Is it possible to do an Oil Change without a lift?

[broderp]

2023 F3-S.

Can the engine oil be changed without a lift? If so, what limitations/ things should I consider?

I need to do an oil change ASAP, but I have no access to a lift and no time to buy a lift at this point and I only have a small window that included great weather to get it done. I was going to take it to the dealer, but time and their schedule are not my friends this week.

Anyone ever do this? Any special tools required?

I'm thinking a very shallow oil catch pan may be needed but short of access issues to the drain plugs I don't foresee any special tools. Right?


Thanks for any input!

:cheers:



EDIT:

Having worked on my motorcycle I have a decent garage set up with tools, including (Specific to the Spyder):

• TORX BIT SOCKETS (FULL SET)
• HEX BIT SOCKETS (FULL SET)
• BASIC HAND TOOLS (RACKETS, WRENCHES ETC)
• 36mm SHALLOW SOCKET
• Car Ramps
• Car Jack

 

[BajaRon]

Could be done, I suppose. But you're asking for a good deal of grief, I think. Just getting it up a few inches would make the job much easier.

 

[EdMat]

If you have car ramps you have it made. Put them behind the front wheel and back up onto them. This gives you plenty of working room. Just make sure you use the torx head and the allen head in the correct places.

 

[Dasmoetorhead]

I did my F3S without a lift or ramps.

 

[Isopedella]

I used car ramps. Those plugs! I picked up a set of aftermarket mag plugs prior to doing my first service and I swapped them out. I'm not really a fan of those Torx used for a sump plug.

I believe The Rattle Gun Kid did the service just prior to my purchase of my Spyder and had a yipikayay moment putting them back in!

I snapped the Torx in 2. It was Stupid Tight.

There are many tales of woe here where the plug has stripped out where the Torx fits.



But I managed to get the plug out in 1 piece. Whew.

There are many tales of woe here where the plug has stripped out where the Torx fits.
So, this is a heads up, I guess.

I did the fluids while I had it up on the ramps.

 

[troop]

I did my past F3S without car ramps... ONCE!

You'll need a low-profile oil catch pan, and just be aware, the left side oil comes out at a torrid pace. Be prepared for some splashing.

 

[Peter Aawen]

If you don't have access to a lift &/or some ramps; or a couple of 2x4's each at least about a foot long to run the front wheels up onto; or something similar to either; then a patch of reasonably level bare ground and something to dig a hole with can be your friend! nojoke

If there's no other way, parking your Spyder on said patch of bare ground either over a pre-dug hole or scraping away a hole under the Spyder that's large enough & deep enough for your catch pan will make it a whole lot easier than doing without anything - only do watch out for the sides of your hole collapsing as you ride over it/scrape out the hole! :lecturef_smilie:

Then BEFORE you seat your Torx or Allen bits in the appropriate holes & try to undo them, give the plugs a sharp rap with a hammer! Don't smash them as hard as you can or pound on them, you generally just need a single, short, sharp, 'rap' to break away the loctite grip &/or baked on varnish type 'stickiness' that helps make these plugs so hard to get out, even without the 'Rattle Gun Kid' or a gorilla tech having a yippy-ki-yay moment - and if the 'rap' doesn't work, applying a little heat to the plugs then letting them cool a bit often helps; or my preferred alternative, spraying the plugs (and not their surrounds!) with a liberal shot of 'Freeze Spray' usually does the 'break-away' trick! :thumbup:

Oh, and if you don't have a catch tray to put in your hole, at least add some kitty-litter or something that will soak up the oil and basically keep it 'contained' in something that you can clean out and discard of properly once you've got the job done & you've moved the Spyder away from the hole! hyea:

Good Luck! :cheers:

 

[hut1]

I just changed mine for the first time. I used a Harbor Freight low profile jack and jack stands. I took the advice of Peter and others and gave the torx and allen plugs a good tap before removing them. Both came out with no problem. I replaced them with the plugs from the Lamonster oil change kit.

 

[AstroTom]

A trick I used many years ago was to drive one side up onto a curb to get enough clearance to drain the oil while laying in the gutter. Changing oil at the side of the street wasn't particulary popular with the neighbors, but I was in my teens, so proper neighborhood etiquette wasn't one of my strong suits.

I've also had to change oil on a low clearance bike where I didn't have anything to get it up higher. None of the drain pans I could find were low enough, so I picked up a disposible aluminum roasting pan that could be bent to get it under the bike. Stuck some cardboard under the pan to catch any splashes. You might have to use two shallow pans. One for one side, and a fresh one for the other. You know the old saying: "Where there's a will... there's a William." Or something like that.

 

[bikerbillone]

Car ramps, your friend for oil change procedure. Harbor freight or your nearest auto supply.

 

[Yabbadabbadoo]

I've never used ramps to change the oil on my F3. But I'm still comfortable laying down on the floor of my garage to do it.
I purchased a low profile oil change pan at NAPA. It's wide enough to catch the oil from both sides of the bike. Pretty sure it was this one: https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_05080MI
I've also replaced the OEM plugs with Lamonster's kit.

