Help!! My first oil change- by myself.

[lonesoldier84]

http://www.600riders.com/forum/garage-mechanical-help/1573-how-do-oil-change.html

click this link and go to page 4 and it starts the oil change thread.

or just go DIRECTLY to page 4 by clicking here:

http://www.600riders.com/forum/alberta/224-what-best-oil-4.html

I win!!

you n00b!!

:rockon:

 

[jfz6]

Your point? Not very good at reading either?

The only way to get good at things is to 'practice' them.

Actually my bad it was a typo. It returned a thread with 101 pages of replies and I am in a bind. Yes, practice makes perfect but this is my only means of transportation and I have so much to study I do not have time to sit and read the big mechanics manual someone posted here. Now you are just being a dick.

 

[bikerider]

or just go DIRECTLY to page 4 by clicking here:

http://www.600riders.com/forum/alberta/224-what-best-oil-4.html

I win!!

you n00b!!

:rockon:

LOL yeah maybe I shoulda did a direct link to page four :banghead:

 

[lonesoldier84]

FIGHT!! FIGHT!! FIGHT!! FIGHT!! FIGHT!! FIGHT!! FIGHT!! FIGHT!!

:cheer::cheer:

 

[lonesoldier84]

LOL yeah maybe I shoulda did a direct link to page four :banghead:

lol, no worries. one day you will be pro like me, young padwaan.

 

[jfz6]

Yeah there is no need for a touque wrench for doing an oli change. Everyone seems to freak out over touque specs. It's an oil drain plug, not a crank shaft bolt. Tight is tight enough for this bolt.

Oil filters don't need to be anything more than hand tight....EVER! (someone needs to tell my dealership service department this as the last time they put one on, I think they used an impact driver and did it up to 100ft lbs!)
1. Unscrew drain plug and drain oil
2. unscrew oil filter
3. smear some fresh oil on gasket of new oil filter and screw back on - hand tight
4. put oil drain plug back in, tighten and fill with new oil

There is nothing more to it than this.

Thank you. Now this is much more helpful. Sorry about the dick comment ( cough*dick*cough). Actually, I am being impatient as I have very little time. Didn't mean to get short. I just really do not want to screw anything up but thanks for the help. Nice short and to the point- but don't I have to run the engine when there is no oil in it for a few???

 

[jfz6]

i htink what scares me is.. "im not good at mechanics" yet your first post you take your rear tire off???? if your not good, then i wouldnt suggest taking the rear tire off

oh and remember, your oil bolt should be finger tight, then about 1/8-1/4 turn tighter.. good luck

You know- everyone says that. But with some help from all the good folks here and once I got started it just seemed to come naturally. Changing the tires was just really time consuming and I had limited tools but it just all made sense. I have been riding for about 4000+ miles on those changed tires. Got her up to 142mph even. No problems.

But if I bust a tire- I die.
If I bust my engine- my bike dies!!!!!

 

[jfz6]

Someone just shoot me. I could probably have been finished by now. I am just going for it. Thanks everyone for the links and help though. I will be back tomorrow crying for more.

 

[Fz6Sa]

But if I bust a tire- I die.
If I bust my engine- my bike dies!!!!!

HEY!!! DON'T EVEN JOKE ABOUT KILLING A FZ6!!:spank:

 

[Raid The Revenge]

Here you go - all the instructions you could possibly wish for.

--Screw the oil cap back on, make sure everything is clear and you're done!

The hardest part is getting the oil filter off. If you cannot get it off -
http://www.600riders.com/forum/how-tos/3617-how-remove-oil-filter-screwdriver.html

Armed with this knowledge, you should be fairly ready. Good luck.

 

[LERecords]

You know- everyone says that. But with some help from all the good folks here and once I got started it just seemed to come naturally. Changing the tires was just really time consuming and I had limited tools but it just all made sense. I have been riding for about 4000+ miles on those changed tires. Got her up to 142mph even. No problems.

