus a half litre after a filter change.

OK, I checked the oil line from the crankcase to the cylinders and oil comes out freely and with pressure.

What I think happened is this. I removed the oil filter housing and emptied it to check I had the spring, washer filter in the correct order, but I didn't crank the engine first. If I understand TC correctly, once the filter housing is replaced empty, I need to crank the thing over so the oil pump can fil the housing. If I don't, then just remove the housing then there will be no oil in it. For example, If I remove the filter housing and then fill it with oil, the oil must stay in the 'sump' until it's pumped through the system. This makes sense because if I remove the filter housing after it's been running, oil pours out everywhere.

So without pumping the oil through the system and just installing the filter housing I will see the oil level window showing full but if I then remove the filter housing without first cranking, I wont get any oil out of the filter housing bolt.

So now I have overfilled it with oil, not much but enough to show extra full in the indicator window and of course if I don't crank it over enough, there will be no oil in the filter housing.

I am an idiot.

Peace, love, dope Hare Krishna!

[pggg]

I've never, never, ever, ever, never, ever primed an oil filter on an oil change, no big deal, drain oil when hot, bung in new filter, pour new oil in crankcase, idle the motor for a few minutes, done.

[Stralya]

What are friends for?

Well pete just left and guess what? It turns out that I didn't even know about the oil drain plug!!!!

That's right folks, I only ever undid the oil filter housing when I changed the oil.

We drained about three litres of oil and it's all better now.

I just assumed that oil filter plug was the sump plug. Solved a lot of problems including the missing oil mystery, it was never missing, it was in the sump!

Please feel free to rip into me, call me anything that comes to mind, I totally derserve it for wasting so much of everyone's time.

And to think, I'm only 800 posts from guru status.

Forgive me.

Dan.

ps

Hey pggg, any chance of buying some of those diaphrams you were telling pete about?

[GNEPIG]

Quote:
Well pete just left and guess what? It turns out that I didn't even know about the oil drain plug!!!!


That would also solve your big smoking problem you had orignally.

[Stralya]

Yeah, I'm a goose.

[pggg]

Stral, 20 bucks for 4 diaphragms posted to Oz, PM an address, cheers

[79XS11F]

I knew that oil was in there somewhere :-)
You do have a manual ... right??
Rob

[TopCatGr58]

The Plot Thickens, not unlike his head!

Hey Dan,

No Worries Mate! That's your one "DOH" moment your allowed! Guess you might actually take a look at the CD-rom version of the manual you have now!

Okay, so now it brings us to ask the next question!

Have you checked and changed your middle drive gear oil??

It's separate from the engine oil, and needs 80/90 hypoid type stuff. The drain is at the back side of the main oil/tranny pan, near the side stand.

BTW, don't forget to put J-B weld on your oil pan drain bolt!
T.C.

[Stralya]

Ha Ha Ho Ho it is to laugh.

Hey TC and Rob,

Yep, I managed to locate the middle gear oil checking hole arrangement and even used the OEM dipstick to check it. It was nice and clean and full to the correct mark. I need to change it though because it's been in there over a year that I know of.

Slapping JB Weld all over the oil pan drain bolt, smeared a copious quantity on the threads of the oil filler cap, daubed a full measure under the camshaft cover (let's see 'em get that off in a hurry) and slapped an ounce or two inside each exhaust port to help seal the exhaust gaskets.

All should be good from here.

Next job is replacing the front fork springs. I can't seem to locate the back fork.

I looked up oil stuff in my manual and there should be an arrow or something pointing to it or they should produce 'Clymer's XS1100 for Dummies'

Luckily I didn't do any damage to the valves or anything as a result of my mental retardation. The thing still screams but is running rich. I need to re set the float heights.

I may also need a new clutch, it's still slipping a bit even though I've drained off the missing oil. I'll give it a couple of days to settle down. I'm just putting 8-10kms on it per day using all the rev range under 6000rpm, should I go higher?


I was expecting much more lampooning than this. Come on you blokes, is this the best you can do?

Dan.
Nitwit.

[mro]

I was expecting much more lampooning than this

You ruined a really good post when you found the missing oil.
Had just remembered a story about some down under handed oil gremlims.
Sneaky jap engineers...a drain plug?...wonder what they'll come up with next


mro

[Stralya]

Hi MRO

Aren't they devils? Don't they realise there are people out there with special needs?

I wouldn't be suprised if that nice chrome accent in the middle of that big tank thing in front of the seat turns out to be something more important than the handy key holder that it is.

No wonder they lost the war.

Dan
Ratbag.

[Dragon Tamer]

Been watching this thread with some interest, glad you found the problem Dan! No, I am not going to pick on you, I have done far too many dumb things to be pointing a lot of fingers.
I have only one other point to make and maybe a question to raise here. I know that the books call for three liters or about three and a half quarts on the oil change but for some years now I have been using the full four quarts when I change oil. My metric/english conversion is a little rusty but I think that comes out to about three and a third liters. Anyway, I started doing this because I have a rather large oil cooler on the Dragon and I figured that the volume of oil to fill that is not figured into the original specifications. The full four quarts of oil (after running the engine for some seconds after the oil change) show up in the window as about one eighth of an inch over the full line but with plenty of air bubble above it yet, have done this for over 30K miles with no problem. Does anyone else do this? (I know that I could search it out but I figure that anyone with a lot of oil experience is watching this thread)
BTW, TC, the direction of the oil flow is just what you said it is, from the sump to the oil pump, to the filter. I know this because if you remove the filter, drain the oil, replace the drain plug, replace the oil and start the engine, all of the oil will be on the ground about the time you hit the switch and stop the engine. It would appear that it is a real good idea to replace the filter and housing before you start the engine! And Dan thought he was a nitwit! This happens fast enough that I do not believe that priming the filter on a normal oil change is needed. I also would not remove the spark plug wires and spin the engine unless I had shorted the lines to the engine as I would think that one could cause some serious damage to the coils doing it that way. I just let it cool all the way down and don't use the choke to start it, that causes it to have to turn over enough for the oil light to go out way before she starts to fire.
If I am off base here anywhere, please let me know!

[petejw]

Im sitting here still shaking my head.

but i aint gonna say a thing. LMAO :-)

[Hired_Goon]

Re: Ha Ha Ho Ho it is to laugh.

Originally posted by Stralya

I may also need a new clutch, it's still slipping a bit even though I've drained off the missing oil.

Geez, Dan, you'll be giving the impression that aussies are a bit slow.

Just as well we know different

Regarding the clutch. What sort of oil are you using. I now there are certain oils to stay away from and I have found one. Changed the oils in both my bikes the other day and they both started slipping when FULL power kicked in.

Drained and put in a different brand and the slipping stopped. Both times.

I thought I was doing it a favour by using Caltex oil specifically for pre 80 engines. No synthetic labels so thought it would be fine. Wrong.

But not as silly as having six litres in there.

[Stralya]

Oils aint oils....

Well at the moment it's a mixture of single weight sae 30 and good old 20w/50, mainly sae30. It slips only a little when the power is on like you say.

Dan
Boofhead.