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I'm going to be doing my first oil change on the bike pretty soon. (I got the first one done at the shop, because if I didn't, it would have voided my warranty...) Remove the fairings... then what? Coffee can under the drain plug? I know to get the oil warm before draining... but that's about it. I have been looking around for shop manuals for my 2004, but can't find any. (I can't shop online... no credit card.) Anything else I should be doing while I'm changing the oil? Do I need a torque wrench for this job, or is that just for oilpan changes? I'm excited to do this myself, but I've never really done anything like this before, so please pardon my ignorance on the many subjects involved. And thanks in advance!
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8) Shirak! 8)
"For the love of God, does no one hear that infernal ringing?!?" -
torque for drainplug install....coffee can too small...CAREFULL whenn you put the plug in..they are notorious for being crossthreaded, or stripping if you overtighten (18 ft/lbs)
drainoil...remove filter...replace filter (put a skim of oil on the rubber gasket) tighten as hard as you can...(BY HAND)...put in about 3 liters....run for about 30 seconds...then keep topping it up...will take an additional .5 to .8 liter
check sightglass...bring to full mark..NEVER over
bike should be on level ground..not centerstand
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always replace the crush washer, they cost about $2 and give you a good indication as to when you have tightened the drain plug enough.Comment
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My humble advice:
1. Use a JASO-MA rated motor oil. It will have exactly the qualities that will serve you the best. 10w40 weight. Many brands to choose from, pick whatever is cheapest that has the JASO-MA spec and you can't go wrong. Personally, I used Castrol GPS, but ACT/Evo is just as good for most uses at half the price. See CyberPoet's How to Understand and Choose Motorcycle Motor Oils, at MotorcycleAnchor.com for more info than you ever wanted.
2. Buy a torque wrench if you don't have one. I recommend getting a beam torque wrench (rather than a clicker type) because they are more accurate at low readings and less prone to failure at low readings -- low readings which many of the bolts on the Kat require. $30, Sears, Sears item #00944642000. Currently has a free shipping rebate if bought online. Is an "in-store" item at most stores. www.sears.com
3. Correct torque for the oil drain plug is 16.5 ft-lbs (factory spec). Over-torquing means either a PIA repair (retap with a bigger drain or insert heli-coil), or replacing the oil pan ($134 + $14 for the gasket). Under-torqueing it can mean the oil drain plug drops out from vibration in 5 to 100 miles, dumping hot oil right in front of the rear tire. Been there, done that. Use of a brass crush washer is advisable -- don't use plastic ones, and never reuse crush washers.
4. Use the stock OEM Suzuki (Toyo Roki) oil filter. Buy the right oil filter end-cap wrench for it ($20) and you'll never have problems. Best oil filter I have seen for the Katana in terms of design, engineering. Under no circumstances buy a FRAM aftermarket oil filter, which have been reported to liquify their internal glue into the engine when run under extremely hot conditions. The stock oil filter gets tightened to the point that it just barely contacts the block, then gets two full rotations from that point (factory spec).
Cheers
=-= The CyberPoetComment
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Put tin foil on your headers, it'll keep oil from dripping down onto them when you take the filter off.
Get the a filter wrench, tightening the new filter by hand is fine, But first you have to get the old one off in the first place
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Something like The Cyber Poet mentioned or this will do it.
You should beable to get a cheaper one at Walmart. The local car part place wanted $40, Walmart was $14 Canadian!!!!.
When you take the lower fairing off make sure to keep track of the bolts and where they go, you shouldn't have any left over when you finish
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Good luck and you should beable to get the service manual at the dealer. If they don't have it they can tell you when it will be out.KyleComment
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And a cofee can won't hold that much oil . Drain pans are cheap . I couldn't find crush washers anywhere around here , so I checked a locla "quickie lube" type place . They gave me a few for nothin' .I am a fluffy lil cuddly lovable bunny , dammit !
Katrider's rally 2011 - md86
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Change the oil? Why would you do that?
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Great advice guys. I've never used a torque wrench... How do they work? (i.e., how will I know that I've reached 16lbs... ?) Also, Cyber, I have your Understanding and choosing motorcycle oils page link stored in my favorites already... Along with this one. Some pretty good stuff in there. I was actually thinking about doing the Castrol race oil, but probably not on this change. Somewhere further down the line I'll check it out. Thanks guys! I'll let you know how it goes.8) Shirak! 8)
"For the love of God, does no one hear that infernal ringing?!?"Comment
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There are 2 kinds - the 'clicker' type and the 'beam' type.
With the clicker type you pre-set the desired torque value
you want (by turning the handle and locking it) and when your fastener
reaches that value the handle emits a loud 'click'.
Some newer styles have digital readouts, emit an electronic BEEP
when you hit the value, etc., but essentially they do the same thing.
The beam style has a scale next to the handle and a pointer.
You torque the fastener until the pointer is over the desired value
on the scale.
I like the clicker style because it's not always possible to
be able to see the scale when working in confined areas.
The oil drain plug is another good example, the wrench (and scale)
will be upside down.
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On the beam type, as you apply torque, the needle will swing off-center and whatever number it reaches is the applied torque. This is a very simple method, and almost impossible to screw up (especially if you follow the directions on the included instruction sheet, which basically say keep your grip-handle balanced on the pivot instead of against once side -- the only common mistake).
Because the torsion beam on the beam-type doesn't contact anything (as verses to the clicker that "clicks" against the side), it won't be ruined by accidentally over-torqueing a low-torque bolt. The clicker types are also inherently inaccurate at the bottom end of their scales, so if you have one that has a range of 15 to 150 lb-ft, the discrepancy at 15 can be 20%; if you go with a clicker-style, try to find one with a much lower scale range, such as 7.5 to 75 lb-ft, which would be suitable to everything on the Kat.
Cheers
=-= The CyberPoetComment
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Are the numbers printed on both sides of the scale?
How would you see the torque reading if the wrench is upside down?Comment
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I don't know about you, but I'm lying on my back when I put the oil drain bolt back in by hand to start it threading in -- I just stay there until I'm done. I've also marked the back of the tool at 16.5 lb-ft so I could see it from the other side, but haven't used it that way.Originally posted by jhugh
Oh, and for the record, I have three torque wrenches -- two clickers and one beam type. The beam type comes out for low readings (anything under about 20 lb-ft).
Cheers
=-= The CyberPoetComment
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I use a clicker type torque wrench. My company supplies it for me, but I prefer this kind anyway. If you do use a clicker type the way to get precise torque is as follows. Use the ratchet as normal and when you feel the bolt tightening up SLOWLY turn the wrench until it clicks. If you rapidly tighten the bolt until the wrench clicks you will over torque it.Comment
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