| Author | Message | ||
     Pa_xb9sx |
Can someone please help me out? Driving home tonight, I noticed a loud knocking/pinging when I'd hit about 4,000 RPMs. So I checked the oil when I got home. It is barely hitting the bottom of the dipstick (the first ring at the bottom). I had the oil changed at 5,000 miles, and I now have 6,400 miles. There is no oil leaking at the two places where I park it. The service receipt shows a charge for 3 quarts of oil, which is correct - 2.5 for the swingarm plus 4 oz. in the filter. Do you think the service technician did not put enough in, or could the engine have used that much? If you think it's the dealer, how should I handle it. I shouldn't drive it 50 miles with the oil that low, should I? If I am going to add oil to it, how much do you think it will need if the oil is at the bottom of the stick? Edit: In addition, it was about 100 degrees on the way home. Could that have anything to do with the knocking/pinging? (Message edited by pa_xb9sx on August 04, 2005) | ||
| 99buellx1 |
The 2.5 includes the .4 for the filter. If there is that much oil in there, you were not starving for oil because of low oil level. I would suspect bad gas in conjunction with the heat. Also, the engine could use that within that mileage. | ||
| Dtx |
Guys, Be sure to monitor your oil levels. These things use more oil than you would think. I am always adding a few ounces here and there to get it back into its operating range. I believe this oil consumption is normal for a HD motor. Any body else? Oh yeah, I have an 05 XB9SX with NO visible leaks and 5,200 miles. | ||
| Dtx |
I usually check the oil every couple of rides. The manual says every fuel fill up. | ||
| Cataract2 |
Mines not used any in the 12,700 miles I've ridden it. | ||
| Xbolt12 |
The bottom ring is within the normal operating range. Personally if I flog mine it sometimes gets halfway between the low mark and the bottom of the stick. Since this is still in the fill range, I'm not too freaked out about it. After all, we're talking maybe 6oz out of 80oz so I doubt it is any big deal. xbolt12 | ||
| Jedwele |
Mine has never used a noticeable amount of oil. But keep in mind any single crank pin vtwin at high rpm like at hwy speeds can puke some oil in the airbox from the air pressure that gets built up in crankcase. | ||
| Truk |
Do you give it a minute or two to warm up before you first start out? It is an air cooled engine and needs that heat to get everything to expand and seal good... otherwise you could be passing a bit of oil by the rings before it gets up to running temp. Also, the "pinging" could be from using a lower octane than recommended. Are you running premium as required? Finally, are you checking the oil according to the procedure in the manual and checking it the same way each time. I beleive the Handbook says it only needs 4 ozs of oil when it hits the low mark to fill it back up (Message edited by truk on August 04, 2005) | ||
| Frausty12r |
Any oil showing on the dipstick would be good, just a simple reminder, too little, is better than too much. Zero oil.. well it speaks for itself.. | ||
| Pa_xb9sx |
Thanks for your help everyone. I am running 93 octane. I do give it a minute to warm up. I don't want to give anyone a heart attack, but this is the first time that I have checked the oil level since the 5,000 mile check. I get the oil changed every 2,500 miles anyway so I assumed (incorrectly, I guess) that it wasn't using any oil. I will be checking it in the future more often. I still don't think that it could have used this much oil. The dipstick only had oil on it all the way at the bottom as shown below. I do not beat on the motorcycle. I think I only had it up to 6,500 rpms a handful of times. From now on, I am going to drive down the road after an oil change, and check the level, because I think this was a service issue. If the engine is using this much oil, I am slightly worried. Once again, thanks for the input.  | ||
| Bruceclay |
I don't know what happens when you over fill 'em but I always ran on the high side on my sportsters. I fill it to slightly above the top ring. These things are oil cooled 'ya know  BC | ||
| Cataract2 |
I'm assuming you do, but you are checking while the bike is hot? Like, right after you ride. | ||
| Frausty12r |
Over Filling, (not sure about HD motors) just talking ICE's as they are, if you over fill them, you get too much oil in the heads, which can work it's way down into cylinders via the valves... burning oil is not good.. causes lots of schlack to build up on the cylinder walls, premature valve seal wear.. etc... | ||
| Prof_stack |
