OIL 20W/50

Should be about 2.5 quarts. I have never removed my middle gear plug, but mostly because I'm lazy.

 

If you're smart you'll never remove it. That plug is fairly fragile, and a PITA to get to. There isn't enough oil in there to worry about.

The cranckase oil capacity is stamped on the right side of the engine case, near the oil fill plug.

 

That's right, you don't need to remove it.

Also the little amount of residual oil in there is minimal anyway, and will get flushed with clean oil that goes in.

Dave

 

So the Haynes manual says:

XJ650 - 11N(UK) and XJ650 SECA --- 2.65 litres
All other XJ650 - 2.35 litres
All XJ750 - 2.50 litres.

IF YOU ARE CHANGING THE OIL FILTER AT THE SAME TIME ADD .30 litres TO ACCOUNT FOR THE AMOUNT IN THE OIL FILTER HOUSING.

To get quarts from litres - * by 1.05669 or use google
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=litres+in+quarts

 

Haynes isn't known for their accuracy; as long as the bike has the original clutch cover you can trust the little "CM3" number on the case.

 

Does that include the oil-filter cup capacity?

 

Here's the deal; fill the crankcase, run the bike, let it sit for 10 min on the center stand, top off, done. Following that procedure ensures that you won't overfill the crankcase. If you've converted to a spin-on filter, you can partially fill the new filter before putting it on.

 

Roger that... I know it's very basic stuff but sometimes it's the little things that get you and leveraging the tips and tricks of the experienced guys here is gold dust for me.... tis why I ask the dumb questions

 

The dumbest question is the one that's never asked (and the one when a student asks what he's supposed to do immediately after I've given instructions).

 

Indeed... thanks Moe..

I once got asked in an interview "What's the one question you were hoping we wouldn't ask you?"... it took me a few second but I finally said..."that one!".

 

Errr....So I just changed my oil and I have oil coming out of the airbox. I put 2.5 quarts. Can I just let the oil shoot out until it stops, or do I have to change the oil all over again? How's that for a dumb question?

 

You can drain some of the oil from the sump; either via the sump drain (wear gloves), or by using a length of vinyl tubing to siphon it out of the fill hole. Get it back to the correct level. Running much extra isn't a great idea. 2500cc is not equal to 2.5 quarts; as you found out.

 

isn't 2500 cm3 = 2.64 quarts - shouldn't have overfilled it right?

Maybe the middle gear oil pushed it over?

 

Okay, I've never heard of middle gear oil. I'll have to look that up. Thanks for the replies!

 

it's not really "middle gear oil" it's just a plug to drain the low spot that happens to be close to the middle gear, best to just forget about it

 

Okay. Is the sump slang for something? I didn't find it in my Haynes manual. Gotta get back to work...

 

Normal human beings call them "oil pans", but high-rpm, race-inspired designers and manufacturers call them "sumps" because that is the technical (rather than descriptive) name for it. P.S. they're made of magnesium........according to Yamaha (at least on the '83-up models).

 

Okay, good to know!

 

I run what Yamaha recommends and have had absolutely ZERO oil-related issues; ever. Not now, not back in the '80s when I also had a few Yamahas.

I run what Norton recommends in the Norton, and again (except for when "GTX" became car-only oil) have had no oil-related issues. Damn Castrol anyway.

Back to Yamahas. Yamaha says 20W40 for when it's warm out (or even reasonable riding temp) and 10W30 for genuinely cold conditions. Since 20W40 is virtually non-existent anymore 20W50 is fine especially in seriously warm weather, but fine under any conditions they recommended 20W40 for.

I would not recommend a 10W-basis weight oil for any XJ under "normal" riding conditions (warm enough to feel your extremities) ever.