Checking oil level

[Big Lee]

hi Folks,

Just a quick question, yes I`ve done a search!!, can I get an accurate oil level on my 12GS on the centre stand after leaving it overnight to drain down?
My bike doesn`t seem to use much, if any, oil as I think I`ve given it a hard run in period, not fast with high revs but over the steep passes with loads of engine braking & working it while going up.

Cheers

Lee

 

[Joyseeker]

keep me updated

a good question.

 

[Alphason]

hi Folks,

Just a quick question, yes I`ve done a search!!, can I get an accurate oil level on my 12GS on the centre stand after leaving it overnight to drain down?
My bike doesn`t seem to use much, if any, oil as I think I`ve given it a hard run in period, not fast with high revs but over the steep passes with loads of engine braking & working it while going up.

Cheers

Lee

Centre stand, level ground, check it 10 to 20 minutes after a good run.

 

[Philip]

Re: Re: Checking oil level

Centre stand, level ground, check it 10 to 20 minutes after a good run.

i.e. dont leave it overnight as the oil contracts as it cools and the reading should i recall be taken when warm.

 

[Big Lee]

Oil contracts when its cold?????????????? well thats the first time I`ve heard that!! I know its more viscous when cold but I`m sure 4 litres or so of oil wouldn`t "shrink" that much to make a difference!!
It`s Halloween not April fools day! Until proven otherwise I`m afraid I just don`t believe that

Surely leaving the bike overnight for the warm oil to drain down will give a more accurate reading of how much oil is in the sump?

 

[Joyseeker]

but what of those chaps measuring things in millilitres?

how do they measure oil consumption with these vagaries?

 

[Alphason]

Oil contracts when its cold?????????????? well thats the first time I`ve heard that!! I know its more viscous when cold but I`m sure 4 litres or so of oil wouldn`t "shrink" that much to make a difference!!
It`s Halloween not April fools day! Until proven otherwise I`m afraid I just don`t believe that

Surely leaving the bike overnight for the warm oil to drain down will give a more accurate reading of how much oil is in the sump?

Oil, like any other liquid, will, as stated by Philip, expand and contract with temperature change. The main reason for checking the oil at normal operating temperature is that it takes only a short time (5 minutes) to drain into the sump at a standard (normal operating) temperature.

If you leave it overnight it will still be in the sump but the level could be inaccurate by as much as half an inch in the sight glass(due to contraction - relative to the volume at normal operating temperature) - quite a difference when you consider that it takes over half a litre, nearly a pint, to top up from the lower line in the sight glass to the upper line.

Perhaps it really is April Fools day!

Cheers for now

 

[Paul Wakefield]

Its fine to leave it overnight before checking. The critical thing is that the oil was good and warm at some point before the reading; if you just start the engine up or run it for a couple of miles, any reading will be useless. Get used to ignoring readings which show a sudden change (unless you haven't checked it for 1000 miles or oil is pouring all over the floor ).

Those who have quoted in ml are normally talking 150ml plus. Once you get used to the readings, its not difficult. After all top to bottom is about 500ml so 150ml gives quite a lot of movement in the level and if you know how much you have added......


Paul

 

[Kave]

hi Folks,

Just a quick question, yes I`ve done a search!!, can I get an accurate oil level on my 12GS on the centre stand after leaving it overnight to drain down?
My bike doesn`t seem to use much, if any, oil as I think I`ve given it a hard run in period, not fast with high revs but over the steep passes with loads of engine braking & working it while going up.

Cheers

Lee

The best way of checking the oil level is to go out for a long run, not just a short trip. Then let it stay on side stand overnight. Then put it on center stand. Wait a couple of minutes and Voila! You will have a correct reading. At least it will show the exact same level when you do this several times.
Just using the center stand method shows different readings every time on my bike.

 

[chasr]

RTFM. Page 112 (1200 GS Rider's Manual). Do it as the manual says.

The manual notes that the difference in levels between oil hot & cold, can be as much as 10mm (Big Lee). It also says that you can get false readings after a brief run.

