oil filter change question

so i just did my first oil/filter change on my xj. i rode it for about an hour and pulled into the driveway. I undid the main plug and pulled the filter housing. but now that i have it off i cant remember which side is up or down. does it matter? also, about how important is it to get accurate torque on these bolts considering i dont have a torque wrench? and finally, is the middle gear drain the long bolt behind the filter? if so, when i removed it, nothing came out? should i be concerned?

 

on my bike there is a tab on the housing that fits between two fins I think I remember it in the 12 O clock position anyway when where it belong the housing on mine can't spin when you tighten the bolt. Torque not super important here two things to remember tho. If you over tighten you can damage the threads, seal or not be able to get it back out next time. Too loose and it could viberate out. So nice and snug but not He-man tight. I don't know about the long bolt you mention so that will be for someone else.

 

The middle gear drain plug is two inches away from one of the side stand sensor mounting screws, up in a recess, covered by factory exhaust.

The word and warning on this site is "don't touch it" !! it's an aluminum bolt

 

The torque specs are primarily so you don't OVERTIGHTEN it like everyone on the blasted PLANET seems to do...you will be surprised when you buy your torque wrench how LITTLE torque is actually required...and if you're planning on working on your XJ yourself, you will need a decent torque wrench. If Craftsman is too expensive, go the Harbor Freight route but you gotsta get a torque wrench...

 

thanks fellas!

 

Q1. Clock the tab on the outside of the oil filter housing to 12:00 as 85Max suggested. You will see the notch easily when you have the housing off the motor.
Q2. It is most important to NOT overtighten the bolt. Accuracy is useful but not neccessary for succesful completion of this evolution. I'd recommend you use a six point socket driver and tighten with your thumb and forfinger only! It is suprising how little torque is needed as mentioned. The Harbor Freight torque wrench is cheap and, to my 7 years of experience with mine (which includes calibration checks against National Standards Class 2), will work just fine for our applications.
Q3. The middle drain plug is toward the rear of the engine and it is highly recommended that you do not futz with it. The fastener is of low grade steel (reads: soft) and tends to weld itself to the case (dis-similar metal electrolytic welding at its finest folks), leaving a prime opportunity to strip out the case boss and leave you in a puddle of oil. From the sounds of it, you have removed one of the long bolts that secures the case halves together. It lives in the oil filter boss and most folks miss it when trying to split the case. You should not have seen any oil out of that hole. Just put it back and torque to spec. 7.2 ft/lbs if I recall correctly (anyone with their book handy please advise ASAP).
Best of luck and sing out with any other questions you might have.

 

USE ANTI-SEIZE ON THE OIL FILTER BOLT AFTER REINSTALTION.

 

I am a little confused. I thought it was suggested the middle drain plug be removed when changing the oil. Yet others are saying leave it alone. Which is it?

 

you can search for a bunch of commentary but from what I have read:

1) it holds very little oil
2) the oil is replaced very quickly when the engine is started
3) as Robert said above if you break it you are in a world of trouble
4) it is very likely stuck and prone to strip/break

Personally that is enough to tell me to leave it alone based on the experts here.

 

Leave the middle gear drain alone. Dont even look at it.
As your piercing gaze will break the head off without a second thought or warning
If it bothers you that an ounce of old oil is left in there just drain, fill back up, run her a few miles and re drain and fill up again

 

Update, I'm looking at the Haynes and, if I understand your description correctly, you removed bolt #1 which is a main bearing bolt. 8mm bolt should be torqued to 17.5 ft/lbs. 6mm to 8.7 ft/lbs.
I hope you have a book handy.
Middle drive drain bolt is more trouble than it is worth. Just let it be and change your oil regularly.

 

Ok, I just did an oil/filter change on my 81 XJ750RH...but the tab is in the 6 oclock position (bottom) as I could not get the housing to fit with the tab in the 12 oclock postion. There is a bar coming across the frame that prevents me from putting the housing on with the tab at the top...so bottom seemed to be the logical choice (I WISH I had noticed this before taking it off...argh!)
Will this be a problem? Will I have to change this?
The filter housing spun (so I had to hold it in place) until it was almost tight, then the tab that is at the 2 oclock position locked the housing in place. It "seems" to be ok. Took it for a test ride (about 2 km's) with no issues.

Please advise!!!

 

I also have the XJ750RH ('81 Seca 750) and I can assure you that the tab goes at the 12:00 position. The filter housing will probably seal up just fine with the tab a 6:00 if you kept the housing stationary when you tightened the bolt. The tab is there to lock in on a couple fins on the cases. This is to keep the filter housing from rotating during torquing so the o-ring is not damaged.

 

Thanks for the quick response!
Was afraid that that might be the case...
I must have been in the most difficult position to not get this right.
The cooling fins are lined up fine...and when I tightened the housing bolt (no more than 11ft-lbs...according to Dr. Haynes) the filter seemed to have locked in place perfectly just before the housing started to seal.
Oil is not leaking from the seal....so perhaps I'll leave it as it is for now as I can't see why this would be a problem.
Worse case scenario is that I drop the oil again and reset the housing.

Of course, I did this as I'm about to head out on a 4 day tour of South and Central Quebec....2400km's in total....am I nervious, nah!!!! :roll:

 

You'll be ok run. I misaligned the housing on several prior changes, putting it in the 11 and 1 oclock positions, with no ill effects.

The writing on the housing(1.5 kg - m) also suggested to me the tab s/b at 12 oclock. The tab fits in there nicley, as engineered, and the bar shouldn't block you. You'll get it next time. Have a safe trip.

 

Thanks!
Yes, saw the inscription on the housing...and thought "this is a clear sign that it should read upright"....then again, I thought that if you are looking at it while bent down, you would be reading it upside down...so if the inscription is upside down, then when bent down, you'd be reading it correctly...
...so much for logic!

Happy riding!

 

Having the cover upside down like that will not hurt a thing, just your pride. You will notice that the cover does not clock exactly at 12:00, just a tick to the left you will see the notch.
No worries, if it works for you, run it.