dipstick

[97steamer]

Did an oil and filter change yesterday. Put 3.5 litres of new oil in (spec says 4 litres) then checked the dipstick. Level was wayyyyyy over the maximum mark but I'm still half a litre short of what the manual says.

My questions are, 1) is the dipstick the wrong one? or 2) Is the Haynes manual wrong?

[R0B]

did you run the bike?...........oil has to get round the engine including the filter

rob

[rf9rider]

When you changed the filter, did you undo the drain screw or just take the filter off?
If you didn`t remove the drain screw, perhaps you didn`t drain all the old oil?

[97steamer]

Hi guys, I drained the oil via the drain screw and put in a new filter with o rings by the book. I also ran the engine for about five minutes before and after the oil change.

Having looked in the owners manual, the dipstick in the picture has an upper and lower mark that appear to be much further apart than the ones on my dipstick. I'm still confused :-)

[Colonel Nikolai]

The steamer has two oil drain plugs (unless this is only true of the Trident / Sprint of the same vintage. I thought this was also true on the steamer, but now I'm not sure and the bike is in storage).

One is the "real" drain plug and one is intended for an oil cooler accessory, and won't entirely drain all the oil. Can someone confirm this?

[D-Fuzz]

Is it sitting on the side stand or a centre stand when you are checking the oil?  Can you post a photo of the dipstick?

[Mustang]

just put 4 liters in and don't worry about it......................cap needs to be left unscrewed to check level

[97steamer]

its on the centre stand. I'll post a pic of the dipstick tomorrow

[BruKen]

When I did my engine rebuild I had to put in nearly 4.5 litre till it measured up to the dipstick and the oil pressure light would go out. Go figure, I wonder if the dipstick is made of the same nylon as the side panels :lol:

[97steamer]

I put 40 miles on the bike yesterday on my regular commute and it ran like a dog. No pull, loads more engine noise and it was pushing out white smoke, presumably due to the oil forcing its way past the piston rings.

Anyway, I drained out a litre and a bit which brought the level back to the top of the dipstick and the bike is back to normal. If my math is right then I've got around 2.5 litres in there. Go figure?

[R0B]

If you only have 2.5 litres in there I would really want to know why, and soon.........I can only think you didn't drain it properly.

rob

[Mustang]

If you only have 2.5 litres in there I would really want to know why, and soon.........I can only think you didn't drain it properly.

rob

[97steamer]

Okay. I know it sounds daft but assuming I didn't drain it right, where did I go wrong? The bike was on the centrestand on level ground, I warmed her up and removed the drain bolt and the dipstick. I then removed the filter assembly and left it for ten minutes minimum. Have I missed anything?

I ran the bike into work again today and it was smooth as silk, no oil warning or anything so I reckon there's enough oil in there but the maths just doesn't add up. I'm fecken bedongled!   :shock:

[MIMbox]

Just looking at my OEM service manual, it says 4litres, including filter, and it clearly states oil to be measured with dipstick SCREWED IN, not resting on top.
See Note

[rf9rider]

Haynes says dipstick screwed in too i think.

How did you measure the amount of oil you put in?

Measuring jug? Marks on the oil bottle?