Checking oil on a bike with an oil reservoir in the frame

Time for a real noob question sorry, but I've never had a bike with an oil reservoir in the frame before.

I have hell checking the oil on my 2002 XT600E (4PT model) every time.

I took it for a good 20 minute ride, removed the plastic cover, started the engine again for 10 seconds, let the bike stand for 2 minutes, removed and wiped the dipstick, bike upright on a level surface with no weight on it, and checked the level without screwing in the dipstick. It was on the round part of the dipstick about 20-25mm above the max mark. Bugger, not having checked it for a while I was expecting to find it too low!

Syringe and rubber tube, remove 100ml of oil, refit dipstick, start engine for 10 seconds, stand for two minutes, check level. The level on the dipstick hasn't moved.

Repeat the process several times until I've removed 400ml of oil and still showing exactly the same place on the dipstick after 2 minutes, so I stop believing it and let it stand for a bit longer with the dipstick removed. After 3 minutes it's gone down by another 5mm, after 5 minutes another 10mm, after 10 minutes it's where it should be on the full mark.

I have no idea if I have the right amount of oil in my bike or not. I've taken out 400ml of oil, but checking by the instructions in the owners manual, 10 seconds running engine, two minutes standing before removing the dipstick, the level on the dipstick is still 20-25mm too high, and hasn't gone down at all.

If I were to unscrew the dipstick with the engine running, it would squirt out oil, don't know if this is normal to have pressure here or not.

I know it's not an SV but can anyone with an oil reservoir bike, or a mechanic who deals with lots of different bikes offer any help?

Thanks

Drain the oil completely inc oil filter change and put back 100ml less than the book says, that should show a slightly low mark on the dipstick and give you a start point.

Originally Posted by specialone

Drain the oil completely inc oil filter change and put back 100ml less than the book says, that should show a slightly low mark on the dipstick and give you a start point.

I need to do that anyway, just hoped not to be forced to do it before I can ride the bike again, but it would seem even that ain't simple on my bike

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-mystery-50450

Yours is the same kind of design with the dipstick in the top of the frame isn't it, how does yours behave and how does the manual say it should be checked?

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

I need to do that anyway, just hoped not to be forced to do it before I can ride the bike again, but it would seem even that ain't simple on my bike

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-mystery-50450

Yours is the same kind of design with the dipstick in the top of the frame isn't it, how does yours behave and how does the manual say it should be checked?

Mines not too bad,similar to yours, bit fiddly but ok, i did put too much oil in mine so had to drain some out, i aint checked since we went out so mine needs checking.

[andrewsmith]

ralph, im guessin its a yamaha. The dipsticks are a total pain (in the cases is just as bad), treat it like a oil change process.↲Have fun!

[Spanner Man]

Good morning all.


On a dry sump engine such as yours, some oil will slowly drain from the tank into the sump. That's why the level check has to be done after the engine has been run. This allows the oil scavenge pump to return this excess oil from the sump to the tank.

Many a rider has made the mistake of filling the oil tank when the engine is cold. Only to have the return pipe blow off, or in extreme cases blow the filler plug out, due to an excess of oil causing an increease in pressure. (It's messy)


Cheers.

Originally Posted by Spanner Man

Good morning all.


On a dry sump engine such as yours, some oil will slowly drain from the tank into the sump. That's why the level check has to be done after the engine has been run. This allows the oil scavenge pump to return this excess oil from the sump to the tank.

Many a rider has made the mistake of filling the oil tank when the engine is cold. Only to have the return pipe blow off, or in extreme cases blow the filler plug out, due to an excess of oil causing an increease in pressure. (It's messy)


Cheers.

Thanks spanner man and everyone else who has posted. I posted on the Yamaha XT Tech section of the Horizons Unlimited forum too and with the answers from the two forums together I am less puzzled by it.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-the-oil-51489

I understand why now my oil level is dropping as the engine cools, and I understand that unless you are way over and cause a messy oil leak due to pressure in the tank as you said, you basically can't overfill them as the engine will just take what it needs and pump the excess back up into the tank. It's a good system when you think about it, because it means the engine always has the right amount of oil. A bit too high on the dipstick is nothing to worry about.

What I still don't understand is why I have removed 400ml of oil (capacity is 2.7l) and the level on the dipstick still hasn't dropped when the bike is hot? Maybe the previous owner has filled when cold, and I have so much oil in there, the dipstick is reading at the highest possible point?

I think what I need to do is drop the oil to a level where the dipstick is correct or just slightly high, and I can run the engine will the filler cap off the oil tank, without the oil overflowing. At the moment if I were to loosen the filler cap with the engine running, it would squirt oil, which indicates it must still be a bit too full?

Thanks

Well drained the oil tonight and there was 3.8 litres in there, a litre more than there should have been. On carrying out the rest of the service I discovered more servicing related abhorrence!

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?p=2326663

[yorkie_chris]

If there is anything more you get stuck with on this bike then give carnivore a ring, (PM me if you need his number). He has had 3 or 4 SRX600 which are same engine as this fella and rebuilt them and suchlike, so knows his way around them.