Oil changing question

dReWpY · 02-03-2011, 05:06 PM

so i didnt change the oil in the buell when i put it away for the winter...

so my question is what the best way to go about changing it this spring, should i start it and let it warm up or should i just pull the plug and let it all drain out hoping that it all has settled to the bottom?

Tmall · 02-03-2011, 05:14 PM

Warm it up and then drain it. You'll get any condensation/sludge that will mix/burn off and then put new oil in. If you do it the other way, most of that crap will get mixed in with your new oil.

The only way that would be better is to drain it. Put new oil in. Run it and change it again.

dReWpY · 02-03-2011, 05:17 PM

hmmm first warm day...
its not that the oil is old either, hell it prolly has 1500 miles on it and thats all

tommymac · 02-03-2011, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drewpy

hmmm first warm day...
its not that the oil is old either, hell it prolly has 1500 miles on it and thats all

what oil you running in the buell? I need to choose/figre that out. had the shop change it for its 600 mile service and thats been it.

OneSickPsycho · 02-03-2011, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tmall

Warm it up and then drain it. You'll get any condensation/sludge that will mix/burn off and then put new oil in. If you do it the other way, most of that crap will get mixed in with your new oil.

The only way that would be better is to drain it. Put new oil in. Run it and change it again.

That's the way I've done it in the past... Drain/change, put new oil in, run, drain/change. That's ONLY if I had a bunch of miles on it before I stored it though... I always tried to time my oil changes to at least 75% ready before storing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by drewpy

hmmm first warm day...
its not that the oil is old either, hell it prolly has 1500 miles on it and thats all

I'd just run it then... Run it, hell put a couple of easy miles on it, then drain it hot and put in new.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommymac

what oil you running in the buell? I need to choose/figre that out. had the shop change it for its 600 mile service and thats been it.

Didn't even know you had a Buell... or maybe I did... I can't remember.

dReWpY · 02-03-2011, 05:44 PM

hmmm i need to check its the same HD brand though

tommymac · 02-03-2011, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drewpy

hmmm i need to check its the same HD brand though

some screaming eagle stuff or something like that. I have been fine using the rotella in the aprilia but want to make sure I stick with something speciffic for the buell, I was going to proily use the motul I use on the track bikes.

Amber Lamps · 02-03-2011, 06:12 PM

I didn't change mine before "Winter" either....because it only last a couple weeks!!!!

Seriously guys, I'm not out to start the "storage routine" argument again but if your bike has been parked less than a month or two, I really, really doubt that it matters. Seriously, what happens to oil sitting in an engine that doesn't happen sitting on the shelf?

Besides, I always run mine once a week or so just to keep the battery fresh.

Tmall · 02-03-2011, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amber Lamps

Seriously, what happens to oil sitting in an engine that doesn't happen sitting on the shelf.

Condensation, fuel, carbon, emulsion.

But, I agree a month is nothing.

This is emulsion..

Amber Lamps · 02-03-2011, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tmall

Condensation, fuel, carbon, emulsification.

But, I agree a month is nothing.

So without the engine even running all those things happen to the oil in your bike? How? Where does this moisture come from? The fuel? Any of it? Aren't those things conditional on the engine running and if so, once the engine is stopped the contamination process stops as well? My thought was that you should change your oil BEFORE storing your bike to prevent the moisture, etc from doing potential damage but since he(and I) didn't the "damage" is already done and changing it now won't help anything imho. At any rate, isn't this just another one of those old tech tips that applied to bikes with cast iron blocks, heads, rings, etc and don't really apply to modern bikes made out of chromed cylinders, aluminum blocks, Ti valves, etc?

You ol' ninja editor!!! I know what emulsion is and it can't happen without the engine running, if it could then new old won't fair any better. BTW if you have that much water in your oil, there's something else going on there chief!!!

02-03-2011, 05:14 PM	#2
Tmall Aspiring Rapper Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Halifax, NS Moto: '12 CB1000R Posts: 3,569	Warm it up and then drain it. You'll get any condensation/sludge that will mix/burn off and then put new oil in. If you do it the other way, most of that crap will get mixed in with your new oil. The only way that would be better is to drain it. Put new oil in. Run it and change it again.

02-03-2011, 06:12 PM	#8
Amber Lamps Moto GP Star Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 14,556	I didn't change mine before "Winter" either....because it only last a couple weeks!!!! Seriously guys, I'm not out to start the "storage routine" argument again but if your bike has been parked less than a month or two, I really, really doubt that it matters. Seriously, what happens to oil sitting in an engine that doesn't happen sitting on the shelf? Besides, I always run mine once a week or so just to keep the battery fresh.