Change Your Oil

**jonathan180iq** · 08-25-2007, 12:12 AM

Here's what you'll need:

17mm socket
10mm socket
Oil pan
10W-40 Oil ( I suggest synthetic, but that's up to you.)
New oil filter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a very simple process.

Crank your bike and let it run for a few minutes.

First, put your bike on some jack stands, if you have them. This isn't an absolute must, but you're pretty much guaranteed to drain all of the oil with the bike flat, as opposed to leaning over on the kick stand.

Next, you'll unscrew the oil filler cap.

Now, slide your oil pan under the bike and unscrew the oil-drain bolt with your 17mm socket. You might want a 2-3" socket extension.

[attachment=0:21su1psy]Pq4jTbmr-f600ac863c36cc241c239cbe0e5a44ae.jpg[/attachment:21su1psy]

Once all of the oil drains out of the bike, go ahead and slide over to the oil filter cover and unscrew the 3 bolts using your 10mm socket. You'll want to turn out all three screws at the same time. Don't do one and then go on to another. There is a spring back there keeping pressure on cover and you need to turn one bolt a little, turn the other one, and so forth until they are all off. Oil will come dripping off of the filter and run down the side of your engine. So, you might want to have some shop towels around for clean-up. When you put the new filter back on, make sure it goes in the same way the old one came out.

Once the new filter is installed, bolt the cover back on and re-install the oil drain bolt. You then need to fill the bike with 1.5 quarts of your favorite oil. If you are not changing the filter, I believe you only need to use 1.4 quarts. It is EXTREMELY important that you refill the bike with oil. Do not forget it. I know it sounds silly, but it happens. People forget.

Once the oil settles in, reinstall the oil filler cap and crank 'er up. After a few minutes, take the bike for a ride and make sure everything works out.

*To properly check oil level in your bike, the bike needs to be standing up straight; not leaned over on the side stand. Checking oil level while the bike is on the side stand will result in overfilling the bike.

**Please be aware that some motor oils include friction modifiers which can cause clutch slippage in certain situations. The GZ250 seems very prone to this. To see if your oil of choice contains friction modifiers, check the API starburst on the back. If it says "Energy Conserving" or "Resource Conserving", the please look for a different brand or weight of oil. You want an oil that does not contain friction modifiers.

Enjoy,
Jonathan

Badbob · 08-25-2007, 11:46 AM

Good job Johnathan.

Stretch · 08-25-2007, 01:01 PM

I appreciate it -- will let you know out it turned out!

The shop I went to didn't have Mobile 1 10W40, the only full synth oil at that weight was Syntec from Castrol. Hopefully that will work just as well.

-Bob

**jonathan180iq** · 08-25-2007, 02:42 PM

I'm currently running Castrol Syntec. I love it.

Gadzooks Mike · 08-25-2007, 05:10 PM

I get my Mobile1 for VTwins at WalMart. Ours has a small motorcycle section.

Stretch · 08-25-2007, 10:13 PM

Jonathan,

Your directions were faultless! I had a break in the honey-do list today and went ahead and changed the oil without incident. The only difference I saw between my experience and your directions was that the o-ring holding the filter cover was slightly sticky, so the 10MM nuts were no problem. All I had to do was slightly wiggle the cover and off she came. Thanks for a fun 20 minutes and, finally, an excuse to use my jack stands I have been toting around the country for twenty years!

On my trial run I did notice a new and worrisome problem however. All the gears were fine (to be honest, I didn't notice too much of a noise difference in shifting but the engine sound was a slightly different and more even pitch) up to fifth. And there something strange happened: I could shift into the top gear without any problem, but about halfway through accelerating, the clutch would slip: at 60 MPH I could feel the engine wind up in response to my thottle inputs, but the speedo would stick rock steady at 60. If I backed off the throttle I would regain what I thought must be clutch grip and my throttle inputs would result in bike movement as before. This happened three times on the return leg of my four mile test run.

I checked the oil level and it is on the high side of the sight glass, but not over the top: when the bike is on the kickstand, the oil level disappears from the glass, and when I rock the bike into vertical, the level is right at the high notch (still space left on the sight glass above the oil level in other words). I used just slightly more than 1.5 QTS measuring from the not too accurate gauge on the side of the oil container - I may have overfilled it by a couple of tablespoons.

My question to anyone who cares to stick a toe in: WHY?

Have I: a) Overfilled the oil and the pressure of the high end of fifth gear somehow prevents the clutch from engaging fully, b) messed up that one gear by adding the Marvel Mystery Oil to my crankcase for a week (less than 100 miles of street travel), c) have an air bubble somewhere in the oil/clutch system that isn't releasing, d) did I somehow fry my clutch without realizing it, or e) none of the above?