 

[Littleantlers]

My dealer does it right on the floor. I have a '21 Sea to Sky.

 

[Albec]

I haven't had to change the oil on my F3 yet but I'm ready.

I built these a while back for my cars, from scrap lumber, and I'll use them when it's time to change the oil on the Spyder. I also have one now for the rear wheel.

 

[blacklightning]

Just pull it up on a few (3) 2X6 and use an oil catch pan from the Dollar Tree. They are very shallow and work great for low clearance situations.

 

[pauly1]

That's the way I've done them since 2008. I use a flat catch pan. Although getting it higher would be easier for the drain plug installation, the oil splashes too much (I could change the catch pan). I use my creeper to clean the drain area and install the drain plugs.

 

[Sarge707]

After several Normal changes on my 2015 F3 SM6 last year, I ran it good (Long Ride) and then extracted 4 of the 5 quarts with my SeaDoo Oil extractor. You CAN extract 4 of the 5 quarts. Then I changed the filter and added 4 quarts. You may disagree, but that 1 quart left in the engine only went 3,000 miles and its Synthetic Jaso MA2. Now you add 4 quarts fresh mixed in and I'm not worried. I have 30,500 happy miles on it!

 

[AndysF3S]

It is your machine, but I suspect that using the extractor you did not drain the oil from the area behind the gearbox screen, you might want to do that next time. JMO

 

[pegasus1300]

2023 F3-S.

Can the engine oil be changed without a lift? If so, what limitations/ things should I consider?

I need to do an oil change ASAP, but I have no access to a lift and no time to buy a lift at this point and I only have a small window that included great weather to get it done. I was going to take it to the dealer, but time and their schedule are not my friends this week.

Anyone ever do this? Any special tools required?

I'm thinking a very shallow oil catch pan may be needed but short of access issues to the drain plugs I don't foresee any special tools. Right?


Thanks for any input!

:cheers:



EDIT:

Having worked on my motorcycle I have a decent garage set up with tools, including (Specific to the Spyder):

• TORX BIT SOCKETS (FULL SET)
• HEX BIT SOCKETS (FULL SET)
• BASIC HAND TOOLS (RACKETS, WRENCHES ETC)
• 36mm SHALLOW SOCKET
• Car Ramps
• Car Jack

You list car ramps and a car jack in your inventory of available tools, so you have all you need to get that to get your spyder up high enough to do an oil change. I have been doing it that way for 12 years and it works well. Be sure to fit the Allen wrench and the Torx wrench ALL the way into the drain plugs. After a couple of oil changes, I replaced my factory plugs with plugs from Value Accessories and they have worked very well.

 

[FlyingBoat]

What about sucking the oil up from the dipstick? I have a pump that does this.

This is what I typically do for my SRT6 Crossfire. It is how the car dealers change the oil on it.

My thought is, yes, at 9300 miles do a full change with filter. But if I am only doing a couple K in a year and want to change the oil, as recommended, then just suck up the oil to remove it and put back in fresh. I am thinking that until I get to 9300, I wouldn't change the filter either.

Mine is a 2014, so there is no warranty concern.

I am not an expert here, just thinking this would work out easier and less costly for me if I end up only putting on a couple of K per year.

FYI, I just bought a 2014 with 26K on it yesterday. The seller had it for 3 years, only put 1K on it and never changed the oil. So that is a bit of a concern. I checked the oil and it pristine clear, not black at all.

I may just suck that oil up and put in new without a filter change.

I have no idea what else might have been done for maintenance. She didn't do a thing, and she does not have any prior owner's maintenance records.

It supposedly had a new drive belt put on it.

I suppose I should change the brake fluid and check air filter. It looks like it is time for new spark plugs as well. Rear tire looks worn.

Is there concern with changing Coolant?

My understanding with cars is that if the coolant was changed as it should, then change it at the scheduled intervals; but if it hasn't been then don't do it.
That was my experience. I bought two nice, low milage, older cars for my kids. I thought I would go all out and set them up, new timing belt for one and a chain for the other, coolant change, etc. Within a couple of months both cars had coolant valve problems requiring major repair. Replacing coolant, if hasn't been done in the past, could cause gunk issues somewhere.

So without knowing what was done to this Spyder, I am concerned about changing the coolant?

 

[Woodaddict]

What about sucking the oil up from the dipstick? I have a pump that does this.

I would NEVER suck out the oil where the engine was designed with a plug to let it drain out the bottom. Sucking out the oil just will NOT get all the containments that DRAINING will get out of the engine. Yes, some of these oil change places do this, but I don't take my vehicles to them. I think years ago I heard that a Honda car engine was designed like this, to suck out the oil vs a drain plug. So for me, I will never suck out oil out of any vehicle engine that has a drain plug