By Tim Hayes

Welcome to the new Blue Ridge Moto Blog Repair and Maintenance forum. From time to time I’ll post something that is of general interest. Jump in and post your comments or start a new thread about any repair or maintenance issue.

We’ll start with the routine oil change. Sounds boring and routine but someone might pick up a piece of useful info. Particulate matter in the oil tends to settle to the bottom of the pan as the oil cools so the oil should be drained when the engine is hot. A short ride of 10 minutes or so is better than letting your bike idle in the garage. Many bikes have a magnet in the center of the drain plug. This serves 2 purposes, it collects any metal in the oil to keep it from re-circulating and enables you to see if the engine is making metal. A small bit of matter on the magnet is not unusual. Wipe it off with your finger then smear it around to see if you see any metal. Too much metal indicates internal wear. Many bikes use a crush washer on the drain plug while some newer bikes use a steel washer with a rubber integral molded seal. It is a good idea to replace the aluminum crush washer. If one is not available reverse the old seal so that a new surface faces the oil pan. Washer deformation occurs on the side joining the pan. If the rubber seal looks okay it is good to go. If there is any fraying of the rubber part replace it.

Most bikes made in the last 25 years use a spin-on type filter so we’ll keep this post to those types. After removing the filter make sure the gasket is on the filter. There have been cases of the gasket sticking to the engine so that when the new filter is installed there are now 2 gaskets; guarranteed leak. If there was any concern about metal on the drain plug the old filter can be cut apart with a hack saw. Spread the filter material out and inspect for metal particles.

Before installing the new filter put a coat of oil on the gasket so that it will not stick to the engine. Once the gasket contacts the surface tighten the filter 3/4 to 1 turn. I’ve run in to one engine, the liquid cooled Suzuki V-twin, that the manual says to tighten 2 turns after contact. I did not follow the instructions. Many years ago I had a filter on a car rupture as soon as the engine was started and dump all the oil out. Not a pretty sight. No engine will develop oil pressure until the new filter is full. If your filter is mounted vertically fill the filter will oil before installing. If this is not possible pull the spark plug wires and spin the engine 5 seconds or so, the filter will now be full and the engine will have full pressure when started.