TOO MUCH OIL

When I bought this bike from someone, there was NO oil in the oil level window. I changed the filter and added oil (about 3 quarts), until it was up to the window. However, when I changed the oil, I could not get all the existing oil out of the bike because the drain plug screw is stripped. Therefore, there is too much oil in the bike now! When I go to start it, it just sputters and oil spits into the air filter compartment. How do I fix this problem?

 

how can you change the oil without draining it first?

Hope this isn't talking down, maybe i didn't understand your post.

When you change the oil, you drain the oil, remove the oil filter assembly, replace filter, re-place filter assembly on bike, refill.

Pull out some vise grips, use some heat, do whatever you have to to get the bolt off and replace it. There isn't much else you can do....(if you can remove the oil filter housing, you could probably drain some out that way, but you are going to need that drain bolt to do normal maintenance.)

If you can't get it off with the right size wrench, crescent wrench, pipe wrench, vise grips, etc, try this. I had to do this on an old vw engine and it worked...

First spray with liquid wrench or WD40, then repeat every hour for a couple hours. Go for a ride if possible to get the engine warm....if not, thats alright. The take a hammer and a flat head screw driver that can take some abuse. place the screwdriver on the right side of the bolt, on the edge of one of the flat areas, and start wacking. At some point it'll loosen up (or should) You're gonna need to get it off somehow.

 

The SCREW isn't what you use to remove the Drain Plug ...

You use a 19mm Socket or Wrench.

The Screw is there to allow the Drain Plug on a HOT Bike to be withdrawn AFTER the Plug is loosened ... with a Cross-head screwdriver ... so you don't get scalded by the HOT Oil draining out of the Bike.

 

Kellen:

We have to be very careful with the advice we give to others concerning how to remove stuck fasteners from aluminum alloy.

One errant blow and the lower case is scraped because a screwdriver and a hammer got used rather than the proper tool for removing a stuck fastener.

In the world of XJ-Bikes.com ... a screwdriver and a hammer shouldn't be used; together near cast aluminum cases.

If the Drain Plug needs to come out and its stuck ... the best tool is a 6-Point 19mm Deep Socket. The 6-Point 19mm Socket might need to be hammered on to rounded-off flats ... that's OK.

But attacking the Drain Plug with a Hammer and a Screwdriver is not something we should recommend.

Bad things could happen.

No hard feelings
We still love you
Just being politically correct ... or something like that.

 

Six point socket is the right tool for the job. If it rounds out, switch over to the next size down socket (probably in the SAE range) and go about it again as Rick suggested. Failing that, prepare the Dremel and clean up the flats for another attempt. If your still stuck, get out the Dremel and slot it, deeply (your gonna need all the purchase you can get). Heating the engine is a good idea Kellen. Get on there with an impact handle and whack that sucker. Now this surely goes against the grain and I do agree with Rick, hammers and screwdrivers are a bad mix in company with delicate aluminum cases, but if there are no other viable options, well...
A good replacement sump isn't impossible to score off Flea-Bay.

 

Well, I don't know how they did it, but some genius replaced the hex nut with a phillips head screw. And the screw is stripped. So I can't undo the plug. Unless I am the idiot and am looking at the wrong thing...which is quite possible.

I think I'll go ahead and try the hammer and screwdriver trick. Sounds good to me. (Just kidding.)

I'll work at it.

 

Your oil drain is #14 in the picture.


The phillips screw #15 is for a temperature probe for use with the exhaust gas analyzer.

 

Clean the area on the Sump above the exhaust collector right in the middle above the 2 and 3 header pipes going in.

That Phillips Screw is in the Center of the 19mm Hex Plug. Wipe it off or shoot some Carb Cleaner on it so you can see the Flats.

The Phillips Screw Head is in the center of the 19 mm Plug you have to take out to clean the oil.

I know others want you to take a screwdriver and poke a hole into the sump to let the oil drain out ... but, its much easier taking-out the Drain Plug and being able to put it back in the threaded hole after all the oil drains out.

THAT is THE ONLY PLUG you need to take out. If you have some book that says do another place; too. Don't!

There's a Hex Plug there.
Shine a light up in there and find it!
You'll be glad you did!

 

sorry about my ill-informed advice. This was recommended to me for working on a VW Bug engine, and it worked for me. I would, however, hate for my advice to cause damage to someones bike, so please disregard. The 6 point socket seems like a much safer idea...

 

When faced with few options Kellen, any idea has merit. Don't fret this one, it might have been the ticket but there are just too many unturned stones with this issue. I'd like to think we'll get him out of trouble with a more appropriate method. Here is to hoping and don't stop thinkin of good ideas, they might save someone's bacon.

 

Will somebody tell me why he can see the screw and not the Hex?

Changing oil in an XJ Bike doesn't require require Specialized Training you can only get at a Seminar held by NASA!

I'd put a nice photograph of the Drain Screw that needs to come out with this but my 5MB's of Photo space is used up on other things.

But, here's my advice.
Don't do the job until you have identified the Drain Plug and have the proper tool for extracting the Drain Plug.
You haven't done any harm yet.
But it sure sounds to me like you are fixin' too!

Go to a big book store and buy a Manual for that bike.
This oil change is leading down a path you don't want to be taking!

The very first rule of Motorcycle Maintenance is:

"Don't do anything that would make a bad situation worse."

I cannot imagine you having to replace the Sump (if you can find one) ... if you are having this much trouble removing the Sump's Drain Plug.

Will somebody take a well lighted picture of that Plug and Post it here!!!

 

This bit!

 

Sure wish i would have thought of that after the 3rd or 4th time i got hot oil all over my face.

R

 

I am jealous now...I don't have the phillips screw in my drain plug.

 

This may sound crazy, but no more so than the hammer-and-screwdriver thing. If you can get your hands on an aerosol can of freon TF or freon based contact cleaner of some kind, spray the drain plug with that. the extreme cold might shrink the plug just enough to loosen it, the opposite of running the engine to warm and expand the sump.
If you get desperate, a drill and easy-out might be an option. At worst you'll need to replace the plug anyway.
I've changed my oil twice and had no trouble. Good luck to you!

 

Craftsman has a set of Sockets that will take that thing out of there ... even if it's rounded-off so bad that there's no flats left to grab.

But, the issue is ... have we identified the Hex part of the Plug?

It would seem to me, the best course of action is to get the Drain Plug identified, as such ... and see if we can either put a 19mm 6-Point Socket on it ... or, clean-up the flats to a point where we can get another socket firmly on there ...

or ...

Take a ride to sears and get the Hex Extractor Socket that will hold that thing firmly enough to be removed ... and, once removed see how far it can be driven after placed on a Golf Tee and struck with a Driver.

Get it out.
If its stripped ... get rid of it.