I just changed out my trans oil for the first time and noticed it was extremely overfilled. I added just under 1500ml of fluid and leaned it from side to side and etc. it's gone down a little but is still well over the mark.
I let it drain for about 2 hours. The bike was level and every now and then I leaned it from side to side and etc to make sure all of the oil drained out.
Should I start the bike to ensure the fluid fills the case properly or just wait a while for the fluid to settle?
Pour in the correct amount of fluid and you are done. It will circulate on its own.
I put 1500ml of fluid in. It's been siting for over an hour now and is still about an inch over where it should be. Ugh.
If you put the right amount of oil in you are fine.
The action of the movement of the engine will get the oil in the correct place.
The spot where you fill the oil is in the side cover with the clutch. This space is relatively small. The oil will linger and show a false level on the filler sight or dipstick.
The oil will move through the holes into the cases once the engine runs for a bit.
If you put in 1500ml and it says 1500ml on the case side don't worry about it.
Putting too much oil in a transmission is really just ever so slightly marginally bad. You might lose 2% of power from drag. Filling the case to the top would not be great as it would create a lot of drag but you essentially just have 2 gearshafts in there and forks/rods used for shifting in that space.
The RZ/LC are known to be totally fine with lower engine oil levels as well. Also slightly harder on the gears but we are talking at the absolute margins here.
Don't worry about it. Go ride.
Are you checking level with the dipstick screwed in or sitting on top of the threads?
The dip stick is sitting on top of the threads vs. it being screwed in.
I'll crank it up and check it again after running it. I thoroughly measured out 1500ml using a measuring cup just in case. I also had two 1000ml bottles and the left over bottle shows just over 500ml. Thanks again for the reassurance. It's much appreciated
If you put in the right amount don't fret.
Again, the oil will sit in the clutch cover for a while showing high oil level on the dipstick off the bat.
Be mindful of overfilling the trans oil and where your breather pipe is positioned - in my case, excess oil was spat out onto the swing arm, and then it ended up all over the rear disc brake and pads :vroom:
I cranked it up and ran it for a bit. Afterwards, the fluid level went to where it was supposed to be. Thanks again!
Well...I thought I was ok. I just checked the bike and there is a long line of trans fluid coming from the left side of the crankcase. It may be the seal under the front sprocket (counter shaft seal). The drip seems to be coming from that area. I hope that's all it is.
I checked the fluid level when the bike was warm and it was perfect. I just checked it cold and it shows that it's over filled (Is that supposed to be the case?). The RD350 owner's manual says to check it warm. I hope I didn't cause a huge problem over something as simple as changing trans fluid. ugh.
I have always checked transmission oil when cold...guess I've been doing it wrong! However, my bike has utilized the center stand for a long time, so it's always vertical when draining, filling and checking oil. Maybe that makes a difference :umm:
I'd check the vent hose at the top/rear of the cases to see if it's spewing oil first.
After that, neither countershaft seals nor neutral switches are immune from leakage on RZs, mine has had the countershaft seal replaced twice, and I'm 99% sure it can be done engine-in-frame. OK, maybe 90%. Never had an issue with shift shaft seals, but it's right there if you're checking the countershaft seal.
Wade
If you drained out all the old oil and put in new oil of the correct amount you are fine on oil level. This is not rocket science.
You should not spew oil from a RZ with +/- a half liter from the recommended amount.
If that seal has a ridge on it you will have to be fairly aggressive taking it out but once removed you can replace with one w/o that collar if needed. THere may be a bushing that can be removed that makes the job easier.
Odd to see it leak after an oil change but possible a different viscosity oil is slipping through. It is not a huge deal to replace the seal.
You need to remove the cover on the clutch side to completely drain the oil, FYI. There is always some oil that lingers there when drained from the plug alone.
It is a marginal amount of oil and will not impact the overall fill. This is not a liquid fuel rocket ship. It is a large container that is only partially filled. You are wasting your own time removing the clutch cover to refill the transmission. Yamaha did not do this and neither should you unless you having nothing better to do.
The keen racer minded rides ran those tranny's at 1L of oil for reduced drag. I know a guy that had 100,000kms on his tranny running 1L of oil w/o problems. If you consider where the oil vent is on the tranny I am surprised you would see overflow unless you have majorly overfilled the transmission.
my method is set to lower line when cold. then ride it and recheck when fully warmed up. triples are NOTORIOUS for over flowing trans fluid when fully warmed out of the vent.
I had an over full problem a couple years ago on my RZ and it was 2 stroke oil from the oil pump shaft seal. My oil level in the transmission kept rising slowly over a period of time and I saw the blue tint to the oil when I drained it and ended up being that seal. I am. Not sure if it is the same for an RD.
My method is to put a quart and a half in and ride it and not worry about it.
That method sounds excellent:)
I'm guessing this is the overflow tube. It's pointed directly to the side of the leak, so I'm figuring that's all it was. I'm just going to ride the damn thing.
Below is a pic of the dipstick. The red fluid on the towel shows where the level is currently on the dipstick (cold).
you can use a syringe (like for setting fork level) and hose and suck some out. :twocents: (or if you want to go super low buck, a turkeybaster will work in a pinch with a hose on it. :dawg:
Thanks! I think I'll do that and take some fluid out. I only rode the bike a few blocks in the neighborhood. The case gaskets/seals are pretty new and that was my main concern. I'd rather not have to redo those.
Next time I'll start at a liter and slowly fill it until it reaches the right level;), then start the bike and let it circulate through. Add some more fluid if needed, then ride out.
I was looking at a motor I have apart and according to the dip stick the correct oil level is actually about 1/2" below the largest diameter gear on the trans gear sets. I would have thought at least some of the gears would touch but guess not.
May I return to this subject? After full rebuild, I carefully measured and added 1500 ml to my RD400c. Even after initial start, break-in at rest, and a 1.5 and 7 mile ride it still shows about 1 inch too high on the stick (measured with stick resting on case).
I always go by volume not the level on the dipstick. There are a lot of different brand bikes where the dipstick or oil check holes are known to be way out.
Folks,
ive seen a mystery like t his before but on DT'S, are you sure you have the correct dipstick??
cheers
les.
Quote from: elliottles1 on April 17, 2021, 03:06:46 AM
Folks,
ive seen a mystery like t his before but on DT'S, are you sure you have the correct dipstick??
cheers
les.
I have no clue. It is a "rolling basket case" purchased in Ohio from a guy that finds and sell such items. The dipstick was in it, but I have no idea of its linage. Maybe another RD400c owner could measure theirs (distance from bottom of cap to end of stick and top of depression) and post it?
Here's the dipstick from my bike that I rolled out of the showroom in 1976
(https://i.ibb.co/j46DGd5/20210417-074251.jpg) (https://ibb.co/zfnZb15)
Thanks! Mine is exactly the same, but the oil level on it is around 8 cm.