Engine warm up for fluid change.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,979
Likes: 2
From: Northern Colorado
I read that you should warm up the engine before changing the Oil, Trans and gear fluid (I agree). My bike has been in winter storage since November in a heated shop. My question is, do I need to take it for a short ride to warm it up or can I just lift the rear wheel off the ground, start it and let it run a while to accomplish the same thing? Thanks for the input.
Last edited by NoCoLoco; Mar 2, 2015 at 02:45 AM.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 5,132
Likes: 228
From: Garland, TX
In my opinion, if you cant take it for a ride, you could just start it up and let it run for 5 minutes to get the engine hot and change all 3 fluids. That will allow the oil in the upper parts of the engine to flow out better. The trans and primary don't really have passages for oil to flow through like the engine does so I don't think taking the bike for a ride would make any difference in changing those fluids, except they would drain faster because they are warmed up.
Road Captain
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 731
Likes: 7
From: Windsor Ontario
Running the engine before an oil change is particularly important on a Sportster - the oil tank is above the crankcase and the risk is that some oil will backdrain into the sump when sitting. Then you drain the tank and miss the oil in the sump. There is NO sump drain on a Sportster. You then put in the required amount, check the dipstick and all looks good...
until...
...you fire it up and go for a ride. A mile down the road your dipstick blows out like a roman candle and you get oil all over your jeans and polo shirt.
Your oil pump just scavanged the extra quart out of the sump and essentially tried to stuff 10 lbs. of **** in a 5 lb. bag
This is not so much a problem on the twin cams, they have a sump drain.
How many actually drain the sump?
until...
...you fire it up and go for a ride. A mile down the road your dipstick blows out like a roman candle and you get oil all over your jeans and polo shirt.
Your oil pump just scavanged the extra quart out of the sump and essentially tried to stuff 10 lbs. of **** in a 5 lb. bag
This is not so much a problem on the twin cams, they have a sump drain.
How many actually drain the sump?
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,780
Likes: 69
From: Al Bu Ker Key, New Mexico
In my opinion, if you cant take it for a ride, you could just start it up and let it run for 5 minutes to get the engine hot and change all 3 fluids. That will allow the oil in the upper parts of the engine to flow out better. The trans and primary don't really have passages for oil to flow through like the engine does so I don't think taking the bike for a ride would make any difference in changing those fluids, except they would drain faster because they are warmed up.
5 minutes running while sitting will not get temps up any where near where they need to be.....might as well do cold change. A 15 mile ride at good speed is the ticket.
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