Reduce Contamination with a Little Effort and Ideas. Techniques for Attaching and Removing the Oil Filter During an Engine Oil Change

Engine oil changes are essential to keep your car's engine operating well. It is inevitable that your bike and hands will get dirty when removing the drain bolt and oil filter, but it is possible to reduce the amount of dirt by using items that are close at hand. Instead of panicking when you see the oil beginning to flow, I recommend that you prepare for what may happen.

Not all drain bolts have hexagonal heads.

The engine is barely visible on the full-cowl version of the YZF-R1, but it is clearly visible on the naked-style MT-10.
It is understandable that the compact size of the engine was achieved through the efficient layout of the crankshaft and transmission shaft arrangement and auxiliary equipment.

The oil pan is a tapered siphon shape, with the lowest part extending between the second and third exhaust pipes.
If the bottom of the oil pan is flat, there is concern that the oil pump may not be able to suck in the oil when the oil level tilts significantly due to the motorcycle's posture.

The MT-10 drain bolt at the tip of the oil pan is hexagonal-hole, not hex-head, so it should be attached and removed with a hex wrench, not a spectacle wrench. Since it is difficult to work with an L-shaped bar wrench, a combination of a spinner handle and a hex bit is recommended.

The moment the drain bolt, loosened with a hex bit and turned with fingertips, comes off the oil pan, you can avoid a direct hit of oil by pulling it toward you. If your hands are less dirty, you can save a rag to wipe your hands with, and there is less risk that oil will flow down and contaminate the area around the drain pan.

The gasket is a solid type, and its appearance is less changed than that of the crush type, which crushes itself to ensure airtightness when tightened. However, the gasket used (right) has linear marks where the bolt made contact, so it should be replaced with the new one on the left.

Before riding, check the oil level using the oil inspection window or dipstick, and if it is below the lower level, lubricate to the appropriate level, and change the oil according to the mileage and period of use. Engine oil management for 4-stroke engines is the most basic and important of all motorcycle maintenance items.

An oil change is a simple process of draining the old oil from the drain bolt at the bottom of the engine, tightening the bolt with a new drain bolt gasket, and injecting new oil. However, there are many pitfalls hidden in this simple process.

One of the key points is the tool to be used. Drain bolts on Japanese motorcycles often have a 14mm or 17mm hexagonal head bolt, which requires a large tightening torque and may require the operator to be upside down when working. Wrenches and monkey wrenches that can be used at an angle should not be used because of the risk of damaging the hexagonal head when force is applied.

The oil pan and drain bolt are located at the lowest point of the engine. On some models, the exhaust system is located on the underside of the oil pan and the eyeglass wrench may interfere with it. In such cases, use a deep-type socket or a standard socket with an extension bar to turn them while avoiding interference.

The handwork at the moment of removing the drain bolt is also important. If the bolt is removed directly downwards, the oil that flows out will naturally hit the hand holding the bolt. Even if you are using a waste oil disposal box, the oil that flows down your hand may flow out of the box and contaminate the surrounding area. Avoiding this is easy: just pull your hand to the side at the moment of removing the bolt so that it is out of the path of the oil. Or, if the waste oil disposal box is the type lined with a non-woven cloth or rag, the bolt can be dropped into the box and your hand pulled out. In contrast to the drain pan where the bolts and gaskets sink into the oil, the waste oil treatment box allows them to fall onto the non-woven fabric or rag, making them easy to collect.

A little technique can improve the comfort and safety of the operation of engine oil changes, but the drain bolt may not be hex-headed in the first place. The Yamaha MT-10 introduced here is a naked model equipped with a YZF-R1-based engine. Like the R1, the drain bolt attached to the siphon-type oil pan with a long tip in the gap between the exhaust pipes has a hexagonal hole rather than a hexagonal head, a design similar to a hexagonal bolt. The oil pan is siphon-shaped rather than flat in order to allow the oil pump to function properly and maintain lubrication even when the vehicle is deeply banked.

