oil window above top while on side stand.

think the guy i got it from (idiot son in law) over filled it. i hear strange sounds from the engine. read the oil must be barely to top of window while on center stand, so it is really full if the window has no bubble on the kick stand. so what is the best way to get the excess oil out of there? will oil drip out if i take the center bolt out of what i believe is the oil filter in bottom front of the engine? if i remove that bolt completely, what are the odds the whole thing will fall off?

 

Well, that bolt is what hold the filter cover, filter, and spring on. If you pull it off it won't drip... It'll pour all over, and you WILL drop everything.

If you pull the bolt plug BELOW filter cover it will run out there.... It's the oil drain.

How much/little do you need to remove? Why not put a tube down the fill hole and siphon out just the little bit?

That said, smell the oil.... If it smells like gasoline, don't bother--drain it and replace with fresh oil ,AND you get to do a carb cleaning and petcock servicing.

 

ok so i took the screw out and the filter wouldn't come out because the pipes were in the way. but i put it back and took it off about six times and got enuf oil out (black as hell) so that the oil level is half when running and near the top when it's off on the center stand. really would be nice to have a manual for this thing. now the noise of the crank hitting the extra oil is gone too.

Dont say carb cleaning and petcock servicing to me ever again!!! Just did them! Thank you for telling me where the drain hole is tho, cause i gots ta getta new filter and change the oil as soon as the bike shops open up again. so bike motor oil and not car?

btw you know if you play that banjo on the moon it wont make any sound right? just sayin!

 

How do you know if you're not there to hear it?

 

Pipes shouldn't be in the way of the filter housing....

Did you clean them as in " church of clean" clean, or "I wiped 'em off with a rag that was pretty clean" clean?

Dave

 

How does it run? FWIW Hf is correct...if the carbs and petcock haven't been properly serviced it'll never run @ peak performance. A properly tuned 700 has plenty of getty up. Use none synthetic 4 stroke bike specific motor oil only. Synthetics will make the clutch slip.

Gary H.

 

you can down load a pdf manual on line. for less than 10$ what kind of bike is it?
the oil level should be closer to the center of the sight glass. it is possible your gas is leaking into the motor because your carbs are overflowing.
use shell rotella t triple oil it is JASO rated for motorcycles, this is a deisl oil. it is also about 14$ a gallon. comes highly recomended by forum members
newer car oil have additives that will make your clutch slip and lack key ingreadiants need for your transmission.

read this link
http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/choosing-the-correct-oil-for-a-wet-clutch-motorcycle.43702/

 

clean what? did i say i cleaned anything? when i got this pig everything was rusted or full of rust: the gas tank, the petcock, the carbs, you name it. so the first thing i did was throw rocks in the tank and plasticoat it, then the carbs went off to the race car shop that run bike engines and they sonically cleaned them out and replaced some crap in there first that just had too much rusty crap in them, $100 worth of parts, whatever i forget, but was a hundie just to take them apart. which was a bargain cause the bike shops wanted like triple that. then last week i ordered the petcock rebuild stuff and new airbox boots cause mine were hard and shrunk. it's taken a long while to get the money up. also spend $80 on a new battery. so i've had this bike a year almost and yesterday was the first time it started and i drove it. seems to haul ass to me. but i am still not going on any long journeys till i can build some confidence in this thing. i plan on taking off the rear wheel next to inspect the brake shoe ala the sticky here... the shaft stays on and the other side just comes apart and the wheel comes off right? i think my 82 virago was the same trip. i also have air issues with my forks, but my oil looked like crap so it's gotta go. the bike shop didn't have air filters so i ASSume they aren't going to have an oil filter either. got all my stuff from chacal btw. i will have to download or at least find that manual site. i did not smell any gas when i drained that oil out. it was about 3/4 of a quart too much. again it's an 85 XJ700-X Maxim. in avatar. forgot to mention it was a clapped out wine red color when i got it too. still has lots of missing black paint or powder coat, & oxidation.

oh yeah, i guess i did say i cleaned them. i meant to say "had them cleaned". yeah, sorry.

 

http://www.servicerepairmanualonline.com/3585/yamaha-xj700-maxim-x-xj-700-manual/
from trade bit

 

Easy there, big guy!!

Seemed to imply that you had cleaned them. BUT, since it was some shop.... Here something to ask them;

Did you clean them as in " church of clean" clean, or "justwiped 'em off with a rag that was pretty clean" clean?

