Gear Oil Level

[effinsiok]

I followed the instructions in the manual to drain the gear oil (it dribbled out all over). I leaned the bike both directions and let it sit upright for about an hour, but it made such a mess I’m not really sure how much came out. I’m also doing this in ~25deg weather so the oil moves very slow. Then I used a syringe to add exactly 120mL of 75w-90 gear oil and now the level is above the sight glass. In the manual it looks like you should be able to see the level in the glass with the bike upright. If I ride it around for a second all the oil splashes out of view and slowly settles back down, but it has so many bubbles I can’t really tell the level. I let it sit overnight, and now I have to tip the bike pretty far to the left to see the level. Did I somehow not drain enough out in the cold weather? Should I drain it until I can see the top in the sight glass? I’m assuming the sight glass level should be checked after the bike rests for a while so the oil is not aerated and splashed around. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Rashid510]

Had the oil been changed before? If it hadn't your probably gonna get some sludge/particulate which may affect the output. As long as you see oil in the midway point of the sight glass you should be fine. Usually the service also includes removing the gear cover w/gasket and that evacuates some oil as well.

 

[effinsiok]

No, I don't think it had ever been changed, but I bought the bike used so I'm not positive. It did seem a little sludgy - the magnet bolt had good amount of sludge on it. Should I just drain a little out so the level is visible in the middle of the sight glass? I'm thinking it would be pretty easy to remove the fill plug and just tip the bike to get a small amount out. Will I do any damage if I run it with the level a little too high?

 

[Rashid510]

No, I don't think it had ever been changed, but I bought the bike used so I'm not positive. It did seem a little sludgy - the magnet bolt had good amount of sludge on it. Should I just drain a little out so the level is visible in the middle of the sight glass? I'm thinking it would be pretty easy to remove the fill plug and just tip the bike to get a small amount out. Will I do any damage if I run it with the level a little too high?

In most cases, the oil rarely gets drained. I did my oil about 500 miles ago on my SM and it had never been changed and was similarly sludgy. If the oil level is clear and in the sight glass, there is no harm of running 120ml. Might be a tad less whiny but nothing damaging.

 

[C5tor]

@ElectroBraap mentioned he put in about 80ml in his gear oil change video.

How to change the oil on an Alta Redshift MXR // Electric Dirt Bike // SXS Slide Plate install - YouTube

 

[F451]

I would run/ride it a bit to warm the oil up, then drain it, fill it up with 80 ml as mentioned above, or fill to your preferred level on the site glass.

 

[Rashid510]

100ml was the original quantity added to the bikes in production, that actually increased to 130ml. As long as your in that range that should be adequate.

 

[bluefxstc]

@ElectroBraap mentioned he put in about 80ml in his gear oil change video.

How to change the oil on an Alta Redshift MXR // Electric Dirt Bike // SXS Slide Plate install - YouTube

Specs in the book call for 80ml (pretty sure on this), but I regularly put in 120ml and have had no problems. I use a 60ml syringe to put the lube in so I just shove 2 full syringes in and call it good.

 

[VINSANITY]

I found that I needed to do several oil changes to fully get rid of that sludge - I was also getting a lot of gear noise - after 4 or 5 oil changes the oil now stays clean and noise level is really low

 

[F451]

According to the "Redhshift MX MXR EX EXR SM Owner & Service Manual" pdf doc (that I think I downloaded from here on the forum):

Page 18:

3. Inspect gear oil level through the sight glass on the
right side of the bike; the oil level should be visible in
the sight glass. If it is not visible, add oil until it is
showing in the sight glass. (Fig.5)

Page 29, Quick Reference: gear oil capacity: 120 ml.

My personal take: The actual amount needed for a gear oil change will likely be slightly different depending on how much oil is left in the system after the draining, and how high you want the oil showing in the glass, personal perference for quantity, etc.

 

[Redwolf]

It's gear oil; a little more is better than a little less, but no need to over think it. Make sure you can see oil in the sight glass, and go ride.

 

[Funk]

I can confirm Rashid510's comment about the newest spec for oil being 130mL as I was the one that calibrated/adjusted the oil dispenser on the line. The manuals came out before we adjusted it on the line.

However that is bone dry. As long as you see the oil midway-ish in the sight glass you are fine.