Which direction filter cover?

[steveskates]

Hello, I have a 1982 gs450t. I changed my oil yesterday and when I put the filter cover back on, I couldn?t remember if that little circle should be on the top or the bottom??? If you don?t know what I?m talking about, there is like a little circle that is next to one of the three holes where the bolts come through. I?m not sure what it?s there for...? Thank you!!!!!

 

[steveskates]

this is what I’m talking about... I’m not sure if it matters if that circle is on top or bottom?? Thanks again!

 

[cowboyup3371]

Does not matter from what i have found

 

[steveskates]

Thank you! It didn?t seem like it would make a difference, but I?m not really sure why it?s there either?!

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Could it be a boss for the addition of an oil cooler or an oil pressure switch?

 

[Rob S.]

Could it be a boss for the addition of an oil cooler or an oil pressure switch?

That's what I thought. Is there anything coresponding on the inside of the cover? I'd think there's a right way to install it.

 

[xkaes]

I can't believe what I'm reading. It's one of the two oil DRAIN plugs -- the other is on the bottom of the pan. There is nothing on the inside. It's a hole to help drain the oil when you don't need to change the filter.

It is not for an oil cooler or anything else.

And YES, it needs to be on the bottom, otherwise you can't drain the oil!!!

Besides, if I recall correctly, the filter cover can only be installed in one way.

Don't you have a manual???

I hope you installed the filter gasket carefully. It's easy to mess up -- and then you will have an oil leak that will cover your rear tire!

 

[steveskates]

I can't believe what I'm reading. It's one of the two oil DRAIN plugs -- the other is on the bottom of the pan. There is nothing on the inside. It's a hole to help drain the oil when you don't need to change the filter.

It is not for an oil cooler or anything else.

And YES, it needs to be on the bottom, otherwise you can't drain the oil!!!

Besides, if I recall correctly, the filter cover can only be installed in one way.

Don't you have a manual???

I hope you installed the filter gasket carefully. It's easy to mess up -- and then you will have an oil leak that will cover your rear tire!

I get what you?re saying, but it doesn?t go all the way through the metal. I?ve changed the oil a bunch over the years, and usually put it on the bottom, but last time I had the tires changed, the shop did the oil and put that circle on the top... I looked at a few pics and saw it both ways online. It looks like a drain, only it doesn?t actually open... it?s just raised on the surface. If you look at the inside, there is also a little indent, but it definitely doesn?t go through the cover. It?s solid... weird. Maybe it is for someone to drill out if they wanted to turn it into a drain...? I did put it on the bottom as you can see in the pic...

 

[xkaes]

I don't have that bike, but on mine it goes all the way through. Maybe that's the way it's supposed to be on your bike -- but that would seem odd. Maybe someone modified it for some odd reason.

I can't tell from the picture, but on mine, it is a simple BOLT and washer. Yours kinda-sorta looks like an Allen wrench bolt -- perhaps put in by the factory or someone else. That type of plug is often used for drains -- it is on my Suzuki Sidekick! Check it out -- maybe it is a (5-8mm?) Allen plug.

 

[cowboyup3371]

Doesn’t go all the way through on the 550s and at least one other 450 I have seen

 

[steveskates]

Yeah- there?s no doubt that mine doesn?t go through. Gs450t. From the inside you can really tell. It?s smooth metal. Thanks to everyone for all the replies. I was a member here for several years but I haven?t posted in years- so I had to start a new account. Thanks again fellas-
steve

 

[xkaes]

Interesting. It goes through on my 550B and 550C -- and the three service manuals I have (one Suzuki OEM) says it does. Maybe Suzuki changed it in later years, but why they would not simply remove it completely seems totally weird.

 

[allojohn]

Maybe Suzuki made a cheap/easy change to the existing molds eliminating the drain hole.

 

[xkaes]

Yes, apparently Suzuki made changes to the oil filter cover over time and removed the drain plug -- sorta.

In my service manual that covers only '77 & '78 GS550, it shows it and specifically says to remove it to drain the oil from the filter chamber.



But my other service manual that covers more years -- and the GS750 -- it says remove the oil filter drain plug "IF SO EQUIPPED" (see next post).

Looks like I have the Cadillac versions of the GS550.

 

[xkaes]

Here's the later manual:



I guess Suzuki figured it was cheaper to just "plug" the whole instead of removing it completely.

And as mentioned above, it apparently is possible to reposition the filter cover -- when your model lacks a REAL filter drain plug.

Of course, you can still remove the cover and drain the extra oil -- if you want. Just not quite as easy.

 

[tatu]

Maybe Suzuki made a cheap/easy change to the existing molds eliminating the drain hole.

This.
I remember back years ago some had a drain plug there.

 

[steveskates]

Thanks again everyone. Mine is a 1982 gs450t. Love the bike. Was my first motorcycle.

 

[rphillips]

Rainy boring day, I looked it up. No GS450's I found had the drain plug on the filter cover. The "77","78", & "79" GS550 "E"'s had them, GS550 "L" did not, neither after "79" had them. I can't believe I've been this bored today.

 

[xkaes]

Before the GS450, Suzuki made the GS400. It came out the same year as the GS550 -- so maybe they had the extra drain plug, too.

At the time in '77 I was torn between the GS400 and the GS550. They were both great bikes, but I'm glad I went with the GS550 -- I was just bored at the time, and it cheered me up!

 

[bwringer]

Suzuki HAAAAAAATES redesigning parts, so an un-used boss for a drain plug is just part of the oil filter cover casting on lots of GS models. But not all.

In any case, if yours doesn't actually have a drain plug, you may safely ignore it completely. If it does have a plug, I suppose you could place it on the bottom, but you could also just ignore it completely and remove the whole cover when changing the filter. If you only change the filter every other oil change, then a drain plug would enable you to get that last bit of oil out with less trouble than removing the cover. But I and everyone I know just changes the filter at every oil change so it's completely moot.


Backing way up to see the bigger picture, this extremely "frugal" corporate ethos is one of the big reasons so many of us can keep these things alive and ride the wee out of them 40 years later. GS parts were re-used for as long as possible on as many models as possible, so parts availability can be (but isn't always) surprisingly good.

To give one example, the driven spline unit in the rear wheel of GS shafties debuted in the 1979 GS850G, and is still in current production for Suzuki's Boulevard C50 805cc cruisers.

There are still several one-year or two-year wrong numbers and dead ends, of course; the absolutely cursed "siamesed" carburetors found on certain years of (I think) the GS650. The GR650 Tempter twin was actually a pretty good bike, but didn't sell well and went away quickly. Still, there's a lot of useful commonality between the GR and GS models.