Yeah, check the oil level after you ride. Try to level the bike first. My 9s uses virtually no oil (Amsoil last time, Mobil-1 this change) but I check it after every other ride to be sure. I'm more concerned that tires have proper pressure (before each ride). | ||
| Pa_xb9sx |
Yep, I am doing everything by the book (with the exception of how often I check the oil). I checked it immediately after riding for 30 minutes - on level ground - on the sidestand. The bottom of the stick barely had any oil on it. I cleaned the stick, stuck it in the swingarm, screwed it all the way in, waited ten seconds, unscrewed and checked. I even did that again when I saw how low the oil was. Well, I am going to buy a few extra quarts to keep on hand. I'll fill it between the lines, and I'll determine over the next week or so if it is using oil at that rate. | ||
| Reepicheep |
The level changes quite a bit based on the alignment of the planets when you change the oil. Temperature, how long the bike has sat, if you hold it level or leave it on the side stand, what you had for dinner, whatever. My Cyclone would, regardless of how much oil I put in, promptly blow oil out the breathers until it reached the very bottom tip of the dipstick. It would then sit there forever with no further consumption. My 9sx consumes a decent amount of oil as well. Nothing I am going to panic about, maybe half a quart in 3500 miles. And it seems to be consuming less as it ages (about 7000 miles). | ||
| Drift |
Your rings probably are not seated. Go run the hell out of it... | ||
| Blitzen |
I change my oil every few thousand miles so it never gets really grundgy and it is so damn hard to read the oil on a thin black plastic stick. I cant wait to get my hands on that aftermarket oil plug and dip stick so I can be sure what the reading is. I probably over fill just to be sure cause I cant see it. And yes I have new glasses! | ||
| Blitzen |
Oh yeah about the bike being level to check the oil...thats real handy at a gas pump where there is always a wood block to put under the side stand...oh right I forgot the XB was originally designed for a three armed rider. anybody else feel my pain  | ||
| Metalstorm |
You don't want the XB to be level when checking the oil. You want the bike to be on level ground but the bike itself should be resting on it's kick stand. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
heh! that's just like my 1979 sportster. It has to be on the sidestand for you to read the oil level. Fun trivia: 1979 xlh1000 were not equipped with oil filters at all. The reason behind this is simple:  Always Means Fun! At least they make good bowling balls. | ||
| Frausty12r |
Ok checked mine, and it was on the just touching the bottom ring. I'd have to say that the only "real" time you should be worried, is if the oil pressure idiot light comes on. Then you know you're low. Again, too much is not really "good" even though this engine is oil cooled, the more oil you have in it.. the more heat has to be dissipated when cooling it. The less oil, the quicker it cools. (just my thoughts, but I'm gonna add about a half quart and see where it puts me) =/ was that hypocritical? *grin* | ||
| Typeone |
Blitzen, my owners manual says to find level ground, put sidestand down, then check dipstick. Not level the bike with a rear stand or wood block. EDIT: woah, i'm way too slow! metal beat me too it. (Message edited by typeone on August 06, 2005) | ||
| Frausty12r |
Ok, Just so you know, if the oils at the bottom rings it'll take a little less than 1 1/4 quarts to fill it up to the "full mark" (XB12R) I'm pretty sure the 03-05 XB12r/s's have the same oil capacity, Not sure about the 9's. Since it took a little over a qt to fill mine, thats WAY low.. not a "little" as I had thought. Will be checking mine about once a week to observe oil consumption, if it gets to be too much, gonna have it compression checked. )It could just be the several 300 mile trips I've been taking, high rev's spitting out the oil. But not once has the oil pressure light come on, so I'm sure everythings still solid. just an F.Y.I. from your neighborhood buell lover. | ||
| Deuceman |
My bike does not use a drop of oil. It has over 10,500 miles. When i check the oil, it has exactly the same amount on the dipstick as it did when i changed it. Also, I don't get any blowby in the airbox. Am I doing something right or terribly wrong  ? | ||
| Blitzen |
Thanks guys about being on level ground with stand down makes a difference. So where did I get the idea that the bike had to be level..You guessed it I asked the service dept at the dealership.... thanks again now i wont have to do the balancing act at the pumps anymore! | ||
| Xducrider |
