How to check the oil

[gregs656]

I find if I check mine straight away it lies, I top it up, then the next time I check it's over.

[Mincehead]

You must remember the TRX is a dry sump, shortly after stopping the thoroughly warmed engine check the level,(holding the bike upright of course),top it up if required and that`s it.
As for being over filled in relation to the sight glass, as long as it`s not excessively over you need not worry about it.

[Thom]

Regarding all of this, i have just had the top end of my engine appart and im starting reassembly, ive gotten to the point where i refil with fresh oil and i have just discovered the two drain bolts (one large on the left side of the sump and one on the right side of the engine casing which is a 12mm facing the floor)

anyway, upon adding oil i noticed that it took very little to start filling the sight glass, however none has made it to the sump - is this normal? should i run the engine or atleast turn it over before i can fill it completely?

If i add any more oil its going to overflow before it gets further into the engine where it has previosuly drained from!

Thom

[Mincehead]

If you read back through this thread I think Phuk explains the process. Anyway, put 3 litres or so in the oil tank and if it doesn`t take it all check there`s nothing stopping oil from flowing down into the filter housing, a kink in the flexible black hose from the back of the oil tank to the bottom of the filter housing is possible.
You can whip the plugs out and spin the motor over a couple of times while watching the level, it should start to go down as the oil pumps become primed and start pumping.
Once you have around 3 ltrs of oil in the bike (3.2 in the manual I think) run it until you see the level drop enough that you can fill it with the rest, check it`s circulating by undoing the M6 (10mm head) bolt on the oil gallery situated on the upper left of the block too, oil should dribble / flow out, when you see this you can tighten the bolt back up. An empty motor should take around 4.2 litres if I remember correctly.
You can of course go to the downloads section of the forum to check in the service manual.

[fung]

If you read back through this thread I think Phuk explains the process. Anyway, put 3 litres or so in the oil tank and if it doesn`t take it all check there`s nothing stopping oil from flowing down into the filter housing, a kink in the flexible black hose from the back of the oil tank to the bottom of the filter housing is possible.
You can whip the plugs out and spin the motor over a couple of times while watching the level, it should start to go down as the oil pumps become primed and start pumping.
Once you have around 3 ltrs of oil in the bike (3.2 in the manual I think) run it until you see the level drop enough that you can fill it with the rest, check it`s circulating by undoing the M6 (10mm head) bolt on the oil gallery situated on the upper left of the block too, oil should dribble / flow out, when you see this you can tighten the bolt back up. An empty motor should take around 4.2 litres if I remember correctly.
You can of course go to the downloads section of the forum to check in the service manual.

The little bolt is the air bleed.
as mince said, fill first, run with the bolt undone and do it up when oil appears. it is not necessary to completely remove this bolt to bleed the air out.
cheers
fung

[Thom]

How can one person get this so wrong!

I filled my engine with oil and it just kept drinking it, and none was visable in the sight glass but there were no leaks.

I am 95% sure the surface was flat but still when running the sump sight glass would empty and not refill after being left.

I continued to fill up and eventually after running there was oil EVERYWHERE pouring out of the airbox and frame overflow!

What did i do and why did i do it?

Tomorrows job is likely drain all oil of, collect, and refill with the measured quantity (what is this quantity specifically? i read the first post and it suggest 3.7litre?)

[Mincehead]

If the motors now had oil in it the 3.7 litres is likely thereabouts right. Put in say 3.2 litres, run it, do the circulation / air bleed check (M6 bolt on the block) then stop the bike, hold it level and top the oil level up to between the marks on the sight glass, JOB DONE!

[Thom]

Cheers, ive worked and serviced all my own bikes in the past but the trixie is perhaps the most complex to do an oil change on ¬__¬

[andyaber]

The M6 bolt at the top left side of the engine is described as a gallery bolt not an air bleed bolt. Loosen this bolt with the engine running and oil will seep from it within a number of seconds, if not there is insufficient oil getting to your cams(check main oil feed in sump). Believe one who has lost an engine to this!

Cheers, Andy.

[Thom]

Here's the thing guys, my engine is getting hot (infact it climbed to 100degrees whilst idleing just now - im worried i put the thermostat unit in the wrong way round!)

but the oil doesn't seem to be returning to the sight glass - at all.
The gallery bolt is bled, and i appear to be getting oil to both drain plugs. I have put the 3700ml of oil in and the engine was already damp from oil, but whats worse is even when i add oil, the sight glass doesnt go up?

Whats happened to my baby :/ i darent ride it like this!

[ekoja]

Just a though!
Have you overfilled it? with the oil being clean has it gone above the sightglass but it is hard to see in the sightglass, because it is clean and clear.

[Thom]

I overfilled it quite dramatically yesterday and so i drained and refilled this morning, after getting the oil out of the cylinders and off the plugs and out the airbox...

Anyway, the oil is dark as its now been through the engine, however it just isnt coming into the sightglass, even when pouring... and the bike is on axle stands so it is level.

I could cry.

[Mincehead]

Ok, so let`s get this right..................
The clean oil has become discoloured?
Did oil flow from the gallery check bolt on the block?
If it didn`t, you can perhaps suspect an oil pump problem, if it did oil is curculating, at least to there anyway. Go to the download section and look at the picture on there regarding the oil circulation sytem, directions of flow etc. You can then loosen pipes, flanges, banjo bolts etc to ascertain the oil is circulating throughout the system.
THEN come back and tell us what you are finding?

[Thom]

Hello again.

Tonight i managed to shear a bolt off in the head so ive had to drop the engine to access it and drill it out.

Oil was flowing to the cams as it flowed freely from the bolt, the sump would also drain of oil once the engine started up, it just didnt apear to refill, it looks like this is going to be a long job.

[Mincehead]

Ok, next step then, inspect the oil pumps, especially the nylon drive gears. One pump pumps oil around the motor the other scavenges and returns oil to the tank.