Oil change hard to do?

[GothicGhost]

My bike a yamaha XJ 600 2001 model.
I called up the mot place I got to normally and it's £70 for an oil change.

I am thinking doing it myself but not sure if I would be saving much doing so and how hard it is lol.

 

[phil675]

Easier than a car, easy as pie!

 

[tom_e]

All it'll cost is a few quid for the oil and a few quid for the filter and 20 minutes of your time, I don't know how much oil your bike takes but you're looking at a maximum of £30 for 4 liters of Castrol less if you use a cheaper brand and then maybe a tenner for the filter.

Take the bike out for a blast to warm the oil up, get home stick a container under your drain bolt which is usually a the bottom of your engine casing, undo it and your oil filler port let it drain for 5 minutes, replace the filter, put the drain bolt back in and fill up with the required amount of new oil, let it run for ten minutes just to check for any leaks and job done.

 

[ElliorR]

It's easier than an Essex girl. Get a new sump plug washer and torque the sump plug and filter to the correct torque settings. Under torquing the sump plug can lead to the bolt letting oil out.

 

[acemastr]

Use motorcycle specific oil too, friction modifiers will cause the clutch to slip

 

[tom_e]

Asda had litre bottles of Castrol 10W40 bike oil for £5 a bottle recently which is a bargain so you'll save even more if you can find it in stock, someone had cleared my local out apart from the last 2 which I grabbed the other day.

 

[wazza300]

you'll save roughly £30 by doing it yourself

remember to fill up the oil filter with new oil before fitting it and only tighten it hand tight,then top up till the mark is in the middle of the oil level marks (with the bike held upright/level)

 

[ttaskmaster]

remember to fill up the oil filter with new oil before fitting it and only tighten it hand tight,then top up till the mark is in the middle of the oil level marks (with the bike held upright/level)

Check first against the owners handbook, as fitting and the filters themselves are different. You don't oil mine up before fitting, for example.

DO - Remember that the oil coming out will be either very warm, or possibly HOT!!!!!!!
DO - Use a new crush washer on the sump plug.
DO - Use an open-topped oil tray, as you may well drop the sump plug in.
DO - Wear gloves. Latex type, or nick some from a petrol pump.
DO - Remember that the oil will initially gush out, so place the tray ready to catch.
DO - Make sure the rubber O-ring for the filter and the groove it sits in are both completely clean of dirt and grit.
DO - Remember to replace the filler cap before starting the engine again.

DO NOT - Overtighten anything.

 

[wazza300]

if its a regular car type oil filter then usually u fill em up with oil,just to take out any air gap/no lubrication as the oil circulates

and sump/crush washers ive never had to replace it

upto you though,new one wouldn't hurt im just saying

 

[ttaskmaster]

and sump/crush washers ive never had to replace it. upto you though,new one wouldn't hurt im just saying

It's generally thought of as good practice unless you under-torque the sump bolt by a few points... but especially good practice if your filter comes with a new one included anyway!

 

[ShakenNstirred]

As said you will save £30-35
I also have never replaced the washer on the sump plug, heat it up to soften it
never had one leak.

 

[gcaster]

The biggest ball ache is taking the fairings off the do it. As you don't have any it'll be simple.

 

[GothicGhost]

Thank you I will try myself then see how it goes lol.
I have the naked version so no fairings to remove

And the Castrol 10W40 bike oil from asda is that 100% fine for my bike? as I got asda 10 min from me

Thanks.

 

[Snaggle]

If yer not sure or lack tools/want a hand i am happy to help if u dont mind a ride up here at the weekend . It is a very simple job though

Snag

 

[Craig321]

Castrol stuff is good, I normally get the Power 1 or whatever it's called for about £40.

I normally replace the filter as well when doing mine. They're cheap enough. Never bothered replacing the washer, they have always been in good condition so no need.

Also, don't get it on your downpipes and not wipe off properly. On my old bike, the oil would come out all over the downpipes. When I was done, I wiped it all down, started it up, checked oil level etc. then cleaned a bit more. Turned out there was still a layer of oil on the downpipes. My finger slipped onto there when cleaning. That's the first time I've actually heard human flesh sizzle

 

[ElliorR]

One more tip. I always leave my keys away from my bike as I always get the urge to start the engine up once all the oil is out. If I ever win the lotto jackpot I'm going to buy a second hand bike and do just that to see how long it lasts.

 

[phil675]

My finger slipped onto there when cleaning. That's the first time I've actually heard human flesh sizzle

Mmm I once went to touch something near the downpipes after a journey and burned a hole in my glove, rather hot those pipes.

 

[wazza300]

Elliorr you should get a job on top gear

 

[Craig321]

One more tip. I always leave my keys away from my bike as I always get the urge to start the engine up once all the oil is out. If I ever win the lotto jackpot I'm going to buy a second hand bike and do just that to see how long it lasts.

Watched a video on YouTube of a guy getting an old scrap Ford going again just to try this. Was a horrible thing to watch . It ran OK for a while, started to sound really nasty and eventually completely seized.

 

[agnes]

You'll need a basic tool set, new filter, oil catcher, new sump plug o-rings and a couple of brews.

Done.