Hi everyone, I’m still lurking around,had some work done on my zx14 at the dealership, they also changed oil and filter, I’ve done around 800 miles since and checked the oil level which was just above lower level on sight window,there is no oil leak so I presume they did not top it up to the upper level, so decided to change oil and filter myself. I drained 3.5 litres out, which is about 0.5 litre less than it should be! Do you think it has caused my bearings to run dry at anytime, or am I worrying too much?
Thanks for any replies
Dave

* Last updated by: dave350v8 on 4/10/2021 @ 3:21 PM *

3.5 is not even close to worrying. Especially seeing oil in the window at any level. If 0.5 was left we'd be talking a seized engine. You forgot to add what is in the oil filter and what pockets of oil that are trapped in the engine case when draining the oil.

Brand new, there is no inspecting or topping off of oil when it comes out of the crate. So any level in the window was close enough not to worry a second. Now for my story. I broke-in one of my 14's and ignored book break-in. It would burn oil before the 3k oil change interval.

One day I take off and felt something was wrong with the power. I turned around and headed home to check things. Looked at the oil level for some reason and there was no oil in the window. I topped it off to say; a touch lower than half in the window; remembering the OEM level when new was somewhere around there. The power went right back up.

Seems to me I didn't have a helper bubble pressured in the crankcase. Pretty amazing when my assfactor found out how a level in the crankcase can affect the ride.

I think you're probably worrying to much even if you did some wheelies.

I have an 08 too and I drain it thoroughly, put on a new filter and put in 4 and one-third quarts of fresh oil. It will look overfilled until you start the engine and circulate the oil for a minute. Then shut it off and let the engine cool off six hours or more before you check the level.

Always check on a cold engine in the exact same spot you park on the exact same floor you park on. It's pretty hard to get a consistent oil level check without 100% of the oil drained down to the crankcase and warm oil occupies more volume than cold oil does...so you have those two variables if you check on a recently shut down motor.

 http://zx14ninjaforum.com/messages.cfm?threadid=BF8429A6-D56B-84E2-1A155B51563CC500

The 08 valve cover gasket leaks. They updated it after a few years and that one should seal a lot better. You might not notice it for a long time with the rubber blanket covering the motor. The oil film will be visible more on the LH side if the bike is parked on the side stand. If it leaks bad enough and the bike sits for a few months, you might see it run down to the bottom of the headers. The valve cover leaks from the front edge too but that burns off the manifold if you;re running the bike. If you notice an undue drop in oil level, that's probably it. Check the torque on the valve cover bolts tightening gradually in the proper pattern. Replace the gasket when you check the valve clearances. My valve cover leak is fixed but I think I still loose a little oil between 2500 mile changes. If you have to add, you probably have the leak.

"they did not top it up to the upper level"..nowhere in the manual does it say 'to the upper level line'.

It says...BETWEEN the upper and lower level line(I've always interpreted that to mean 'the halfway point in the glass bike vertical).If you change the oil according to the amounts spec'd,you will always have the correct amount,unless it's burning or leaking.That also means w/without filter change.There is a difference as you know.
'Between'..drain oil when hot.Add oil.The correct amount.Start engine.Let run for 60 seconds.Shut down.Let sit for an hour.NOw check oil sightglass.Use as the reference going forward.Can't go wrong;)

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 4/10/2021 @ 11:01 PM *

Thanks guys, I'm not worried now, so between lower sight level and top of glass That's going to be around 0.5 litres(1/2 a quart)

What worried me was on my zx11 they recommended on forums to run oil at the top of sight glass to help prevent Conrod bearing failures which was common on these bikes

* Last updated by: dave350v8 on 4/11/2021 @ 2:43 AM *

I wouldn't bother taking any oil out if the level is right on the top mark. If it's above he top mark when you do a cold check, that's too much, it might get blown up into the air box. That's not the end of the world either, there's a drain in the air box and any oil film will eventually dry up. The oil filter gets clogged with oil though.