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oil change brain fart!


gaffner678

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After draining the bike and replacing the filter I proceed to put new oil back into my motorcycle. Insert brain fart. I dump in 3 quarts instead of the recommended 2.85.
 
I have 2 questions, how would you remove the excess oil and also, if I was to keep 3 quarts in there would that be enough to cause serious problems that come along with excess oil?
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Overfilling by .15L is probably no big deal. But overfilling by a liter or more can definitely be a problem. In 1998 when I worked for a magazine, I picked up a Triumph Thunderbird Sport from our office in San Francisco and started riding north to Oregon. By the time I got to Eureka, CA the engine was pissing oil from every seal. My first thought was, "A British bike that leaks oil, how quaint."
 
I checked the sight glass and it showed no daylight even on the side stand. I kept riding the 500 miles to my home in Oregon, and despite major continued leakage the oil level never got down to the sight glass. I took it to the Triumph dealer in Eugene and they found that even after 500 miles of steady leakage the engine oil was overfilled by almost 2L. Somebody running Triumph's press fleet really effed it up. The dealer ended up having to replace most major external engine seals, the crankcase breather, and probably some other things they didn't tell me about.
 
After that, the T-bird Sport was a fabulous motorcycle. But the lesson was learned: Don't overfill your oil!
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If it is bothering you, take the oil filter off, pour out the oil contained within. Replace oil filter. Job done
This signature is left blank as the poster writes enough pretentious bollocks as it is.
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What I do is break loose the drain bolt, unspin it by hand just until the point before its off, keeping pressure upward. Then take it off, count to 2, push it back up and spin it on a few threads. Check your level and adjust accordingly. Yes, your bolt and hand will get covered in oil, but it gives you good control over how much exactly is coming out.
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A MityVac (should be less than $30 at any auto parts store) would work great for extracting a bit of oil, and is useful for bleeding brakes and other things too.
 
Having said that, when I overfilled a bike (just the once!) I pulled the drain plug as suggested by GoldenPenguin. It was a bit messy, and I ended up draining a bit more than I wanted, but it was quick and easy. I used nitrile gloves so really all I had to do was clean up the bolt and the surrounding area.
 
2015 FJ-09 (Mary Kate)
2007 Daytona 675 (Tabitha, ret.)
1998 Vulcan 800 (Ret.)
2001 SV650S (Veronica, Ret.)
2000 Intruder 800 (Ret.)
 
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