Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech oil change#@$%^%*

well yesterday i decided it was a good time to get it done. i had already purchased the oil and filter a couple weeks ago but havnt had the time, but yesterday was a perfect day or so i thought. sooo broke out the oil drain pan that i have had for a number of yrs and set the bike up as usual and went to work. as i am draining i decide to check on some other things out in the shed and when i return i see oil all over the patio where i always do this. then i notice that my drain pan is severaly cracked around the bottom. i know my neighbor has cats so i head over to see if he can spare some litter, he does so i spread it on the oil to soak it up. (anybody know how to get the stain out of concrete) so by this time i am pretty flustered and without useing the brain anymore i spin the filter on and proceed to refill, i always fill the filter and then install, i didnt this time. and dump in my 4 qts of oil, as i finish draining the last qt i suddenly remember, its actually less than the full 4. ok so now its overfull. man this day is turning crappy fast. i start her up and spin around the block one time to heat chain as i am gonna lube and clean that. well as i am cleaning that i notice a small drop forming under the engine, what now?? oh! of course, after 10yrs of useing the same plug washer it decides its no longer any good. so now i have a drip. i decide i might as well run to the dealer and get one and enjoy a little comeradery between like minded people (on saturdays my dealer always has the grill going, burgers and dogs so there is always a good bunch of people there) good news, he has 10 in stock so i get me one and what happens when i step back outside?? the sky opens up and decides to rain which made for fun ride home. so today i am contimplateing pulling the plug, holding my thumb over the hole while i put new washer on and see if i can reinstall without looseing more oil than what i am overfull. at the price of Amsoil these days i hope i dont loose it all. and to top that off they tell me that Triumph is really off its game lately with parts shipping, something about useing ups instead of whoever they were useing and that they are not sure when my new bars will be in. i guess it just proves, somedays your the hammer and some days your the nail.

Yea, I seem to have more of those days, the older I get!

I just noticed you are an Oil Expert,

There's a certain irony in that!

Dang, mean crowd in here

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Yep....2000 posts and he is an Oil Expert.

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Ahh soon to be one myself.

time for an oil change myself. My luck will probably be the same.

Battery acid will get rid of the stain but if you leave it too long it will eat the cement too.

I've had luck with brake clean and clean oil dry. pick a square foot area and douse it with brake clean then immediately cover the spot with oil dry. sweep the area back and forth. should pick it up. then move on to the next area. That has worked for me before. also always change the washer.pbbttt


mike

Kerosene.

Newt, I may have pre-filled my filter once. Certainly no more than twice. And I always have always just dumped in the whole gallon of Rotella T6, watching every last little micro drop roll into the mouth of the funnel and down into my cases, like precious liquid gold.

She's always left her little dribble from the vent tube, and I have never added a drop of makeup oil between changes. At 83K, changing oil and filter every 4K miles, I just changed my oil for the 20th time myself yesterday. And I can not wait to get my oil sample report back from Blackstone Labs and see how she's doing. As far as I know, she's never been better.

Don' worry about the overfill. And unless it looks like it's going to empty the crankcase on you, I'm not sure how much I would worry about that drain plug gasket. This time. But when you buy one from the dealer, buy a dozen. And never reuse one if you don't have to. They're cheap. That Amsoil isn't.

Ha! I was supposed to Work on the girls Saturday. But the wind was flat and I had 5 gallons of roof paint that needed spreading. By the time I finished up with that it was beer thirty. So today I worked on the girls. Center stand, Front rotor, front brakes, front brakes, swap garmin cradle meaning to the backbone Prudence and Cinnamon Girl had to be, Swap saddles, dropped Prudence's bowls to see what her jetting was. Replaced all those Phillips screws while I was at it. Installed the Control Module bolt kit on Prudence and lubed her chain. Just finished up a hour ago...

that front floating EBC rotor was shipped by Eddy March 15, 2011. took me a while to get round to it eh? AND taped to it were front and rear HH ebc pads. Dang. AND oneof those speed bleeders too.

The only time I did something stupid was when I dropped one of the left carby bowl screws and couldn't find it for a freaking while.
Man these newer blocks are a lot more obtrusive.
The left carby one can hardly get a wrench on as the block is in the way. wtf?

I've still got to change CG's oil. Been almost a year now. Maybe some rear brakes too. Changed the highlander's oil and filter cartridge last Tuesday before work. And yes still using the same oil plug washer...

Don't worry about doing the finger in the dike thing. It won't smell like fish, er you won't loose much oil. Just ensure the oil is not hot! I had to let out almost 3 cups of oil after Vera Lynn's 500 mile oil change. Still have it too.

Oops, rambling again...

Clay oil absorbent (kitty litter). After soaking up as much as possible, put some fresh on, crush and twist it in with your foot. Leave it for as long as it takes for wind, rain, use etc. to carry it away. Stains disappear.

I've just changed my oil and filter, and I spilt some of the old oil on the path. I've decided to let erosion clean it up for me

could spread some dry mortar on it and rub in real good

I'll tell ya what don't work. There are some products out there that come in a bottle, and you just pour it on and let it sit. Turns foamy and then to powder. Leaves about half a stain on anyway!