Removing stick coil (GSW) & the oil change

Two related questions:

How is the stick coil removed without a removal tool? My sense is "not recommended without one", yet curious if anyone out there is doing their maintenance without one and how that's working out.

When performing the oil change, I think something upwards of 1/2 litre of the oil is under the valve covers. I assume its ideal to have as much of the dirty oil out before re-filling with the new oil, but how important is this given the amounts? And can you get the oil out without removing the stick coil?

Cheers, y'all!

Put something on the ground to keep from scratching your bike. Lay it over on each side for about 10-15 minutes, that should get all the oil out of each cover.




Mike

The stick coil has nothing to do with oil????

Use two screwdrivers on the stick coil to remove....

There MAY be two tablespoons of oil in each cover...more like one...

Edit...
Oh..I think I see what you're saying...for an oil change..don't pull the valve covers..that's ridiculous...no you have to pull the stick to get the valve cover off...


What kind of oil are you planning to use? Def will be asking you what your old oil smelled like...pay attention to that, you don't want to be caught with your pants around your ankles when he asks...

This is a useful thread with some creative suggestions on removing the stick coils without the "tool", word of caution: be careful.

I do not believe that getting those last drops of oil that reside in the valve covers is all that important.....to most people.

To me it's crucial, there is a lot more oil in there on the new GSW then you would think, at least 6oz.

I only remove the valve covers to get that extra oil out when the maintenance schedule calls for a valve adjustment, otherwise I drain the oil with the bike on it's center-stand using a 6qt plastic drain pan underneath, once the oil is only dripping I grab the bike securely and tip it to one side towards me and hold it there for 30 seconds or so, I repeat this several times on each side until no more oil flows out when tipped.
I do it this way due to the fact that I already have the bike on its center-stand during an oil change, just make sure not to go too far to the side (you can feel it) and to keep a small amount of pressure pulling the bike back so the center-stand doesn't fold up.

Wouldn't it be more practical to add small drain-plugs to each cover?

Hi,

There is nowhere near 1/5 liter inside the valve covers. If you really want to minimize the oil left in the covers, a few tablespoons in each, tip the bike for 20 seconds to each side about the amount your sidestand leans.

As for removing the stick coils:

You can take a piece of aluminum and cut a tapered notch to slip into the coil grouves. I make these. And there are other good ones on the market cheap.

Speaking about just the wethead, I can say with certainty that I get at least 5-6oz of additional oil out of the engine when I tilt the bike from side to side after I have left it drain while sitting vertical on the side-stand, I'm not saying that the extra oil is all coming from the valve covers, it is likely trapped in a myriad of nooks and crannies within the mill.

There is more oil in wethead valve covers than there was in hexheads. I didn't measure the amount. It's a little more than you see in the catch pan in this picture.

If you have a ram ball clamp, you can use it to pull the coil. Easy peasy.

Sent from my nokia 1020.

Ooooh, nice one!

If you are concerned about oil left behind in your engine at an oil change, let's think about it for a moment;

There is old oil left in the main bearings, rod journals, oil pump, oil galleries, on engine surfaces inside the engine and elsewhere.

Lets say, this old oil amounts to 6 ounces. You remove the old filter and discard it along with the old oil left in the filter.

Now, you come along and add 1 gallon (128 fluid ounces) of new oil to the engine after installing a new oil filter.

What percent of the new oil is old oil? Do the math.

If you are still overwhelmed with concern about the residual old oil left behind contaminating the new oil, I would put your psychiatrist's phone number on speed dial or move on to something important.

Oh yes, I forgot, (thanks for the reminder Vegas) what oil do you use? What does the old oil smell like?

Probably most important, what oil filter will you use?

Well that's one solution.

He could also just disassemble the entire engine and wipe all the dirty oil off each part. Then reassemble and install fresh oil, problem solved !




Mike

I think you're missing another very important sensory evaluation: What does it taste like?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRt2_OLY3Ho

:eek1

truth

"...I do not believe that getting those last drops of oil that reside in the valve covers is all that important.....to most people.

To me it's crucial, there is a lot more oil in there on the new GSW then you would think, at least 6oz..." JetSpeed

When I checked valve clearances i measured the oil that came out - a lot more than on my oil heads - it came to about six ounces (from both sides).

That I can believe. I am just referring to popping the valve covers with a motor full of oil.

Or, fill the engine with flushing oil, run the engine, drain the flushing oil and fill with fresh engine oil....then call the psychiatrist.

Those of us who use synthetic oil no longer need to taste the used oil. However, I believe there are still some who just can't break the habit and still sip from time to time.