Where does the oil go?

[gbw]

Hello again...seems I never run out of questions about this old bike.

77GS750B. Am completely confused about where my oil goes. I put oil in, drive a little, and the oil shows low on the glass. See video.



I don't see any smoke from the exhaust, no puddles under the bike, no leaks anywhere. I'm very confused. Where could it go so quickly without being seen?

This did not used to be a problem. After I owned the bike a little while I noticed gas in the crankcase so I rebuilt the carbs (the right way) and replaced the petcock. No more trouble with that since. I went on a 100+ mile ride with kvgarrison about a month ago and the oil level was the same before and after.

I made sure it was topped off before I left for BC and I noticed when I got back that it was low (~750 miles). I topped it off before I rode 390 miles on Sunday and it was low when I got back.

As you can see in the video, I top it off, drive a few feet and it is low. What the heck is going here????

Thanks
gbw

[lurch12_2000]

When you changed the oil and filter last time, how much oil did you originally have to put in? 3.5 to 4 qts? to bring it to the H mark while on the centerstand?
Then run it for a few minutes, shut off and check after a few minutes(manual says one minute but I wait more like 5 min so I don't overfill).

[mighty13d]

Just give me the bike instead of worrying about it! lol jk

Do you have Lucas or any sort of product that makes the oil stick to the gears better? If so, let it sit for a min then look at it again. If no change, then I'm out of ideas.

[mortation]

Dont check the oil when on the kick stand.

[mighty13d]

it was on the centerstand when he filled it, then after he shook it, then after the ride to show how low it went.

[MikeG]

I just changed the oil on my 82 750E for the first time a week ago. The manual says 3200 ml plus 600ml with changing the filter. I bought a gallon container of oil and carefully measured out into a smaller container in 800ml increments.

When I was 90% done I realized that a gallon was 3785ml and I was trying to measure out 3800ml! It went a lot faster and neater after that.

Did you turn the engine on and let it idle a few minutes to get the oil distributed throughout? When I changed mine, I took it around the block, put it on the center stand and also got a clear sight glass. Scared Idid something wrong, I limped home a block and by the time I got home the glass was full.

[rustybronco]

77GS750B. Am completely confused about where my oil goes. I put oil in, drive a little, and the oil shows low on the glass. See video.

As you can see in the video, I top it off, drive a few feet and it is low. What the heck is going here????

Thanks
gbw

some of it goes to the top of the motor (and its passages), when you shut it down it will drain back into the crank case. slower when the oil is cold, faster when it is warm.
give it 5-10 minutes the re-check it.
if you have to add oil on a long trip after following this procedure, its leaking or burning it. one drip per second is 1 qt? per 1,000 miles ( I forget)

[bwringer]

It takes a while for the oil to drain back into the bottom, especially when it's cold.

Even fully warmed, the manual calls for waiting 5 minutes before looking at the oil level. Cold (run less than 10 minutes), it can takes 10 or 15 minutes before the oil level stops rising.

[jknappsax]

First, I'm pretty sure that you need to be on the centerstand for the glass to be accurate. Everyone who told you about the oil going up into the motor while running are right on the money. My GS 750 didn't burn oil at all (14K well-maintained miles) but would USE oil when on a long trip in hot summer weather; I think the heat just vaporizes a little. I had a Ford truck with a straight six that did the same thing, no leaks or burning, just used a little oil.

[Killer2600]

Like others have already said you can't check the oil level of an engine that has just been run bike, car, truck, or other cuse some a good portion will still be in the engine. Also with oil changes if you change the filter the oil level will drop when the engine gets run and the filter gets filled with oil for the first time...You will most likely be adding more oil to bring the level to where it should be if you didn't overfill it the first time.

[gbw]

Interesting that after I posted this and saw the, "wait 5 min and check" responses, I went back up and checked and sure enough the oil level was right between the fill marks...right where I want it. Now I'd gone thru this exercise several times before I took the video. Funny that this is the time I finally get enough oil in it.

I'm going to change the oil soon and I'll pay better attention to how much it takes and how often I have to top it off.

Thanks as always for the help.

gbw

[TheCafeKid]

I used about 3/4 of a qt over 1000 miles this past weekend. Lot of hill climbing, and alot of constant 4500 rpm riding as well. I've never seen this bike smoke, never seen a drop on the ground, but i do know that my valve cover weeps JUST a hair due to two (on opposite sides of the cover) broken bolts that are stuck in the head. It only seems to weep when on the side stand after running and nice and warm, and like I said, ive never seen a drop on the ground. So using a lil bit, especially durring hotter days and long rides, is pretty common, and I wouldnt be horribly worried about it.

[rustybronco]

Don't discount the volatile parts of the oil burning off or evaporating. as I know it up to 10% of the oil can be lost to this process.