But if I bust a tire- I die.
If I bust my engine- my bike dies!!!!!

ehh.. i dunno... i do most of my own mechanical work.. but some things i just dont do.. brakes, tires, and major engine work is just not for me.. i dont want to second guess myself, so i just take it to a professional for those things.. but oil and minor stuff, i can do and its not a big deal :thumbup:

Bone - maybe your website needs another page for maint writeups w/ lots of pictures... like oil change, tire changes, ect.. this way we could just plug your site when there are questions like this... i'll be changing my oil soon and dont mind doing a fully detailed writeup...

 

[jfz6]

Here you go - all the instructions you could possibly wish for.


[

Armed with this knowledge, you should be fairly ready. Good luck.

You are THE MAN!!!!
Not like - " Down with THE MAN!!" or " THE MAN is keeping me down!" but the other kind like "you da man"!!!! :cheer:


Oh!!! This is classic me!!! I went with mowing the lawn first before driving 40 miles to get my tools and getting stuck for hours and being in trouble with the girl friend.

The lawn mower ran out of gas!!!!!

 

[jfz6]

ehh.. i dunno... i do most of my own mechanical work.. but some things i just dont do.. brakes, tires, and major engine work is just not for me.. i dont want to second guess myself, so i just take it to a professional for those things.. but oil and minor stuff, i can do and its not a big deal :thumbup:

Bone - maybe your website needs another page for maint writeups w/ lots of pictures... like oil change, tire changes, ect.. this way we could just plug your site when there are questions like this... i'll be changing my oil soon and dont mind doing a fully detailed writeup...

I hear you. I was stuck with no money except for the tires which I bought at cycle gear and didn't have the money to have it towed and have the tires changed. They just balanced them for me and said good luck.

We as a community should find some way to have a link or a forum for simple newbie projects like changing you oil, cleaning the chain, etc. There have to be others out there like me that either cannot afford to go to a shop, don't trust a shop, or want to learn to do the basics themselves.

Despite my lack of searching skills if you type in oil in a search or change you get a whole lot of results. Maybe a simple google page with some pictures and video as not to take up space and more costs for the forum but just a simple link.

 

[Boneman]

Thank you. Now this is much more helpful. Sorry about the dick comment ( cough*dick*cough). Actually, I am being impatient as I have very little time. Didn't mean to get short. I just really do not want to screw anything up but thanks for the help. Nice short and to the point- but don't I have to run the engine when there is no oil in it for a few???

No worries and yes we already figured you were impatient long ago by always saying "Help" all the time in your posts. Help in the title to most here means "I'm impatient and don't want to bother searching or looking, I just want someone to spoon feed me how to do it now".

Yes I know full well that this forum is for helping people as I help them all the time, but I appreciate the reminder none the less. It is also for people who want to help themselves at the same time. Just beacuse someone won't rehash something to you directly that's already been posted and discussed several times before dosen't make them a 'dick'.

As for your searching woes, just try key words instead of typing out specific sentances or full titles. Also use the "Advance Search" function and change your search filter to "Just Titles Only" will help speed things up. If others can search and find threads for you, there is absolutely no reason you can't do the same. Continually stating "I suck at searching" isn't a solution to your information finding problems. As you said, you're an EMT, so don't sell yourself short. You can do it, we have faith in you!

I can understand and appreciate your time constriants and that you may not sit in front of a computer all day like some of us do. That said, the majority of searching for and finidnig information on here takes less than a few minutes at best and is not some time sucking, big production that takes all day. Other people have taken the time to not only document the information you need, but to also search out and find it for you; so the least you could do is try to do the same for yourself BEFORE requesting help.

Unfortuneately some things, espcially if you don't know how to do them or it's your first time, do require some siginificant investigation and research. If you are not prepared to put the nessicarry time and effort into doing things poperly, then your next post usually is "HELP, I fu*ked up my engine! What do I do now"....funny enough, most suddenly have plenty of time after that....

Good luck with your oil change and let us know how it goes.

 

[Boneman]

Bone - maybe your website needs another page for maint writeups w/ lots of pictures... like oil change, tire changes, ect.. this way we could just plug your site when there are questions like this... i'll be changing my oil soon and dont mind doing a fully detailed writeup...

