gear box oil dipsticks

[IR8D8R]

 I have a bunch of dipsticks in my random RD parts box. Most of them came on spare RD350 side covers. They all look similar and are all different in some way. I know the one in my bike isn't right as I topped it off to the stick and it started puking oil out the trans vent. I'd originally used a measured volume.

 I never really paid them attention before. I got them out and WTH They're different lengths? One has a rubber top. One has different threads but can be forced in. Did Yamaha use this basic design in other bikes? I believe that nobody would cut the end off a dipstick... Would they?

Now at least I know how long they are supposed to be. Appreciate the measurements gents!

IR8D8R

[RDryan]

I have a bunch of dipsticks in my random RD parts box. Most of them came on spare RD350 side covers. They all look similar and are all different in some way. I know the one in my bike isn't right as I topped it off to the stick and it started puking oil out the trans vent. I'd originally used a measured volume.

 I never really paid them attention before. I got them out and WTH They're different lengths? One has a rubber top. One has different threads but can be forced in. Did Yamaha use this basic design in other bikes? I believe that nobody would cut the end off a dipstick... Would they?




Now at least I know how long they are supposed to be. Appreciate the measurements gents!

IR8D8R

So earlier today I finally got around to finishing up my oil change that I started yesterday. Basically I didn't have the fresh oil on hand and I was on a schedule to be at work, figured I would pick up the oil on the way home.

It makes perfect sense to measure the correct amount listed on the clutch cover and this(1500cc) was right on point with the original dipstick reading at the upper level after a brief warm up of the engine. Checking the oil level according to what SoCal250 suggested in a earlier posting is the correct way to do it. I will say I screwed up on the last oil change I did and overfilled it by approximately 67.4cc, not sure why I will say however I need to get a proper cc/ml measuring container otherwise I may have hard time simply relying on the volume levels listed in a quart of oil container. Also being American I tend to read a lot of units of measurement in Standard fashion rather than metric as an example. In this case for an oil change I convert cc/ml into ounces.

I do think the RD to be a bit odd though in that I am so used to my more modern four stroke bikes with the oil sight window and they just seem to offer what I will refer to as "instant gratification". In the sense that what you see is what you get. The thing I am learning with my RD is that oil can tend to settle on the clutch cover side of the engine when cold and it's going to give a false reading at least with my bike. However run the engine for a bit and you get the accurate reading.That is with the original dipstick. A cold engine with my Ebay copy dipstick that is shorter gives the same reading of oil at the upper mark but only when the engine is cold and the oil is settled more to the clutch cover side.Warm up the engine and check oil again with the shorter dipstick and  you get nothing on the dipstick to read.

Is there I right way or a wrong way to read the dipstick? I guess it depends on the length of the dipstick and whether the engine has been run or not. Here's an example of where my shorter dipstick is useful...lets say the engine has a slow leak but is totally rideable. Well the first thing I will do before I start the engine is check the oil levels and top off if necessary. However that's not the intended design that Yamaha had in mind just saying. 
 

[Clem710]

Putting back together a 400 thats been apart for a while and ended up here when it seemed like I was on the stick with only appx 800ml installed but 1500 is clearly marked on the case. 800 is appx what came out of it.

I compared the 77 400 stick with a 75 350 stick and they appear to be interchangeable, both plastic tops, same threads.

400 110mm oal 107mm to low 97mm to hi

350 110mm oal 107mm to low 96mm to hi

All of these are measured from the bottom, internal, flat surface of the cap. Cheap tape measure however but should be close.

Of interest may be that the 400 was likely running with only 800ml, we drained and saved it, for quite a while, maybe its whole life, 11.7k mi. No damage or wear to the internals was noted while it was apart. Bike performed perfectly until the left seal failed.

I will be draining the 350 to double check it and satisfy my curiosity.

This is not a recommendation to run the oil low of course but may ease your mind if you find one low. I say that if Chuck is running 1500ml, run 1500.