Blitzen, I had the same frustrations as you are having with reading the oil level with the black plastic stick, but solved it by accident one-day. Just take the dip stick out and clean ALL the oil off it – so it’s 100% dry. Put it back in…and back out and voilá, it’s now easy to see the oil level. (Message edited by xducrider on August 07, 2005) | ||
| Typeone |
I do ~150 miles + each time I take the 12 out. After 2 or 3 of these rides the oil level will be in the lower/mid 'ADD' range. The mist in the airbox stays just at that, a mist. I've only wiped it twice since purchased (over 3K on the clock now) to clean up the thin layer near puke tubes. | ||
| Pa_xb9sx |
I put some more oil in it, but not all the way to the full line. I didn't want to over fill it, and anything was better than the level it was at. That leads to the bad news. Let me first say that I still love my Buell, and I am not bad-mouthing it. I will not be selling it. I was driving home yesterday going up a slight but long hill in 5th gear at about 70 mph. It started to hesitate and lose power drastically. I dropped it to fourth. It was still doing the same thing and continued to lose power. I pulled in the clutch and drifted to the side of the road. As I was coasting to the shoulder, it completely died. It just turned off. So I turned off the kill switch and the key. I let the fan cool it off and finish it's job. I waited about a minute after that and tried to restart it. The fuel pump whined, it tried to turn over, but it would not fire. I had my parents come pick me up and trailer it to the local dealer. The oil pressure and check engine lights came on while this was happening. I guess I'll find out tomorrow what the issue is. The only performance modification that I made was trimming the snorkel. Do you think the dealer can point to this as the reason for the engine failure? Let me hear everyone's thoughts. Thanks. | ||
| Dagwood |
Nope. Dealer can't say that desnorkeling the bike lead to what you're describing. Not in good conscience, anyway. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Did you put in a race ECM? | ||
| Pa_xb9sx |
No, not yet. I am installing a race ECM in about two weeks. | ||
| Pa_xb9sx |
Perhaps it was the primary chain that I was hearing initially as described in this post. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/32777/131903.html?1123456801 | ||
| Chainsaw |
Pa_xb9sx: Something similar happened to my bike. If you can jumper the data link, it will blink a trouble code, which will help diagnose your trouble. Make a jumper wire, bullet connectors work if you enlarge the hole a bit. Connect the jumper to the #1 and #2 terminals on the data link (numbers marked on the back). Ignition ON, run switch ON, wait 8 seconds, engine light will blink. Trouble code is preceded by 6 rapid flashes, then a 2 second pause. First digit blinks, 2 second pause, then 2nd digit. Multiple codes blinked after another 2 second pause. If a code repeats, you have them all. code 11: TPS 13: O2 sensor 14: Engine temp sensor 15: IAT sensor 16: Battery Voltage 23: Front injector 24: Front ignition coil 25: Rear ignition coil 32: rear injector 33: Fuel pump 35: Tach 36: Fan 44: Bank Angle sensor 52,53,54,55: ECM failure 56: Cam sync failure. I'm willing to bet you get a Code 11 (TPS). A wire from my TPS under the airbox on the right side had shorted against the frame. It may be it, if so, it's and easy fix with Electrical tape. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Also look at the wire bundle going to the ECM under your seat. It is supposed to be routed under the battery terminal, but can work its way on top of it (mine did this after I was messing with it to put in an extra power tap). The battery terminal has a sharp edge that can put a very tiny cut into one of the wires and short it out. Wait a minute... would not fire, or would not turn over? Would the engine spin at all? If it won't spin at all, it could be something as simple as a loose / dirty battery terminal. Actually remove each one, clean it well, and put it back on to factory torque. A bad battery connection could cause exactly what you describe. | ||
| Pa_xb9sx |
The engine did spin, but it would not fire completely. It is at the dealer now, and I will know something in the next few days, I hope. I miss it already. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Let us know what you hear! | ||
| Pa_xb9sx |
Well, I just picked it up tonight. They repaired the wire for the rear injector. It rubbed through at the battery tray. They then rerouted the wires and put a protective bumper at the tray. They also filled the oil tank and they did not hear any noise around 4,000 rpms. They want to check the oil level in 1,000 miles to see how much it uses. It runs great again, and, boy, did I ever miss it. They gave me a V-Rod loaner. I love my Buell!!! | ||
| Reepicheep |
Great! |