Regardless of the purpose, as long as the head of the drain bolt is a hexagonal hole, a hex wrench is required to attach and remove it. Also, since there is an exhaust pipe right next to the drain bolt, a common L-shaped hex wrench may interfere with it, making it difficult to apply force. Therefore, for such models, it is recommended to work with a hex bit and a long-type spinner handle breaker bar. By gaining reach with the spinner handle, tightly tightened drain bolts can be loosened with ease and the tightening torque can be easily controlled.

Lateral oil filter cartridges prevent contamination by catching oil leaks

The clearance between the crankcase and exhaust pipe explains why the oil filter cartridge is mounted on the left side of the engine. However, it may be easier to maintain than the type mounted on the front of the crankcase, where a cup wrench or tool must be inserted between the exhaust pipes.

If the oil filter cartridge is loosened without thinking, the oil that flows out of the seating surface will hit the exhaust pipe directly, so a clear file of office supplies that has some flexibility and firmness and does not soak up oil was attached as a guide. The weakness of cardboard or corrugated cardboard is that it is stiff and difficult to make a path as a gutter.

As expected, the engine oil that flowed out of the cartridge and crankcase ran through the clear file and into the oil pan. When installing the guide, be careful not to slant it toward the center of the rear engine at the same time as the width of the left and right sides.

The oil guide is not removed until a new filter cartridge is installed, and if the seating surface is cleaned with parts cleaner after tightening the cartridge and then removed, the exhaust pipe will be free of oil and cleaner.

Instead of pouring the prescribed amount of engine oil at once when replacing the filter cartridge, start the engine with about 90% of the oil in, let it circulate in the filter, and then add more while checking the oil level in the inspection window. The amount of oil is sufficient if it is between the upper and lower limits.

Just as there is a stereotype that a drain bolt is a hexagonal head, another assumption may be that the oil filter cartridge is downward or forward-facing. Due to the oil pump and oil circulation path in the crankcase, it does not matter where the oil filter is located, and the filter cartridge on the MT-10 (as well as the YZF-R1) is installed horizontally on the left side of the engine.

Unlike the YZF-R1, which is covered by a full cowl, the naked-style MT-10 has a slightly disconcerting cartridge that is fully visible but looking at the exhaust pipe that is perfectly aligned with the engine, it is understandable that the oil filter would not have had the option of protruding forward or downward from the crankcase.

If we consider only the process of replacing the cartridge, a sideways filter is preferable because it is not obstructed by any interfering objects when attaching or detaching, but the oil that flows out from the mating surface with the crankcase during removal is troublesome. The exhaust pipe is located under the mating surface, and any oil that drips out will surely adhere to the pipe. Some people think that if the oil gets dirty, they can just wash it off with parts cleaner, but if it flows into unexpected places, parts cleaner and a rag will not be able to wipe it off, and you will notice the white smoke coming out of the exhaust system when the engine is started, which will also cause the exhaust system to become dirty.

It is a good idea to place a rag under the filter in advance to loosen it, but there is a risk that more oil than expected will seep out and contaminate the exhaust pipe and exhaust system when it leaks. What we recommend is installing a gutter as an oil guide to let the dripping oil flow out. Here, a clear file for office use is stretched over the exhaust pipe, and it was able to smoothly guide the oil that flowed out of the cartridge seat into the drain pan. There are also rubber-coated thin aluminum plates with similar functions, so users who are worried about using a weak clear file may utilize such items.

When installing an oil guide with a clear file or plate, consider the width and slope of the guide. If oil is drained without contaminating the exhaust system or exhaust pipe by assuming which direction the oil will flow and how the flowing oil will be transmitted through the guides depending on the inclination of the filter cartridge mounting surface and the area where the guides are attached, you can save rags and parts cleaners and reduce work time.

Whether the filter cartridge is located in front of the crankcase or at the bottom of the oil pan, if there is an exhaust system, engine, or other components beyond where the oil flows out of the mounting seat, it is useful to change the path of the oil to prevent contamination. Some people think that since it is going to get dirty anyway, it is better to clean it later, but if you can reduce the amount of mess and reduce the amount of labor involved, that is the best way to go.