The "oil scavaging" part is hooey, and can be ignored? I'm paranoid to not overfill or underfill my oil level, and I want to get it right.
No, the 'oil scavenging' part is not hooey, it's perfectly valid, after all, that
IS what the scavenge pumps do - but the excessive idling per the '
Let it idle for 10 minutes' part or the alternative '
running the engine at idle for minimum 35 minutes' is
NOT GOOD for your engine!! :lecturef_smilie:
If you want to get your oil level right, then those instructions you quoted earlier should be revised to read something like this:
NOTICE: The oil level must be checked and adjusted when the oil temperature is between 80°C and 95°C (176°F and 203°F), to obtain a precise reading on the dipstick of the actual quantity of oil in the engine.
1. Take a ride of minimum 15 km (9.3 mi).
2. Park the vehicle on a level surface.
3. Let the engine run at idle for no more than 2 minutes. NOTICE: there is no truly safe alternative for your engine if it involves idling for more than about 2 minutes - just do the Ride and check within 2 minutes of shutting the engine down!
NOTE: Running engine at idle as described will maintain the engine oil temperature between 80°C and 95°C (176°F and 203°F), and allow the scavenge oil pumps to drain the oil from the engine back into the oil tank. Not carrying out this step could result in overfilling the engine oil.
NOTICE Perform engine oil level verification within 2 minutes after engine shutdown.
4. Stop engine.
5. Unscrew and remove the oil dipstick.
…blah blah blah
It's the excessive idling that's the issue, it does all sorts of nasty things to your engine and should be avoided if at all possible! :thumbup:
And remember, if you do follow those instructions and the dipstick level is above the
Low mark on the dipstick,
then YOU HAVE ENOUGH OIL for safe engine running!! You might not want to head off on a 1000-mile trip if the level is only juuuust a smidge above the Low mark, but the 1330's rarely use a heap of oil, and the 998's don't use that much that quickly, so it's certainly safe to ride up to a couple of hundred miles or so. So if you follow those instructions and the level on the dipstick is
anywhere between the Low & Full mark,
then YOU HAVE ENOUGH OIL for safe engine running!! :thumbup:
BUT be aware, that if you stop the engine and leave it sit & let the oil settle internally for anything more than about 2 minutes before checking the oil level,
then the level shown on the dipstick (if any) IS NOT A RELIABLE LEVEL INDICATION and should not be used as an indicator of needing to add more oil, regardless of whether the sitting period was 5 minutes, 12 hours, or 3 years! However, if you checked the oil after your last ride as per the instructions above and the oil level was OK, then unless you've got a dirty great puddle of oil under the Spyder when you come back to ride it again, &/or unless there's a chance/you suspect that someone's ducked in and drained the oil on you just to be a pratt, it's going to be pretty close to
absofreakinlutely certain that you'll have enough oil in there so that you're safe to ride - regardless of whether the sitting period was 5 minutes, 12 hours, or 3 years... :lecturef_smilie:
Simples really!
Edit: Sorry Ron & Ed, I'm not trying to stomp on or ignore your responses; it's just that I started drafting a reply, but clearly took too long to submit it - & I guess shoulda checked for other replies before I submitted...
pps:
