Overfilled Oil... HELP?!

[JDE]

So when is the best time to check the oil?

I don't have the manual in front of me at the moment, but I believe it's supposed to be checked while the engine is still warm after a ride and has had enough time for the oil to settle in the pan. So maybe 10-20mins after a ride.

 

[ziggie]

If you don't have a centerstand you can always put a small piece of wood under sidestand to get it level.i did this with my vstar because it had a sight glass to look at check the oil.

 

[670cc]

I don't have a center stand but check the oil while sitting on the bike (upright two feet on the ground).

do regular checks and noticed the last week that the level was dropping. I check the oil in the morning before I ride and let the bike idle for 5 min before the time. Bought oil on Saturday and thought I would top it up on Sunday. Idled the bike for 5 min and checked oil. All was well

Only difference is I checked the oil not first thing in the morning but midday. Temperature difference seems to play a part as well. In the morning the temp is around 2 degrees C while when I checked it yesterday it was around 18 degrees C.

This worries me as I could have overfilled. So when is the best time to check the oil?

Idling the cold engine 5 minutes before riding is not a good practice. Start the bike and go. I would advise checking the oil level with a warm engine 5 minutes after you have been riding.

While checking oil level is definitely a good practice, my experience with Hondas is that they will consume no significant amount of oil throughout the oil change interval. I think people get more worked up over it than they need be.

Greg

 

[RyC]

Idling the cold engine 5 minutes before riding is not a good practice. Start the bike and go. I would advise checking the oil level with a warm engine 5 minutes after you have been riding.

While checking oil level is definitely a good practice, my experience with Hondas (and most any modern engine) is they will consume no significant amount of oil throughout the oil change interval. I think people get more worked up over it than they need be.

Greg

As I check it in the mornings I used the manual (page 71) as a guide:

"If the engine is cold, idle the engine for 3
to 5 minutes"

Was I wrong?

I will check the oil tonight 30 minutes post getting home. Try and get some baseline going.

 

[yticolev]

I'd be interested to know if the overfilling is just four tenths of a quart. Spec is 3.6 quarts, and I'd bet that many just put in four full quarts. Does a 10% overfill really have the potential to harm an engine?

My car takes 4.5 quarts on a change, but many times, the servicer put in the full 5 quarts (from a 5 quart provided Mobil One container) unless I made it very clear that I expected 4.5 quarts. That brought it just over the dipstick max fill. At the time (in fact for the first 150,000 miles), my car used a quart every 1,000 miles so I didn't make a federal case of it when it was overfilled - since I thought such a small amount would not hurt. But I might have been wrong.

 

[670cc]

As I check it in the mornings I used the manual (page 71) as a guide:

"If the engine is cold, idle the engine for 3
to 5 minutes"

Was I wrong?

I will check the oil tonight 30 minutes post getting home. Try and get some baseline going.

Sorry, I don't mean to mislead you. Follow the manual.

It would make more sense to me if, instead of saying to idle the engine 3-5 minutes, just check the oil after the ride (which is like before the next ride anyway). But then they're covering their butts because they would have advised you to ride it before checking it, and that sounds bad.

From a service tech's point of view, it makes sense to advise idling, then checking, because the tech isn't going for a ride anyway.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone actually witnesses any oil consumption on an NC700X. I'd be surprised if it did.

Greg

 

[happy]

A little too much oil will not hurt a modern engine.
Also, there is a reason why the bike should be upright when checking the oil. It is the best baseline.
If you are doing it on the side stand, can you guarantee the lean angle?

Anyway it is not rocket science, a little too much or a little too low is not going to hurt the engine.
Only if you drastically overfill or the oil ran out, will you damage the valves or something.

You should warm up engine to check because there could be oil sitting somewhere in the tubes or oil sump and by running the oil a few minutes, gets the system going.

Don't panic.

 

[cdnuser]

Taken right from the manual

Checking the Engine Oil
1. If the engine is cold, idle the engine for 3
to 5 minutes.
2. Turn the ignition switch off, stop the
engine and wait 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Place your motorcycle in an upright
position on a firm, level surface.
4. Remove the oil fill cap/dipstick and wipe it
clean.
5. Insert the oil fill cap/dipstick until it seats,
but don’t screw it in.
Check that the oil level is between the
upper and lower level marks in the oil fill
cap/dipstick.
6. Securely install the oil fill cap/dipstick.

 

[Hot Wing]

This past week, I did the first oil change on my, new to me, 800 mile used bike.
Before changing the oil, checking the dip stick on the center stand, motor hot , and the proper time for the oil to drain into the pan.... The level registered above the full mark on the dip stick, about 1/16 in. Note the dip stick was not screwed in.
Since the bike was purchased used how could I tell it was the first oil change? If you saw what came out of the crank case you would know too!

 

[VE258]

I also have a Mityvac that I use once in awhile. I thought I would try the spray bottle (penny tech) when I overfilled my NC and it worked like a charm.
Heres the one I have.
Amazon.com: Mityvac 7201 Fluid Evacuator Plus: Automotive

mityvac is great, but pretty expensive and starts to leak all over the place after some usage.
here is 7$ solution. also available at walmart.

Multi-Use Transfer Pump

sucking out oil or any other fluid out of he car or bike is a piece of cake. i bought it(out of curiosity) to do partial transmission fluid change on W211 Mercedes. worked perfectly. obviously takes more time than mityvac,but hey..something gotta give

and it's precisely why i do all the maintenance by myself. they('professionals') tend to f** up everything. even with a simple oil change. i stated here that at the time of purchase the dealer also overfilled my bike with oil. x2 of normal level. same on cars-they will over tight the filter or drain bolt,spill damn oil all over the place. i've seen it so many times,that i give up on them. DIY

 

[670cc]

If you're really into sucking oil, like I am, you need this gadget: Marina Pro Oil changer. It holds 8 quarts of oil. I bought it for changing oil on my boat engines, where it's a necessity. But I found it worked so well that on many engines, like on lawn mowers and generators, I no longer drain oil through the drain plug. I just suck it out the dipstick/filler hole. Much less mess that way.

 

[myorangecrayon]

I went ahead and used the squirt bottle idea to get the extra oil out. First I double checked that I was checking the oil properly, doing it on the center stand and then off the side stand. Both readings gave me the exact same level, and it's much more difficult to do it off the side stand and get it level (not to mention you risk dropping the bike!). After measuring the sump, it looks like the dipstick is right where the pivot point would be for the oil if it is indeed collecting at the front from putting it on the center stand. Anyways, I got it down to the max level (the mark in the middle of the dipstick) and took out a total of ~16.5 oz, or a little over half a quart.



I checked the invoice they gave me and sure enough, it said they used 4 quarts and there was some left over in a bottle, so I'm none the wiser where the mess up happened. There was no appreciable change in the way the engine ran, though it did seem to rev up a bit quicker (that's totally subjective, surely my subconscious wanted to believe the bike was running better since I was taking care of it!). I may go ahead and get the oil changed when I do the 4k service at a trusted independent shop, just for peace of mind.

 

[pismocycleguy]

myorangecrayon,
Thanks for posting your findings. Now I know I can use the center stand on my bike when I add oil after draining the oil. Good to know that the oil level measurement is accurate, and the same, both on and off the center stand.
Good job.

 

[yticolev]

I may go ahead and get the oil changed when I do the 4k service at a trusted independent shop, just for peace of mind.

There is no recommended 4K service.

 

[myorangecrayon]

There is no recommended 4K service.

There is... it's pretty minor. Checking bolts, fluid levels, brake pads, idle speed, that kind of fare. It's in the manual. There's not supposed to be an oil change until 8k though.

 

[RyC]

My non-scientific findings :
1. Checked the oil when I got home (post ride). Let the bike cool down for 30 minutes and it showed over full.
2. Checked the oil first thing this morning (cold engine) and it looked fine.
3. Warmed up the engine (as per manual), shut it down and let it stand for 5 minutes. Oil level was slightly higher than the cold oil check.

So I will in future check the oil either cold or warmed up (5 minutes as per manual). I think more important than warming up the engine is making sure you give the oil some time to settle post warm-up.

Honda put in 10W-50W Racing Oil (fully synthetic) when they did the first service (1000 km). I was not very happy with the idea as it is expensive and not as per the recommended 10W-30W (manual).

Can now say that 2000 km later the oil level is still the same or so close to it that it I will not add oil currently...

 

[Ralph]

A little over fill is better than under filling, but you can reach a point
with over filling and it's usually quite a bit over were the crankshaft
starts dipping into the oil, this sounds like the engine is about to come
apart and usually the oil makes a bid for freedom through seals
and gaskets.

 

[davidc83]

Per service manual, oil is checked on level ground, in the upright position, NOT on the center stand.

Check the puke tube, if you dont have any oil in the puke tube, no problems, and if slight oil in the puke tube, no problem, that is why it is there.

 

[davidc83]

Service manual states let the engine idle for 3-4 minutes, then turn off and wait 3-4 minutes before checking.

 

[670cc]

Per service manual, oil is checked on level ground, in the upright position, NOT on the center stand.

That the manual provides for a procedure without use of the center stand makes sense because the standard NC700X configuration has no center stand. I don't think that necessarily rules out it's use if you should have one.

Greg