I was just wondering what most of you do when you change your oil do you do it after you have warmed up the engine or drain when it's cold most people seem to say warm up the engine not really sure of the reason behind that I always do mine with a cold engine
warm potentially drains faster but I leave to drain overnight anyway! The main thing is too get rid of as much of the old stuff as possible which I think is more dependent on time rather than oil temp.
I always drop the oil after i've let it warm up for a few minutes, drains quicker and everything tends to flow a bit more. Just make sure you let it sit until there are no more drops coming out, can take a little while.
Lay the bike over as far as you can on each side, drains out of all the nooks and crannies then, best done hot because it flows much better
It's also about getting any contaminates suspended in the oil before draining rather than sitting in the bottom of the sump.
If doing hot just remember to leave to drain for a while as some will need to come from the top of the engine and work its way down.
As above, draining when hot is best as you get all the contaminants suspended in the oil, rather than sat on the bottom of the sump. Best done after a ride and left to drain overnight. Crack the filler cap before dropping and it'll not glug as much. Wear a pair of marigolds to save scalding and staining yourself. treat it to a new drain plug washer (oem is alloy, not copper) and the oem filter requires a 14 flute 65mm wrench, most motor factors will supply for half the price of honda.
when hot, oil is more runny and carries more undesirables before they have had time to settle. So this is the best time to do it. But also the longer you let it drain, the better
Spotted this on Ebay, new to me, looks like a good idea.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Oil-Drain...705573?hash=item3f5bd638e5:g:scAAAOSwGotWsnDl A little pricey Maybe?
Copper washer would not be bad, the washer just has to be made from something softer than the plug and casing so it deforms and seals, and also capable of withstanding the temperature. Copper is more expensive than most soft alloys nowadays hence the move towards alloy sump plug washers by the OEMs. Stay away from the O-Ring sump plugs, there are two issues with them. 1. The 'Special' material that expands in oil is not special at all. It means that the material is not compatible with the oil and is actually absorbing the oil. Eventually the material will decay and some of it will end up in your engine 2. O-Rings, even in the right material (Viton or Aflas), will suffer compression set, (Hardening of the rubber), and will eventually be so hard that they no longer seal as the engine goes through thermal cycles. Copper/Alloy will expand and contract at a similar rate to the rest of the engine so the load applied to it by tightening the plug remains.
Many thanks for the comprehensive reply SteB, had ordered some copper washers to do oil change and then saw thread and was worried I should have gone for alloy.
I change the oil after warming up the engine and leave to drain overnight. The oil flows better and the oil sludge is removed better. I use the Stahlbus drain valve http://www.stahlbus.com/info/en/products/oil-drain-valves No broken oil drain thread and no scalded fingers any more. Works fine!