Good point. I already started assembling a "Helpful Tips & Knowledge Base" section at the bottom of my Mods page; Boneman's FZ6 Site - Mods

At the risk of sounding like a dick (yet again), I figured changing your oil was about as easy and as basic a maintenance thing as putting air in your tires. The owners manual even has 2 full pages on how to change your oil, complete with diagrams and specification!! (Sec. 6 pages 11-12 in the 04 FZ6 Owners Manual). Don't have it? You can download them all here: Boneman's FZ6 Site - Mods (links are taken from this site BTW)

So the solution to this 'problem' is as easy as taking 2 minutes to :rtfm:

We as a community should find some way to have a link or a forum for simple newbie projects like changing you oil, cleaning the chain, etc.

We already do. There is a growing "How To" section in this forum with lots of great info. Within less than 40 seconds of searching I found this: http://www.600riders.com/forum/how-tos/1755-changing-oil.html I'm not stating this to be an a-hole, but only to show that it's a fairly quick process to find things. I also use Ctrl+F (Find command) when seaching individual forums. It will find text on the current page you are viewing.

So yeah, it's no secret that I do get a little peaved at people who can't seem to find anything unless it is a highlighted and flashing sitcky that is staring them in the face. But then again I'm a 'dick' so what do you expect....:Flip:

 

[jfz6]

I have to say that you have summed me up in a nutshell. So far with my bike and being here on the forums has been "help I'm an idiot-spoonfeed me-now-now-now". I really do apologize for the dick thing earlier. I had no idea what I was getting into when I bought a bike and at that time I also had a truck.

After wrecking my bike I learned from experience, and the awesome people who rebuilt it- but don't do service work, that I really cannot trust any shop or dealership anywhere around here.

The dealer I bought it from wanted to total my bike out- Geico said no way!!! Go Geico!! There was a bug on the frame and the dealer said replace it- totaled.

You are right. I can do it. I have full faith in my ability to sit down for a month or so with the mechanics manual and learn how to do everything I have in my power to do all the work on my bike with tools and equipment that I own or have access to.

My 07 manual doesn't show how to change the oil- as a matter of fact besides tire pressure and chain maintenance it just has a few warnings and the service calendar in the back.

I do apologize-seriously and thanks for the searching tips- I have always felt like an idiot to ask how to search then just asking where is the link? I guess Google has spoiled me. It usually takes me hours of searching and pouring through posts to find what I am looking for- and yea, always at the last minute.

Thanks for the reality check and sorry I brought my personal problems into the forum. Trouble with the gf/almost wife/ 24 hour shifts on the ambulance 2 days a week and 12 hour shift in the ER + school.

Enough excuses. I gotta finish the lawn then change the oil before it gets dark....

...and miles to go before I sleep
...and miles to go before I sleep.

 

[Boneman]

It's all good my friend! :thumbup: Hug it out bitch!!

The main thing is that you got the information you needed to do your oil change correctly. That's what the fourm is for and we will never turn away anyone needing help.

I didn't realize that the 07 Owners Manual did not contian oil change info (lame that it dosen't). Use the 04 one as it's exactly the same steps and process!

 

[djneall]

Unless they changed the manual between 07 and 08, the directions for an oil change are on pages 6-12 through 6-14. Maybe someone butchered your manual before you got it?

 

[urbanj]

I disagree with not using a torque wrench on the oil pan drain plug. Now I only disagree not because it isn't needed but because you have to first know what you are doing. "tight" to the untrained hand can mean a lot of things. A steel plug in a aluminum pan is asking for trouble. You don't strip the bolt, you crack or pull the threads out of the pan. And someone having trouble with an oil change, should not attempt to fix the pan themselves after it's FUBAR.

Maybe I sound anal but seriously, there has been more that one person here that has stripped their pan. That is one person too many. Nothing against them because they are still learning but they should be given the right information to learn from.

Don't know what you're doing - Use a torque wrench

Know what you are doing - Don't use one at your own discretion

 

[LERecords]

its soo nice seeing people getting along...

i remember when i first came here and did the same thing.. ask lots of help questions and expect an answer within seconds... took me a while, but i learned :thumbup: