Drained oil Desperately need advice

I drained my oil including the middle drive oil. I just received my owners manual and it says finaldrive/middle drive oil is 80 wt.

Do I need to fill the middle drive oil. If so where?

I thought that it was filled with the engine/transmission oil?

I have an 85 xj700.

Thanks

 

There's some differences I suppose with the various incarnations of our engines, but that's just weird.

No - don't use 80wt. Hell I wouldn't even know if you can buy it anymore. No, you don't fill the middle drive gear seperately.

Fill the engine with about 3 litres of 10w30, run it for a few minutes and through a gear or two to get the oil flowing through the filter and into the transmission/middle gear, stop the engine, wait about 30 seconds for the oil to settle, and check the level then. Add oil as needed.

Reading your post again, are you maybe confusing this with FINAL drive?
The middle drive is part of the transmission - so fed off the engine oil.
The FINAL drive is the drive gear housing at the back wheel -- that takes 80wt or so Hypoid gear oil.

 

Altus is correct, except that you can buy 80wt. Redline makes a good synthetic and so does Amsoil.
But like Altus said, this is for the final drive (You drain and fill it at the rear wheel - not at the engine). And another caution - only use GL-4 for your final drive, not GL-5. GL-5 becomes caustic and will eat the brass! It is made for newer gearing with no brass.

 

I use GL-5. But I also change it at the same time as my motor oil since there is so little of it. It doesn't have time to become alkaline.

 

Which means that the same material with the same formulation is still in contact with your gears. Injuhneer, I hate to sound rude, but the issue is still present even if you change frequently (not that the final drive needs it that often but good on you for being such a thoughtful owner). That said, the rear end of my XJ hasn't any bronze (not brass, too soft, sorry Rich, we know what you meant) parts so the phosphate issue is rather moot for us but I'm anal about using what the manufacturer recommends so I'm going to suggest using exactly that until further information suggests otherwise. I'll write Yamaha and inquire if an upgrade is recommended and disseminate the results when I get them (unless someone else beats me too it).

 

Interesting.

I agree that it does have some inherent alkalinity due to the EP additives.

As I understand EP additives they work by reacting with the protected surface. Most of them are sulfur, phosphorus or chlorine based. They can fail under extreme temps and the adsorbed surface detaches leaving no protective film. I suspect that amount of heat far exceed the heat generated by the final on an XJ.

I was also of the impression that the increased pressure, heat and activation process make the EP additives in GL5 specifically work at the wear points. So the reacted surface has a lower shear strength to reduce sliding friction.

Because the reacted surface has a lower shear strength, the sliding friction is markedly reduced, and the tendency to severe adhesion will also be reduced or eliminated.

GL5 is suitable for hypoid gears which, oddly enough, the XJ final has.

It is unfriendly to yellow metals, that is for sure.

So far I have logged about 30k miles with GL5 with no ill effects.

But I think I'll drain the final and look inside to make sure my gears haven't corroded away.

 

Thanks for the quick replies everyone.

Altus your reply agrees with what I understood however I will quote specifications section of my XJ700N owners manual
"Middle/final gear oil:
Type SAE 80 API GL-4 Hypoid gear oil
Capacity 0.2 L (0.18 Imp qt,0.21 US qt) "

This made me ask the questions to be sure. I have been driving for a week since changing my oil and was WORRIED when I read this today.
(I just received the owners manual. It is the manual supplied with the bike but the owner did not have it when I bought the bike)

TO clarify/cloud (take your choice) the type of oil question. the manual says

"Recommended oil:
SAE 80 API GL-4 Hypoid gear oil If desired an SAE 80W90 hypoid gear oil may be used for all conditions.

NOTE:
"GL-4" is a quality and additive rating. "GL-5" or "GL-6" rated hypoid gear oils may also be used."

I did not want to cover this because I know that I have read about this in another thread but I thought I should add this comment for the current readers.

This quote is from a manual printed in 1084 so if anyone has more recent knowledge please advise.

 

Wow! 1084? I'm impressed that there was even printed then, since printing presses weren't available until the 1300's. I'm having a laugh pulling your leg, I'm kidding around. Well I'm glad you posted that note since my owners booklet was made in 1980. I have assumed that the GL-5 would work but, having owned 11 VW's, I have plenty of GL-4 floating around. I do love the Redline 85-95, it is particularly nice smelling compared to Sta-Lubed. I'm also glad you got your question answered and a few questions were raised that brought out the engineer in all of us. Injuhneer, I don't expect you will find any wear given the care and attention you've lavished upon your steed. Your discussion on this topic has been tops, logic is so refreshing! Thank you!

 

HeHe, I'm more impressed with the fact there was a manual for this bike back then. I knew these bikes were old, I didn't know they were that old... 8O

Just kidding around Maxim700 :lol:

I've seen this topic bantered around here before, haven't seen proof one way or the other. What we really need is someone who designs gearing systems, to solve this conundrum.

 

Has anyone SEEN GL-4 gear oil that isn't also GL-5? I haven't in my local bike shop, AutoZone, Pep Boys, and Car Quest. . . .

 

Redline has GL-4. You can get it from Sta-Lube as well but you have to ask for it, most folks don't carry it. I've found it at CarQuest, Napa, and at a tractor supply house.

 

I asked a similar question on this forum when I purchased my 85 XJ700 Maxim.

My LBS - an independent shop and the owner - a former Yamaha mechanic recommends synthetic GL-5 for my 1985 XJ700 Maxim. He swears by the stuff.

 

Sounds like advice straight from the horses mouth (no insult intended).