Lazy oil change
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,945
Likes: 4
From: Victoria, Australia
I read an article a year or so ago somewhere that was debating the cold vs hot oil change. The logic for changing cold was the contaminants have settled to the bottom of the oil pan and would be in the first oil coming out of the drain plug.
Think about it-- when you park it hot and wait, MOST of the oil (with the exceptions noted above) will drain down to the pan and just sit there waiting for the next event.
I see no issues changing oil cold as long as you give it plenty of time to drain, as the crap should already be in the pan.
Am I missing some logic with this?
Think about it-- when you park it hot and wait, MOST of the oil (with the exceptions noted above) will drain down to the pan and just sit there waiting for the next event.
I see no issues changing oil cold as long as you give it plenty of time to drain, as the crap should already be in the pan.
Am I missing some logic with this?
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,979
Likes: 4
From: Central IL
I read an article a year or so ago somewhere that was debating the cold vs hot oil change. The logic for changing cold was the contaminants have settled to the bottom of the oil pan and would be in the first oil coming out of the drain plug.
Think about it-- when you park it hot and wait, MOST of the oil (with the exceptions noted above) will drain down to the pan and just sit there waiting for the next event.
I see no issues changing oil cold as long as you give it plenty of time to drain, as the crap should already be in the pan.
Am I missing some logic with this?
Think about it-- when you park it hot and wait, MOST of the oil (with the exceptions noted above) will drain down to the pan and just sit there waiting for the next event.
I see no issues changing oil cold as long as you give it plenty of time to drain, as the crap should already be in the pan.
Am I missing some logic with this?
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,945
Likes: 4
From: Victoria, Australia
dirtracin23, OK I can see that-- makes sense-- thanks.
Tourer
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 281
Likes: 1
From: Ct
I like the debate. I just changed the oil in my Nightster for my first time ever today. Go head and laugh I am still fairly new to bikes. Made a bit of a mess pullin off the old filter, but not to bad. I changed it cold. I guess I missed the part in the manual that says warm her up first. I suppose I'll see soon if I have any issues.
Tourer
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 335
Likes: 14
From: Baltimore
When I had my 1K service done by a local Indy shop as soon as they had it written up he drove the bike into the shop to chnage the oil while it was still hot. Needless to say I was impressed that he took the time to do the oil chnage when the oil was hot. This coupled with his comment about how far my clutch was out of adjustment on a new bike made me verly reluctant to ever go to the dealer for service. I could never her the bike into neutral and after the 1K service it is never a problem. So much for the $500 dealer prep on a new bike.
Banned
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 6,259
Likes: 5
From: NW NC
I'm not gonna take the time to read all of this but how much do you care for your bike? This is the biggest reason I change my own oil as I GUARANTEE no mechanic is going to be as thorough as I am, whether it be bike or vehicle. I changed my oil yesterday on the bike and it took over an hour. I pull the dip stick, remove the drain plug and once it has stopped dripping I remove the spark plugs and crank the motor. You would be surprised at how much oil will crank out. I then do it again still getting more oil. Then remove the filter, wipe everything down, reinstall the plug, fill it with oil, reconnect the spark plug wires and start it up. I start the bike/vehicle, let it run and check for leaks. But I love my bike and am **** and only use synthetic oils, Amsoil in the bike and Mobil 1 in the vehicles. Let your conscience be your guide, or for that matter how much you care for your bike.....
I saw somewhere recently a sort of funnel which actually looked like a 1/3 of a funnel cut away which is to help keep from making a mess removing the filter. If anyone knows anything about this please post.
I saw somewhere recently a sort of funnel which actually looked like a 1/3 of a funnel cut away which is to help keep from making a mess removing the filter. If anyone knows anything about this please post.
Last edited by strtarrow; Jun 5, 2010 at 06:04 PM. Reason: Question
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,948
Likes: 54
From: The Burgh
...............
I remove the spark plugs and crank the motor. You would be surprised at how much oil will crank out. I then do it again still getting more oil.
...................
I saw somewhere recently a sort of funnel which actually looked like a 1/3 of a funnel cut away which is to help keep from making a mess removing the filter. If anyone knows anything about this please post.
http://www.jpcycles.com/product/910-439?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campa ign=products
Tell me more about your method of removing the spark plugs and cranking the engine to get more dirty oil out of it. How much oil do you get this way? How long do you do this without risking to damage the motor and how do you catch the oil out of the plug holes?
I'm thinking of using the Scavenger oil kit from Rogue Chopper. It uses 1qt of fresh oil to push the old one out of the crankcase, which seems a safer method to me, mechanically speaking, plus you don't make a mess since the additional oil comes out of the drain hole.
http://www.roguechopper.com/
Last edited by frenchbiker; Jun 6, 2010 at 08:23 AM.
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 948
Likes: 1
From: Worth, Illinois
Well It's a shame I can't get back the last 30 minutes that it took me to read this post. Do it your own way and go ride the damn thing, lmao.
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Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 13,389
Likes: 26
From: Windham,Maine
Years ago this made more sense,but with todays much tighter engine tolerances, oil additive packages,the quality of filters and the very short drain intervals,it does not matter.If you think otherwize then send a sample of your cold and hot oil to a lab for a comparison.Trust me, all will be surprized not only that will realize you do not need to change your oil so often.Where do you think the drain intervals came from?