The manual says nothing about leaving the bike on the sidestand first!

Works for me.

 

[richie]

Re: Re: Checking oil level

The best way of checking the oil level is to go out for a long run, not just a short trip. Then let it stay on side stand overnight. Then put it on center stand. Wait a couple of minutes and Voila! You will have a correct reading. At least it will show the exact same level when you do this several times.
Just using the center stand method shows different readings every time on my bike.

I agree, this is the way to do it...

 

[Kave]

RTFM. Page 112 (1200 GS Rider's Manual). Do it as the manual says.

The manual notes that the difference in levels between oil hot & cold, can be as much as 10mm (Big Lee). It also says that you can get false readings after a brief run.

The manual says nothing about leaving the bike on the sidestand first!

Works for me.

The manual, are you crazy. The same shit that mentions that you should open the oil plug using the supplied tools? The compilation of colored toilet paper that mentions nothing about the self cancelling indicators? When it comes to that kind of questions I rather trust experience rather than manuals. I quote Micapeak.com:

"One area that lots of owners grumble about - the oil check window. Difficult to tell what the REAL level is. The manual advises you to leave the bike for 10 minutes before checking. However, there are many horizontal oil feeds in the engine that trap oil and mean the oil level window is not a reliable indicator!

One owner had the bike on its center stand with the oil level apparently just under red dot.

He started engine and let it warm to 5 bars on the RID, switched off and left it undisturbed on its center stand.
He came back days later to find oil level had RISEN! As before he started engine and let it get to working temperature then switched off and left it undisturbed.
When he came back several days later this time there were no oil leaks and NO OIL IN THE OIL CHECK WINDOW!?!"

Read more at: http://www.micapeak.com/bmw/gs/gs_tel2.html#oillevel

 

[Big Lee]

Thanks for all your replies & theories, it seems the oil checking lark is a little confusing! I checked the oil today at lunch time when cold & again after I arrived home from work (17 miles) & the levels were just about the same cold & hot. I`m pleased some one else says the oil level will be the same overnight as it would warming it & leaving it 10 mins
So I think I`ll use this method now!

 

[chasr]

The manual, are you crazy.

I agree it's not the best manual in the world. However, not reading the manual at all seems daft to me.

I know it's 'splitting hairs', but the manual doesn't say 'leave the bike for 10 minutes before checking'. And the owner who 'started engine and let it warm to 5 bars on the RID, switched off and left it undisturbed on its center stand' was asking to get false readings, and the manual specifically warns against doing this. Moreover, the manual gives a reason why 'He came back days later to find oil level had RISEN!.'

Big Lee, I agree with Kave & richie (and the manual!) that you should check the oil after a good run - ie the engine (and not just the oil) is at operating temperature. I don't agree with their 'wait 2 minutes.' The manual says 'at least 5 minutes' and that is what you should do. I do find that cold oil produces a lower reading than using the 'correct' method. The danger with checking the level when cold, is that you can overfill with oil. Hence the manual's "Checking the oil level after the engine has been run only briefly, or when it is not properly warm will falsify the reading and could lead to the engine being operated with the wrong quantity...'

The whole subject is bl**dy annoying, and that's why it keeps cropping up on this forum, and others. My last boxer was an RT, and that was far far worse. However, in the 6 months I've had the 1200, I've used the technique given in the manual every time I've ridden the bike, and had consistent readings throughout. Furthermore, I've observed the difference between readings hot & cold - exactly as stated in the manual.

So Kave, I'm not crazy. But I'll stick to the manual, thank you.

 

[Alphason]

I agree with Chasr.

The manual gives a procedure for checking the oil because it's the standard way of achieving some accuracy. If the engine temperature is consistent each time, as is the oil temperature, as is the length of time given for the oil to settle, then the chance of a consistently accurate reading is greater.

BMW will have used this method for calibrating the level. They're just asking us to do the same as it works better than introducing inconsistent values.