Any and all assistance would be welcomed!
:sad: -Bob

Dupo · 08-26-2007, 04:02 AM

I dunno, but that marvel mystery oil might solve the mystery. Didnt know there was ever a need for additives in wet clutch type engines.

Badbob · 08-26-2007, 08:40 AM

What kind of oil did you use?

Most modern motor oils have friction modifiers that will make the oil very slippery and cause the issue you. I had the same problem, maybe worse, when Mobile1 changed their formula to one the had friction modifiers.

There is a discussion hear: Obsolete API Oil Ratings

I have only found one available locally that does not have these friction modifiers. Shell Rotella T This is what I use.

For some reason this does not seem to be a problem for everyone. It would not surprise me to find out that Suzuki uses clutch plates from more than one manufacturer and some are not affected.

Stretch · 08-26-2007, 03:20 PM

I read through your posting and it seems that you had the same result as I did first switching to a synthetic. I did check the bottle of the Syntec, it was SAE 10W40, API service SM/CF. When I checked some sites for an explanation of those codes, the best I could find is the higher the second number after the "S" (Spark), the better/slippier the oil. So, "M" is quite slippery. While it doesn't have a cleaning code that I could find, there are two one line blurbs in the marketing copy on the back label that it "reduces harmful deposit formation" and "An advanced additive package that neutralizes corrosive particles, preventing them from grouping together and forming power-robbing sludge."

You said that after switching to Shell Rotella T the slippage pretty much disappeared after two oil changes? Any update on that? My bike is a 1999, if that makes any difference.

-Bob

Badbob · 08-26-2007, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stretch

You said that after switching to Shell Rotella T the slippage pretty much disappeared after two oil changes? Any update on that?

Update is here: Obsolete API Oil Ratings

08-25-2007, 12:12 AM	#1
jonathan180iq Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Dalton, GA Posts: 3,996	Change Your Oil Here's what you'll need: 17mm socket 10mm socket Oil pan 10W-40 Oil ( I suggest synthetic, but that's up to you.) New oil filter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is a very simple process. Crank your bike and let it run for a few minutes. First, put your bike on some jack stands, if you have them. This isn't an absolute must, but you're pretty much guaranteed to drain all of the oil with the bike flat, as opposed to leaning over on the kick stand. Next, you'll unscrew the oil filler cap. Now, slide your oil pan under the bike and unscrew the oil-drain bolt with your 17mm socket. You might want a 2-3" socket extension. [attachment=0:21su1psy]Pq4jTbmr-f600ac863c36cc241c239cbe0e5a44ae.jpg[/attachment:21su1psy] Once all of the oil drains out of the bike, go ahead and slide over to the oil filter cover and unscrew the 3 bolts using your 10mm socket. You'll want to turn out all three screws at the same time. Don't do one and then go on to another. There is a spring back there keeping pressure on cover and you need to turn one bolt a little, turn the other one, and so forth until they are all off. Oil will come dripping off of the filter and run down the side of your engine. So, you might want to have some shop towels around for clean-up. When you put the new filter back on, make sure it goes in the same way the old one came out. Once the new filter is installed, bolt the cover back on and re-install the oil drain bolt. You then need to fill the bike with 1.5 quarts of your favorite oil. If you are not changing the filter, I believe you only need to use 1.4 quarts. It is EXTREMELY important that you refill the bike with oil. Do not forget it. I know it sounds silly, but it happens. People forget. Once the oil settles in, reinstall the oil filler cap and crank 'er up. After a few minutes, take the bike for a ride and make sure everything works out. To properly check oil level in your bike, the bike needs to be standing up straight; not leaned over on the side stand. Checking oil level while the bike is on the side stand will result in overfilling the bike. *Please be aware that some motor oils include friction modifiers which can cause clutch slippage in certain situations. The GZ250 seems very prone to this. To see if your oil of choice contains friction modifiers, check the API starburst on the back. If it says "Energy Conserving" or "Resource Conserving", the please look for a different brand or weight of oil. You want an oil that does not contain friction modifiers. Enjoy, Jonathan Login or Register to Remove Ads
	0

08-25-2007, 11:46 AM	#2
Badbob Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Tallahassee FL Posts: 945	Good job Johnathan. __________________ My GZ250 Blog Facebook Pinterest Google+ Tumblr YouTube Lumber Jocks
	0

