Changing Engine Oil is a Dirty Task | Here are Some Ideas and Techniques to Make it Less of a Chore

One of the most important and essential parts of motorcycle maintenance is changing the engine oil and oil filter. Both of them are not so difficult to do, but depending on the model, the body of the motorcycle may become dirty with the oil that has been removed, and cleaning it can be troublesome. Here are some useful tools and techniques to reduce the hassle in such situations.

Some layouts are unavoidable due to the design of the engine.

The Harley-Davidson Sportster's engine oil lubrication method is a dry sump, and engine oil is supplied from and returns to an oil tank separate from the crankcase. When changing the engine oil, remove the plug at the end of the drain hose on the oil tank to drain the oil. This hose is made of rubber and is flexible, so the oil can be poured directly into the oil drain pan without touching the vehicle body.

With the motorcycle season in full swing, regular oil changes and oil filter changes are essential to keep your engine performing strong. Engine oil is like the blood that runs through your engine, reducing friction and keeping it airtight while releasing the heat generated by combustion. It's the blood that runs through your engine, and many riders consider it to be the most important part of motorcycle maintenance.

To drain the oil, remove the drain bolt from the bottom of the engine, and remove the oil filter with a cup wrench if it is a cartridge type, or remove the filter cover from the engine if it is a built-in element type. Since the oil is the most important lubricant for the engine, the drain bolt and filter must not be loose, which can lead to oil leaks, but the work itself is not that difficult if you follow the theories such as always replacing the washer of the drain bolt with a new one.

Apart from the actual oil change, some troublesome work may be required. It is the dirt of the motorcycle by the installation position of the oil drain bolt and the oil filter. The oil drain bolt is often attached to the oil pan, which is the lowest point on the engine, but there may be a muffler or stand where the drained oil flows to. In the case of the muffler, if you replace the muffler with an aftermarket assembly tube, you may not be able to remove the oil drain bolt or the oil filter, but that is partly because it is an external item.

butEven in the manufacturer's genuine condition, some oil that leaks or flows when the oil drain bolt or filter is removed will adhere to the vehicle body. The oil drain and filter base are usually cleaned with parts cleaner before restoration. Even if it came off without interfering anywhere, it is a usual pattern to wash the oil drain and the filter base part with the parts cleaner respectively before restoration, so it is only necessary to wash the oil adhered to the engine and the motorcycle body at the same time. However, it is unexpectedly troublesome to follow and wipe off the oil that flows to each part of the motorcycle body, and it is not possible to ignore it because the oil that was not washed completely may do bad things.

Change the oil track to avoid contamination of the motorcycle body.

Yamaha SR400, which is a very long selling model, also uses dry sump system. The down tube of the frame is used as an oil tank, and when the drain bolt at the bottom is removed, the oil flows out vigorously to the front tire. Just by standing a cardboard on the front fender, you can prevent the oil from getting on the tire and you don't have to do extra cleaning work.

The drain bolt under the crank case of Yamaha SR400 is located at the rear of the oil pan, and the drained oil may fall on the center stand. It is more important to prevent from getting dirty than to wipe after getting dirty.

One of the best known models that require attention when changing oil is the Yamaha SR400, which recently made headlines with the release of its Final Edition. The SR has a dry sump system with the oil tank outside the engine, and uses the frame down tube at the front of the engine as the oil tank. TheThe drain bolt is attached to the bottom of the frame facing forward, and if you remove the bolt without curing, oil will fly out toward the front wheel.

If oil gets on the tires, it can cause them to slip and fall, which is very dangerous and must be completely removed with a parts cleaner. However, the oil that gets on the tire travels through the tread surface and reaches the ground, and the cleaning process is extensive. Even if you wipe off as much as possible, you will still feel uneasy.