Did they tell you to have your valve clearances checked before syncing, and that you have 5 valves per cyl, and that you must lift the cams because your shims are under the buckets instead?

Well.... You have a lot to learn and do. Your Maxim X isn't as easy as an airhead.

Yes, your rear comes off and apart just like your virago did.

 

How many miles on the bike?

 

18,000. i didn't get asked or told anything, i didn't take them the bike. i only took them the carbs. so i had the wonderful and enjoyable experience of removing both sets of carb boots. i didn't read up on the how-to's, so i removed the boot to head bolts or screws, first, then took them out with the carbs. it was impossible to get the old boots back in and was the most hardest thing i ever did putting new ones back on!!! i NEVER want to remove carbs again. so i shutter at the thought of having to take them anywhere to do anything. another reason i did not pitch the airbox, thank god i got little hands!! so, while i am out removing my back tire, what exactly are you talking about as far as the cams and shims? i am sure i could use a sync job. i know what that is, but wasssup with the valves, just routine i imagine? probably never been done and long overdue, judging from the oil. Do you think i need a full on Valve Job ???
THANKS for the link xj550H
oh yeah, anything i need to know about changing the rear gear/shaft oil?

 

not a full valve job just adjustment

 

But on the X You're gonna feel like you did enough work for a complete valve job--- the X shim swap is more complicated.

Thankfully, all you need to do first is a clearance CHECK. If they are still all in spec, you can put the cover back on and worry about it afain the next time a CHECK is due. In the meantime, read up On how to CHECK the clearances for the X.

 

I'm assuming that the final drive on yours is like mine (82 650 Maxim). If I remember correctly, there should be two bolts toward the rear side of the hub/housing. The bottom one is your drain plug, the top one is your fill. Cross your fingers that there's still oil in it, drain out what you've got, then refill to the bottom of the threads with 80W gear oil.

Also, add your bike year/model to your signature. It'll save you from getting the question over and over.

 

Thanks Bald guy, is that space for rent?

 

For rent? I don't follow.

 

for advertising! Is there a specific torque for the rear axle nut? it seems like once it got a little beyond hand tight that was it!

 

What, my head? Hah! No, that space is reserved for Tough Mudder numbers and bad sunburns.

I don't know what torque the bolts there need to be, but it shouldn't be very tight, as nothing is under pressure there. Probably the same as any oil drain plug.

 

Damn, i wanted you to write Mt Vernon Electric on it! No, not the nut for the oil change. i was wondering about the torque for the rear axle bolt. i have sent a pm to HogFiddler on the Moon tho. Checked the thread on valve shims, but no pics for a water cooled and boy Chacal says it's an all day sucker, i couldn't afford to take it to a bike shop for that kind of time.
what is a tough mudder? wow, i just read about your bike, that thing has a TON of mods done to it.

 

Oh, yeah I don't know the torque for that one either, but I can assure you from personal experience that it's pretty easy to snap that bolt.

Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile mud-filled obstacle course, including electricity, fire, barbed wire, and ice water. I've been stupid enough to do it three times now. My avatar image is me just after getting out of the rent-a-dumpster filled with ice water. You do get a racing number to pin to your shirt, but they get ripped off pretty easily, so they re-write your number on your forehead as back up. You know, to identify the body later.

Thanks! It's a labor of love, and I'm not done yet!

 

Electricity and ice water. hhmmmm, sounds like something Uncle Fester would like. but not anybody else. i think i'll take a rain check on that one. thanks for the link tho. never heard of this before... i'll still pass.

 

The rear axle bolt is quite high (I'm on vacation so can't quote the exact number, but it's somewhere north of 50 ft pounds). the pinch bolt torque is much lower. The factory service manual is invaluable. I won't work on anything without one even though I have PDF files of most procedures at home.

 

yeah i guess i need to know. bald wonder said he's snapped them, i read where newer bikes are 108 lbs. i am not going there without a quote from a service manual. will get some rotella oil tho. still waiting to hear from chacal about what his number is for an oil filter. where to find in his catolog, i looked all over the engine section.

 

The pinch bolt is 14 ft.-lb. and the axle nut is 75 ft.-lb. Make sure you use a new cotter pin after torquing to spec., then adjust your brake free play and brake light switch.

Tony

 

wow, cool, my torque wrench only goes up about that high. thanks alot. out to the garage i go. thanks tony