08-25-2007, 01:01 PM	#3
Stretch Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Chula Vista, CA Posts: 52	Thanks Jonathan! I appreciate it -- will let you know out it turned out! The shop I went to didn't have Mobile 1 10W40, the only full synth oil at that weight was Syntec from Castrol. Hopefully that will work just as well. -Bob __________________ -Bob Stretch Some of us serve only to be bad examples for others... Login or Register to Remove Ads
	0

08-25-2007, 05:10 PM	#5
Gadzooks Mike Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Opelika, AL Posts: 162	I get my Mobile1 for VTwins at WalMart. Ours has a small motorcycle section. Login or Register to Remove Ads
	1

08-25-2007, 10:13 PM	#6
Stretch Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Chula Vista, CA Posts: 52	A thousand thanks and a nervous question... Jonathan, Your directions were faultless! I had a break in the honey-do list today and went ahead and changed the oil without incident. The only difference I saw between my experience and your directions was that the o-ring holding the filter cover was slightly sticky, so the 10MM nuts were no problem. All I had to do was slightly wiggle the cover and off she came. Thanks for a fun 20 minutes and, finally, an excuse to use my jack stands I have been toting around the country for twenty years! On my trial run I did notice a new and worrisome problem however. All the gears were fine (to be honest, I didn't notice too much of a noise difference in shifting but the engine sound was a slightly different and more even pitch) up to fifth. And there something strange happened: I could shift into the top gear without any problem, but about halfway through accelerating, the clutch would slip: at 60 MPH I could feel the engine wind up in response to my thottle inputs, but the speedo would stick rock steady at 60. If I backed off the throttle I would regain what I thought must be clutch grip and my throttle inputs would result in bike movement as before. This happened three times on the return leg of my four mile test run. I checked the oil level and it is on the high side of the sight glass, but not over the top: when the bike is on the kickstand, the oil level disappears from the glass, and when I rock the bike into vertical, the level is right at the high notch (still space left on the sight glass above the oil level in other words). I used just slightly more than 1.5 QTS measuring from the not too accurate gauge on the side of the oil container - I may have overfilled it by a couple of tablespoons. My question to anyone who cares to stick a toe in: WHY? Have I: a) Overfilled the oil and the pressure of the high end of fifth gear somehow prevents the clutch from engaging fully, b) messed up that one gear by adding the Marvel Mystery Oil to my crankcase for a week (less than 100 miles of street travel), c) have an air bubble somewhere in the oil/clutch system that isn't releasing, d) did I somehow fry my clutch without realizing it, or e) none of the above? Any and all assistance would be welcomed! :sad: -Bob __________________ -Bob Stretch Some of us serve only to be bad examples for others...
	0

08-25-2007, 02:42 PM	#4
jonathan180iq Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Dalton, GA Posts: 3,996	I'm currently running Castrol Syntec. I love it.
	0

08-26-2007, 04:02 AM	#7
Dupo Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Allentown, Pa Posts: 1,255	I dunno, but that marvel mystery oil might solve the mystery. Didnt know there was ever a need for additives in wet clutch type engines. __________________ Photography Gallery *updated url - new site! Motorcycle Blog Facebook
	0

08-26-2007, 08:40 AM	#8
Badbob Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Tallahassee FL Posts: 945	What kind of oil did you use? Most modern motor oils have friction modifiers that will make the oil very slippery and cause the issue you. I had the same problem, maybe worse, when Mobile1 changed their formula to one the had friction modifiers. There is a discussion hear: Obsolete API Oil Ratings I have only found one available locally that does not have these friction modifiers. Shell Rotella T This is what I use. For some reason this does not seem to be a problem for everyone. It would not surprise me to find out that Suzuki uses clutch plates from more than one manufacturer and some are not affected. __________________ My GZ250 Blog Facebook Pinterest Google+ Tumblr YouTube Lumber Jocks
	0

08-26-2007, 03:20 PM	#9
Stretch Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Chula Vista, CA Posts: 52	Thanks BadBob I read through your posting and it seems that you had the same result as I did first switching to a synthetic. I did check the bottle of the Syntec, it was SAE 10W40, API service SM/CF. When I checked some sites for an explanation of those codes, the best I could find is the higher the second number after the "S" (Spark), the better/slippier the oil. So, "M" is quite slippery. While it doesn't have a cleaning code that I could find, there are two one line blurbs in the marketing copy on the back label that it "reduces harmful deposit formation" and "An advanced additive package that neutralizes corrosive particles, preventing them from grouping together and forming power-robbing sludge." You said that after switching to Shell Rotella T the slippage pretty much disappeared after two oil changes? Any update on that? My bike is a 1999, if that makes any difference. -Bob __________________ -Bob Stretch Some of us serve only to be bad examples for others...
	0