2019 Lowrider M8. Hi I posted a forum last week thinking I had a crank seal leak.. not the case. My engine oil was very very high I took it to my mechanic we both decided it was just an overlook and a mistake during my oil change the previous week. I have been keeping an eye on it and it keeps changing levels on me after rides.. earlier I checked and it was quite high again, I let it idle for 30 seconds and checked again and it dropped back close to where it was supposed to be. I hope this isn’t a sumping issue. My engine sumped 2 years ago and I got the new oil pump, cams etc… my fuel consumption is bad but I ran some codes and it says I’m running rich and also I am very over due for an air filter change which I accidentally neglected. Please someone is this a normal thing of it to go up and down like this? I posted some pics.

 

• I also use a Vance and Hines fuelpak tuner which fixed my fuel consumption issue before (and the running rich)

 

Have oil on stick? Good to go!

 

Best way to test IMO is to go ride your bike for a good hour make sure it gets nice and hot then bring the bike home, park it on a flat surface then let it sit for 3~5 hours till it's cool to the touch. The measure the oil.
If it's between the middle mark and the lower marks on the dispstick, it's good.

For hot oil checks I'll run up down a twisty road and go find a grocery store or some place to eat lunch at park at the flattest open spot I can find and shut the bike off immediately and set it on the kickstand. Go grab or eat lunch and check the oil. If there's oil on the dipstick between the 1/4th up and the top points it's good.

 

I'm no expert on sumping, but I don't think a symptom of it is having a high level of oil in the tank.

I'm kinda lazy about checking my oil, so I tend to do it cold and simply see if it's in the range. Works for me. Even then, it can vary, sometimes by a fair bit.

When I do a hot and running check, it can vary quite a bit. Personally, I'm not surprised by this, as oil is being pumped around into and out of the tank, and the running engine is bouncing the bike some. I suspect I'm sometimes seeing high readings from waves and splashing in there because of all this.

Beware too how you hold the dipstick, and how long. Oil flows, and a dipstick held horizontally lets the oil flow out towards the full mark, or beyond it. No, it doesn't happen instantly, but if you give it some time, it can throw you off.

 

Follow the manual for hot and cold checks, I'm like fox trapper, I generally check it cold.

 

Follow the directions in the manual, as has been said. I find there is quite a difference between checking hot versus cold. I try to be consistent in how I check the oil level. On my bike, if the level is at the mid point when hot, it will barely show on the stick when cold.

Also, since the book calls for the oil level to be checked with the bike on the side stand, any slight difference in how level the ground the bike is parked on can have a significant effect on the apparent oil level.

 

 

Actually, a symptom of sumping is low oil in the tank because the oil is in the sump and not returning to the tank.

 

If it's sumping the bike will be sluggish and run very hot.