santa said:
I went against all posted recomendations to run the engine awhile to heat the oil up....blah=blah=blah. The bike had been sitting for three weeks in a heated garage. I figured everything that would settle down...settled down. Since engine was cool...metal wasn't expanded. Everything went smooth for first change.
Does warm/hot oil carry out more dirt/particles when it's "thin"? Won't cooler oil hold these particles in suspension? Does anyone know why the oil should be warm/hot when it is changed?
After sitting that long, practically nothing is in suspension. Everything has settled and stuck to the bottom, and will not come out - period. By running the engine, the oil warms up, flows over the suspended particles, and picks up most of them. Then, draining the oil quickly before they have a chance to start settling again gets them out of the engine, where you want them. I wouldn't even think of changing oil on a cold engine. As mentioned above, you work carefully to avoid getting burned, but it's worth it.
On another related topic, I'm also anal about getting every single drop out of the engine before closing it back up. I've changed my own oil on every vehicle I've ever owned. It's ridiculous how Jiffy Lube and the likes charge for half-a$$ oil changes. There's no way that a good oil change can be done in less than an hour. It takes that long for all the oil to drain out completely. I ran an experiment once on my Ford Explorer, simulating one of their oil changes. I closed everything back up within the ten minute timeframe, cleaned up my oil catch pan, and then finished up. I got about another 3/4 quart of the nastiest crap you could imagine - the bottom sludge that takes the longest to drain out. I view a fast oil change in the same light as I would a sign advertising "Ten Minute Brain Surgery". Sometimes fast isn't a good thing.
Eddie