To avoid such troublesome work, many SR owners practice attaching an apron to the front fender. By attaching a piece of cardboard paper to the fender with duct tape and placing an oil drain pan at the bottom of the paper, the oil popping out from the bottom of the down tube will flow against the cardboard and not contaminate the front wheel. When the oil drains out, you can peel off the cardboard and throw it away, and there is no need to clean the tire with parts cleaner.

The technique of draining oil without contaminating the vehicle body by changing the track can also be used with the drain bolt under the engine. On the Yamaha SR400, apart from the oil tank in the down tube, there is also a drain bolt at the bottom of the engine crankcase. These bolts are installed horizontally from the rear to the front of the motorcycle, and when the bolts are removed, the oil drips just short of hanging on the center stand.

The center stand tends to get dirty with oil from the drive chain, but if engine oil gets on it, it will take more time to clean. Also, if you ignore the oil on the stand, there is a risk of oil dripping from the stand and sticking to the rear wheel.

Thus, if you don't want the oil flowing out of the engine to stick to the stand, you can use cardboard, but it also helps to use a clear file that is flexible and easy to poke into tight spaces. You can also use a plastic bag as a guide in some places.

Either way, a slight change in the trajectory of the flowing oil can greatly reduce the amount of dirt on the motorcycle body.

Add an oil line to catch the leak.

The flexible funnel is made from a thin aluminum sheet coated with rubber, and can change shape freely and maintain its shape. The mounting surface for the Sportster's oil filter is in a hard-to-reach area, but it can be inserted in a bent position like a gutter, making it easier to target than cardboard or clear files.

Since the funnel can be inserted deeper than the filter mating surface, the dripping oil can be led to the oil drain pan in front of the engine without sticking to the crankcase or the wiring of the electrical system. If the funnel is folded at a sharp angle, the aluminum plate may break and lead to damage, so it should be used in a round shape.

It's the same idea as changing the track, but if oil contamination is unavoidable because of the way the engine is designed and the way the parts are installed in the first place, it's a good idea to change the track. It is effective to install a new path (gutter) for the oil to flow.

Another well known example of this is the Harley Davidson Sportster cartridge oil filter, which is mounted horizontally on the front of the crankcase. If the filter is mounted horizontally on a vertical surface instead of the bottom of the crankcase, it is natural for oil to leak from the mating surface when the filter is loosened. If there is nothing underneath the filter seat, the oil drain pan can catch the oil, but on the Sportster, there are electrical components attached to the crankcase body and frame downtube underneath the mating surface, so if the filter is loosened without any countermeasures, oil will drip onto those components.

You can clean it with a parts cleaner, but wiping off the oil from the intricate harness is more work than changing the filter.

This is where a tool called a flexible funnel comes in handy. A flexible funnel is a thin sheet of aluminum coated with nitrile rubber that can be bent into any shape to maintain its shape, and can be inserted into complex areas where cardboard or clear files cannot be followed.

If you need to change the oil filter on your Sportster. By inserting the funnel, which is bent like a flume, into the lower part of the filter base and loosening the filter, the engine oil dripping from the mating surface is successfully caught. You can drain the oil without contaminating the engine or frame.

The Sportster is not the only such example. The oil filter on the Yamaha MT-10 is also mounted at a right angle to the direction of travel, and if the cartridge is loosened, the oil will hit the exhaust pipe. If the oil gets on it, you can clean it with parts cleaner, but if you don't wipe it off completely, you'll get a foul smell of burning oil and smoke after starting the engine, which is still a nuisance.

The solution here is the same as on the Sportster, just use a clear file to create a gutter so the oil doesn't hit the exhaust pipe, saving time and parts cleaner by eliminating one cleaning step.

Everyone is less motivated to change their oil if they know a messy cleaning is waiting for them. By thinking about how the drained oil will flow and how to minimize contamination, you may be able to make your usual routine more efficient.

The filter cartridge was removed and the exhaust pipe was covered with oil. If you don't want to bother with it, you can protect it perfectly by simply installing a makeshift cover. Depending on the structure of your motorcycle, you can find a way to keep it clean.