| Author | Message | ||
     Jmc111jeff |
I have a 2007 XB12STT. I seem to be consuming about 150 ml. of oil every 1000 miles. I haven't talked to my dealer yet. Wondering if this is normal? I had the 5000 mile service done by my dealer and am now at 7900 miles. Bike is running great no issues to speak of ! | ||
| Aptbldr |
150 ML = 0.15850323141 US liquid quart. : ) | ||
| Kalali |
Or a standard shot glass!! | ||
| 05mxdiesel |
My bike consumed around 8 oz every 4-4500 miles. I have around 14k now and it now consumes very little. No issue. | ||
| Invisible_monster |
I've had some conversations with my Buell dealer about my 08 Ulysses using oil. Their statements to me are that unless you are using greater than 1qt of oil per 1000 miles (documented by them) it is considered within the normal limits of the engine. | ||
| Kalali |
Of course the newer the engine, the more the oil consumption. | ||
| Buellnick |
Of course... typical company line re oil consumption. The inconsistency between motors is astonishing given modern manufacturing techniques. HD/Buell should be embarassed to tell people tell people that this rate of oil consumption is OK but that's what they tell customers... I had an '03 XB9 with absolutely no oil consumption ever and the oil reading was always the same. I could go the whole 5K and only add about 4oz. Now I have 07 and 08 XB bikes and both read inconsistently (The 08 is really bad) and both lose varying degrees of oil. Again the 08 is worse at about 150ml consumed every 300mi. Check your airbox for oil blowing out of the breathers. If the base and the cover have a good oil covering, the bike is also breathing (and burning) the oil spray. These motors really push up oil to the heads for cooling and the breathers don't seem to be containing the oil with the air/blow-by gases. | ||
| Glazwegian |
Buellnick said: >Of course... typical company line re oil >consumption. The inconsistency between >motors is astonishing given modern >manufacturing techniques. HD/Buell should >be embarassed to tell people tell people >that this rate of oil consumption is OK >but that's what they tell customers... I completely agree. I won't even consider going on anything longer than a "day ride" on my XT without taking a quart of oil with me. Even after a day ride, I usually have to add a few ounces of oil to have it register between the marks on the dipstick. This is quite unbelievable, really and there's no justification for it. OTOH, my new(2 months old) leftover '08 B-King which has just over 3,000 miles on it(the oil was changed at 600 miles) hasn't used as much as a drop of oil. It remains much cleaner than the oil in the Buell, as well, as evidenced by inspection through the sight glass. Needless to say, it's been a pleasant revelation. | ||
| Blake |
"I've had some conversations with my Buell dealer about my 08 Ulysses using oil. Their statements to me are that unless you are using greater than 1qt of oil per 1000 miles (documented by them) it is considered within the normal limits of the engine." I agree, that is a baloney company line and I wouldn't accept it. "I won't even consider going on anything longer than a "day ride" on my XT without taking a quart of oil with me. Even after a day ride, I usually have to add a few ounces of oil to have it register between the marks on the dipstick. This is quite unbelievable, really and there's no justification for it." Hand wringing over a few percent of the total engine oil capacity (2 OZ vs. 80 OZ total) is just plain goofy. Unbelievable? Hardly. Try letting the level drop below the fill line before adding and see what happens. You can discern the relative cleanliness of engine oil in two different engines by viewing only one engine's oil sight glass. AMAZING! LOL! The internet never ceases to entertain. | ||
| Buellnick |
This is all the product of frustration. If its any consolation, all MC companies do it to some degree. My BMW had front brake issues and clutch issues. They refused to fix the clutch until it started making loud noises and slipping. They were going to charge me for the front brakes until the dealer intervened. They fixed it for free after much lively discussion. I had oil consumption issues with my Vrod and HD wouldn't acknowledge it; told me to watch it. So there I was pouring in 8ozs every 600 miles. I finally got tired of it, looked on line and behold... known problem among V-Rod owners with a known solution... breathers blowing out oil into the air box. Solution? disassemble the breather, re-assemble and seal it using RTV sealant ($4)...half hour labor. HD would still not acknowledge it. The dealer fixed it on their dime and then one of the techs said they had performed this repair on another bike. Why do they put us through this? To minimize repair costs through the warranty period. My car or truck goes in for a problem under warranty... when I pick it up its fixed - no questions... Of course the car companies are not exactly the perfect business model. If BMC managers and marketing folks are out there... my message to you is this. Fix it right the first time...DON'T QUIBBLE. If your product is not right - make it right. Your customers will be happier and more likely to buy a Buell again. I have two Buells in the shop right now for repeat problems that should have been fixed the first time...sore subject. | ||
| Darksaber15 |
Ever since I bought my 04 12R it has been using a lot of oil. I have to check the levels after every gas stop and usually go from the top of the 'full' mark to at or below the 'fill' line within 300 miles. This basically means I cannot go for more than an few hour ride without taking oil with me. When speaking with a few Uly riders (one of which used to have an 04 12R as well) they told me that they don't use any oil at all! After reading your posts I checked my airbox, and sure enough there was oil on the inside of my airbox cover! Not only that, it was even still wet after sitting for 3-4 months (winter...sigh) which I would figure would mean that it is the source of my problem. Does anyone have any instructions on how to go about fixing it? I'm planning a 2,000+ mile trip this summer (Buell Homecoming) and would rather not have to take up precious luggage space with cans of oil. | ||
| Reepicheep |
What oil are you running when it consumes? | ||
| Darksaber15 |
For the first 5000 miles I was running H.D. Multi-Grade 20W50. This is what I was running when I actually ran it down so far that the low oil light came on in the first 1000 miles. Then at the 1000 mile service they put the same back in. At the 5000 mile service I switched to H.D. Syn3. The bike is currently at 7500 miles. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I was asking because my 9sx consumes 5w50 like crazy, but doesn't burn true synthetic 20w50 much at all. If it is doing it with Syn 3, then oil type isn't the issue. Oil in the airbox to some degree is normal, and once oily it will stay oily until cleaned. | ||
| Darksaber15 |
Appreciate the response! Yeah, I switched to synth thinking maybe it just didn't like 20w50. I can't find any leaks anywhere and the bike doesn't smoke. So I have no idea. I just went out and cleaned up the airbox so that I can track how quickly that gets oiled again. Really frustrating that I can't even figure out what the source of the problem is. | ||
| Buellnick |
This is an issue for later bikes... The 08 and newer have the newer oil system which really fills up the heads with oil... Its the breathers. Oil gets blown out as mist and gets consumed through the throttle body/intake. Ran the bike with an external breather for a while... and behold - no more oil consumption IF YOU ACCOUNT for the oil in the catch can...which was significant. The dealer finally replaced the breathers and it all improved but did not go away. My older 2003 XB9R kept the same oil level for about 3K mi... | ||
| Blake |
No such issue for my '09 XB12X. Be sure to avoid over-filling with oil. Excessive blow-by due to poor ring seal can produce the symptoms described by Buellnick. A simple compression test AND leak-down test on a hot engine will reveal such a problem. Look first for the root cause versus treating symptoms. If compression or leak-down fall out of spec, the fix is warranted and routine. That said, I agree that moving the breather to an external catch can is a beneficial idea. | ||
| Buellnick |
The dealer ran the compression and leak-down test and all was well... They tried the breathers as a last resort and things are now better but not perfect. | ||
| Bzrider |
my bike is back in he dealer for the 3rd ime for oil cunsumption after pisons and rings twice new heads checking he breathers and newmorous leakdown tess the facory is sending onoher new engine .thankfully i have a good dealer .the tech at buell tried to say that useing oil is normal under certain riding conditions. thats crap.icommute 100 miles a day and do tour riding on he weekend .and only use hd 20 50 if you use oil let the factory or youir dealer know so the can fix it . | ||
| Bzrider |
got my new engine today hopfully i will be back riding soon |
