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Changing oil without pain

450roo

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2020
Total Posts
242
Total likes
26
Location
Adelaide, South Australia. Australia
Has anyone worked out a way to remove a sump plug with out burning ones arm? I have scars just below the elbow on both arms from touching the exhaust while removing the sump plug. Ouch!
Get a bike hoist? No room in the shed, what else can I do? I do like to let the oil out after a run so as much particulate matter goes with the oil as possible.
If you have a technique please share it!
 
I usually wear an old worn out long sleeve shirt and have never had issues burning my arm. Lay down on the ground to see and access everything.

Gloves are recommended, too. Ive burned and blistered my hand and fingers on the hot engine in the past.
 
Hi,

I attached a hose to the sump plug, and a hose on the valve cover. Both hoses are connected with a connector. When I want to change or filter the oil, I simply disconnect the connector and drain the oil, or filter the oil with my filter set-up. It works for me, and I never burned my hands or arms, simply because the connector which connects the hoses is placed in a position where there are no hot parts. Even de hose is shielded, and has a moderate temperature when draining the oil.


IMG_4001.jpg


7DC29689-325B-4FFD-90F6-319BD325FE41_212881-0_2676.png
A simple and cheap petrol connector will do, if you place the connector as high as possible, you never have a leakage, since there is no oil pressure when you ride the bike. The O-rings in the connector are petrol and oil resistant.

IMG_4006.jpg

Filter set-up connected to both hoses. It sucks the oil from the plug, then the oil is pressurized by the pump, and filtered in three stages. This way I keep the oil clean, and after a long standstill I can use this set-up to prime the crank and cams. The only special part is the pump itself, I got it from an industrial ink-jet printer.
 
Has anyone worked out a way to remove a sump plug with out burning ones arm? I have scars just below the elbow on both arms from touching the exhaust while removing the sump plug. Ouch!
Get a bike hoist? No room in the shed, what else can I do? I do like to let the oil out after a run so as much particulate matter goes with the oil as possible.
If you have a technique please share it!

You could wrap the offending portion of the exhaust with an old towel before reaching underneath to remove the drain plug. Or, similar to MrPepper's suggestion, wrap the towel around your arm. The trick is keeping a towel or long sleeve shirt in your shed for this purpose, otherwise, if you're like me, you'll just go ahead and burn your arm again even though you know it's coming!
 
Hi,

I attached a hose to the sump plug, and a hose on the valve cover. Both hoses are connected with a connector. When I want to change or filter the oil, I simply disconnect the connector and drain the oil, or filter the oil with my filter set-up. It works for me, and I never burned my hands or arms, simply because the connector which connects the hoses is placed in a position where there are no hot parts. Even de hose is shielded, and has a moderate temperature when draining the oil.

A simple and cheap petrol connector will do, if you place the connector as high as possible, you never have a leakage, since there is no oil pressure when you ride the bike. The O-rings in the connector are petrol and oil resistant.

Filter set-up connected to both hoses. It sucks the oil from the plug, then the oil is pressurized by the pump, and filtered in three stages. This way I keep the oil clean, and after a long standstill I can use this set-up to prime the crank and cams. The only special part is the pump itself, I got it from an industrial ink-jet printer.

That's a really creative setup. Would you mind adding a picture of the connection at the valve cover? Intake side?
 
No, exhaust side. I used a valve cover of a later CB450 (nr. 3), see image of the CMS website below. I used the flat part, which is already made for a hose connection, you just have to bore a hole and connect a tube.

honda-cb450k5-usa-e-2-cylinder-head-cover_big3IMG01171572_539d.jpg
 
No, exhaust side. I used a valve cover of a later CB450 (nr. 3), see image of the CMS website below. I used the flat part, which is already made for a hose connection, you just have to bore a hole and connect a tube.

Thanks for the reply. Exhaust makes more sense now that I think about it, given the breather on the intake cover.
 
IMG_0186.jpg

Side view of the hose connection to the valve cover

IMG_0188.jpg

Front view of the hose connection to the valve cover

IMG_0187.jpg

Connector between both hoses, just click it open, connect with the filter set-up and start filtering the oil or drain the oil and replace with new oil. I'm filtering the oil every 500 km-1000 km, and replace the oil every 10.000 km or every season, whatever comes first.

btw, I drove the bike last season without having to adjust the valve clearance, and I started this season with checking the valve clearance, and only had to adjust the left intake valve (0,02 mm too wide), instead of 0,03 mm it was 0,05 mm. Both (!) exhaust valve where within specifications (between 0,03 and 0,04 mm).
 
I wear a thick chemical-resistant and reinforced rubber glove that is also so long that it nearly reaches my elbow when I need to hold onto or remove hot oil drain plug bolts. And I am not talking about the typical thin nitrile or surgeon's rubber gloves that are usually one-time-users and get thrown away after one use (because they usually tear when trying to take them off)...

The gloves I use (if I remember correctly) came from my local HomeDepot or Lowe's Home Improvement or Ace Hardware "big-box store" one day several years ago when I just happened to walk by and see them and thought "These would help prevent scalding my hands and forearms !"

Also, my twins came new with center stands, which I use also when doing my oil and filter changes...
 
My issue with changing oil on this model is that even with a modest tightening torque on the drain plug, it inevitably requires a 3ft long (if not more) cheater bar on the end of my breaker bar to break it loose. Once loose, I can easily avoid any heat related issues but man, getting it loose in the first place is hard!

The good news is I've not broken any sockets...yet...

Does anyone have a maximum tightening torque value? Usual rules apply, can't come adrift in use and can't require inordinate force to loosen!
 
In the maintenance section of the FSM for oil change, it only mentions removing the drain plug and tightening it after reinstalling it, no torque value. I haven't looked in other locations yet.
 
Just checked the entire 4 speed and 5 speed manuals for any torque specs for the drain plug, no mention of it under maintenance or torque values anywhere. The 500T FSM might have it, looking there next.
 
And, no mention of torque for drain plug in the 500T FSM either. Just says "tighten", which many totally overdo as we all know.
 
Thanks ancientdad!
So I'm going to go out on a limb here and put a torque range of 30-35 ft lbs (40 - 47 Nm) Note the Nm conversion is not perfect, I just used round numbers as either unit is fine)

Criteria is:
-no leaks
-doesn't loosen in service

I'll fiddle with it tonight and update the torque as needed.

edited torque values
 
Last edited:
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