Hey guys, there has been some discussion on the Aussie HD forum on the correct way to check your oil. The manual says screw the filler cap in to check but it seems the dealers tech say not to, I checked mine after the dealer did a service when it was cold and doing it as per the maual the dipstick level is at the hot level check, which means to me there is too much oil. Why would the dealer overfill it???

Whats everyone else doin??

 

the dealer overfilled it because it's easy to just dump in 3 quarts than it is to put in 2.5-2.75 which is probably what is needed for a change.

 

I thought it said in my Fatboy manual to push the dipstick all the way in and bike on jiffystand.

 

My 2007 Dyna Owners Manual says to screw it completely into the filler neck on p.77 and the Shop Manual says the same thing on page 1-4. Why is there any debate?

B

 

never seen a dealer put less than 3 qts in always over full. you ck the motor oil with dip stick screwed in, on the stand, hot

 

i think on the tranny you do not screw in(at least on my 05) on the engine... screw in.

 

Same on my 08.

 

On my 1k dealer over fillied engine oil, had to pump some out, when i told them about and showed them the manual the guy had a dumb look on his face and didn't a word, i guess they can't read, never again, $207.00 and i brought my own oil.

 

Here's some text from my'08 manual:

"Oil level cannot be accurately measured on a cold engine. For pre-ride inspection, with motorcycle leaning on jiffy stand on level ground, oil should register on dipstick between arrows when engine is cold. Do not add oil to bring the level to the FULL mark on a COLD engine."

So you check for accuracy after bringing the engine up to operating temp. Stop and let the engine idle for 1-2 minutes on the jiffy stand. Turn engine off and then remove the dipstick, wipe- reinstall dipstick (screwed completely in). Remove and then check. Only then do you add oil to bring up to the Full level if need be.

Also as a side note:

"Do not overfill oil tank. Doing so can result in oil carryover to the air cleaner leading to equipment damage and/or equipment malfunction"

Additional note:

"For cold check level, do not exceed midpoint on dipstick when filling with oil."

I wonder how many times people are getting oil blowback into the air cleaner because of improper oil level checking ??

 

The dealer always overfills it. Unless the engine is brand new from the factory ("dry" engine), the proper fill is 2.5 quarts. The only time the engine should be filled with 3.0 quarts is when the engine has just been manufactured and never filled with oil before. This is in the Harley Service Manual. Anyhow, if it's at the hot fill level when cold, it's got 1/2 quart too much oil in it. Make sure you know how to properly check the oil when the engine is hot as per your owner's manual/service manual. Check the oil when engine is hot. Verify oil is at proper level. Then, park bike overnight. Next morning, check the oil with the engine cold. Wherever the level is, it will be fine and you'll know what the cold level should look like. This way, you can check your oild cold, without having to warm up the bike, and be accurate. Generally speaking, as archergodwin mentions above, the cold level should be about 1/2 way up the dipstick. It's okay to check cold, but you have to know what the proper cold level is.