Too much oil?

corvus · Jan 3, 2005

What would the result be of overfilling the tranny on a KDX (or any motorcycle for that matter)?
The inspection window on my gearbox always appears "empty", i.e. I can't see the oil level. Before going out on the bike, I always check the oil level and top it up. Over the past few weeks I have noticed that the gears have become "stiffer". The last time I went out I added a bit more oil, only to find that it started pouring out of the case. I rode it like that and then left the motorcycle standing for about two weeks. Trying to ride it on the weekend I found that the clutch would not didengage fully - no power in any of the gears. Could this be due to the excess oil? Could it be that the clutch plates are "stuck/glued" together by the oil?

Regards,

kiwi55 · Jan 3, 2005

Can you start again by draining the oil,and refilling with the correct 700mls, or whatever gets you 1/2 way up the sight window? It can't be good, running the g'box overfilled, but then it's hard to see how it would have caused the problems you are having - what kind of oil is it?

canyncarvr · Jan 3, 2005

'Top it up'? What does that mean?

You should see oil in the sight glass. Most riders run a full quart to quiet the clutch down. With a full quart in you will have to tip the bike over a good bit (RH side) to see the fluid line. Like Kiwi said, drain and refill with some measured amount that will get you do something you see in the sight glass (warm up the bike first). Then you will know what it should look like with the correct amount in.

The crankcase is vented, so hydraulic lock shouldn't be possible. Still the correct amount of oil to run is just that....the 'correct' amount, and on the kdx that is commonly more than spec, again for clutch noise, but not more than a quart (or whatever you folks call it...946ml or somesuch). ;)

john_bilbrey · Jan 3, 2005

IF you can't see oil in the window, you're not running enough, by a long shot. As CC mentioned above, run the full quart. That gearbox gets pretty noisy when you just run the 700ml. The hard shifting and poor clutch action, I imagine, are directly related to not enough oil in there....
I know on my machine that about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way filling it up, the window is just about full.

motoxdude · Jan 3, 2005

to see the oil good first start up your bike and let it run for a few minutes then shut it off and look at the window.the result of having to much oil is that the clutch starts to slip andyour gears start to loose power. its almost like being in neutral in every gear. empty the oil then put .7 liters in

mxmatthew · Jan 3, 2005

john_bilbrey said:
The hard shifting and poor clutch action, I imagine, are directly related to not enough oil in there....

I've always found that hard shifting is from having too much oil. :coocoo: ?

250RDude · Jan 3, 2005

Along the same lines of this thread, I've always filled mine to almost a Qt. After starting & running alittle while it leaks out the vent tube so much so that within forty to fifty miles it stops dripping & the oil level is right in the middle of the sightglass & drops no further. :think: Kinda self-limiting.

corvus · Jan 5, 2005

Too much oil

Thanks for all the replies!

To answer Kiwi55: The type of oil is Castrol GTX Magnatec 10W40.
To answer Canyncarvr: What I meant by "topping up" is checking the oil level and adding if required.

I am inclined to go with what both Motoxdude and MXmatthew said - The problem with the clutch shift etc. could not be caused by too little oil as the box overflowed when I last added oil. (Might this problem be a cause of using incorrect oil maybe??) I do always check the window before adding but have not been able to see the oil level. As I incorrectly believed that I did not have sufficient oil, I simply kept on adding. From one ride to the next I could definitely feel that the shifting became progressively stiffer and that on a coldish engine/clutch that there was some slippage. (In one case I had to apply pressure to the gear shift lever to keep it in 1st gear on a cold engine.)
When I first purchased the motorcycle, a friend mentioned that I should only use W30 oil and to stay away from synthetics. The belief is that synthetics damage the clutch and might lead to
the clutch plates "sticking" (W40 oils), thereby not allowing the clutch to disengage. (See Motoxdude's comment :cool: )

I have already drained the oil. Any suggestions what I should replace it with? The only reason for using the Castrol, was that the previous owner used it.

Thanks again to all.

Regards,

Fred T · Jan 5, 2005

any motor oil that does not have friction modifiers will be fine. I used to use Castrol GTX 10-40 in mine and it was fine. Just change it after every 2-3 rides to keep it clean -it was like less than $2.00 a quart. Put the whole quart in and don't worry about the level unless you can see it leaking out on your parking spot. I doubt you will ever have to worry about adding more oil. Did you get the bike warmed up when you drained it? That helps get all the oil out.

gn83tm · Jan 5, 2005

Contrary to most guys, I use the 750 ml or whatever it is supposed to have. If I run the full quart it just spits it out the vent tube. I have always run the Bel-Ray GearSaver oil and had good performance with it. Everyone has their preference and a lot of guys just run ATF.

It may be possible that with too much oil it is getting churned up to the point that it is foaming and that would affect clutch action. I'd start out with the recommended amount and keep a close eye on it so you know if the level is rising or falling.

Jim Crenca · Jan 5, 2005

Just a shot in the dark but...
Have you replaced your clutch lever lately with an aftermarket unit.
I noticed years ago when I replaced mine that the bike suddenly was harder to shift.
By using a dial indicator, it was clear that the replacement lever did not move the clutch arm nearly as far as the stocker. Bending the lever fixed that problem.
I've tried all the oil combinations and was using Mobil 1 10w50; my bike shifts slightly better with ATF.
Maybe it's time for clutch service?

corvus · Jan 6, 2005

Thanks for that advice.
I did replace the clutch lever about 6 weeks ago but did not see/feel any signifcant difference after that.
The current clutch is about 3 months old.

KDXMAC · Jan 6, 2005

I find it funny that no oil could be seen in the window, even with the normal 700ml, I can see oil in the window. (bike in the upright position, not on stand). I actually use 850ml and find it's the best of both world there has been a reduction in noise and no spillage. The problems sound a little more than just oil level. I use silkonlen gear oil which has been great, plus it's red so make the bike go faster.... ;)

corvus · Jan 6, 2005

I had better get some of that red stuff then, don't you think.....? ( nudge, nudge)

BradFrost · Jan 6, 2005

I had a KDX with an oil window. Problem was the window consisted of two pieces of plastic(like a sealed lens) which would somehow fog up, making it impossible to see anything at all... except a white to brown mist. Perhaps something similar has happened with your bike and you've been adding oil when you didn't need to resulting in the sticking clutch and powerless gears.

corvus · Jan 6, 2005

That is a possibility. I have now refilled the gearbox and paid special attention to the oil window as I was doing this. Still can't see the oil level.
Will take it for a ride on the weekend - let us see what happens??

mxmatthew · Jan 6, 2005

yea, I'd just fill it up to the reccommended amount and change the oil every few rides and everything should be fine. You wont loose mass ammounts of oil in a ride or 2.

hunter1 · Jan 6, 2005

In my opinion the inspection glass is dirty on the inside, this would cause the problem you are having. Fill it up with 700-800 ml of 2-stroke transmission oil, I use Belray, and you should be okay.

Too much oil?

Similar Topics

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency