Topping off oil: Dumb Question???

[yernkie]

This may be a dumb question but I thought I'd better ask. I had to pull the clutch cover on my 01 400ex, drained the oil prior to doing that, then reinstalled and put 1.9 qrts back in. It was a little low (halfway between upper and lower) after it idled for 10 minutes and I need to top it off. How do I do that? Do I warm it up, check it, then add until full? Or do I warm up, check, add a little (like 100ml), then run for a few more minutes, check again, add a little more, idle, check, repeat?

[CJM]

When you just change the oil you drain about 2 qts, when you remove the clutch cover it drains a bit more.

Since you already added the 2qts, let it idle for about 10 mins and shut it off and check it. Add a bit more, maybe 1/8 to 1/4 of a quart and run it again and check. Keep doing that till its right. A little to much wont kill it, but dont over do it.

[NacsMXer]

You don't have to run it for 10 minutes unless it's cold out FYI. Like 35 degrees or less "cold". Anything warmer and you can do 8-5 minutes with no issue.

If it's an actual cold start I would first let it idle for 10 minutes. Follow proper procedure for checking oil. Then let it idle for 4-5 minutes thereafter between oil checks since it's already warmed up. (the 4-5 minutes are to let the oil pump normalize the oil level in the tank)

Pretty much verbatim how the manual states to do it:

Let it idle on its own for 5 minutes. Stop the motor, wait 2-3 minutes. Pull the dipstick wipe off, reinsert without screwing it in. Add a small amount of oil.

Keep repeating this until you are near the full mark on the dipstick.

[yernkie]

Thanks for the info.