How quarts of oil in a XJ550?

How many quarts of oil does an XJ550 take? i dont see any markings on the dipstick. Is there any way to tell?

 

Should be marked on the case near the fill hole. My 650 is.

 

There is no dipstick, just an oil window on the right hand side of bike, below clutch hub on clutch cover. Bike needs to be on the centerstand, level and fill it until there is just a slight air bubble in the window. Should be 3.4 quarts of oil, might be with an oil filter change also but do check the oil window and go by that

 

I just wanted to tell all the new guys why we do it that way.
If you leave just a bubble, you can tell if you used 3 ounces of oil, and you can tell if you GAINED oil if there is no "bubble" . . .

BUT you didn't gain oil - - you gained GASOLINE from a leaky carb float.
If the oil was kept at the normal level, you wouldn't notice a slight rise.

Another reason to keep it a bit higher than "full" is to keep the "oil" light from coming on when accelerating.

 

The xj 550, with an oil filter change should be 2.6 quarts of oil and without the removal of the filter housing will be around 2.3 quarts. I hate to be the. This is right from the maintenance manual and what I had already been advised of by the Yamaha Dealer. This is refill capacity.
The best way to make sure you have the right amount is to measure what came out of the case, provided you were at suggested level, and refill with only that amount.
So empty your case and filter housing. Let it drip for about 15 minutes to make sure you get as much out as possible. Install the filter and housing and drain plug and add a little less than 2 and a half quarts.
After that run the bike and go for a short ride. Then place the bike on it's center stand overnight. Check the oil level window BEFORE you start the bike. Add oil as necessary.

2.6 quarts (2,500 cc) max if filter is removed
2.3 quarts (2,200 cc) if filter IS NOT removed

 

CORRECT.

 

Chuckles is correct... must be all the meds that I am taking

Sean

 

i'm having trouble with refilling my 81 550 after draining litterally 99% of the oil. i've added 4 quarts so far and still nothing in the sight glass! rear of the bike was lowered 3 inches, would that be why i am not seeing anything???

 

Are you checking the bike with it on the centre stand, and level?

It MUST be on the centre stand, NOT the side stand, or you won't see anything in the sight glass, until you've well and truely overfilled your bike, and from what you say, you have done that already.

 

the bike does not have a center stand anymore, however i have had someone strattle the bike as if they were riding it and still nothing in the sight glass. i had the oil pan off and completely drained the block. even after that i would assume that i should still see oil by now. i've even leveled the engine by raising the rear of the bike, i'm not sure what's going on

 

STOP.

If you put in 4 quarts, it's WAY overfilled.

Drain the oil; and put in just under 2 1/2 quarts. The oil capacities with and without filter change are above, in chuckles' response; and it's ok to run maybe another 200CC or so to keep the level sensor happy.

You need to have the motor OFF for at least 10 minutes and the bike has to be on the centerstand or held vertical.

As above, you won't see anything if the bike is on the sidestand.

 

i've drained and refilled the bike with 2.5 quarts. i've had the bike veritcal for over ten minutes and it hasn't been run in over three months. still baffled as to why there is nothing in the sight glass. thanks for the input guys

 

If you had the oil pan off and completely drained the motor, you'll need to prime the oil pump by "pre-filling" the oil filter housing with a couple of cups of oil.

If you haven't run the motor yet, good. Pull the filter housing off and pre-fill it before you do.

Then either start it or spin the motor a few dozen times with the starter; wait 10 minutes, then check it.

One last point: BRAND NEW oil is so clean and the the inner plate on the sight glass so close to the window that if the motor is completely full enough to be slightly past the sight glass, it will appear as there there isn't any oil in it, when in fact you're looking right through the new oil.

I start with the bike on the sidestand, reach up and grab the front brake and use the RH bar to stand the bike up toward vertical as I watch the oil level come up in the window. That way, even with a slight overfill, I know exactly what's going on even if the level is slightly above the window.

 

well i feel like the biggest idiot on earth. as you said, the oil was so clear i didn't even notice it had filled the sight glass. anyway, the correct amount of oil is in the bike and it runs and idles beautifully. one more 550 catastrophe avoided thanks to xjbikes.com and its memebers. thanks guys.

 

Don't (feel like an idiot.)

How do you think I knew that was what was happening? And what caused me to develop the "stand it up and watch" method as above?

(experience.)

 

What type of oil is recommended for the 1981 XJ550 Seca? I bought this bike out of a garage where it had been sitting for 5 years and am slowly getting it back to good condition. The only problem is I don’t have any manuals for it and I’ve been very hesitant to buy any from eBay. Any help would be great, thanks in advance.

 

Oil thread, and more, in my signature.