[PapaSkeeta]

You will never get a consistent correct check if you don’t let it idle till the fan kicks on. This gets it to operating temp. The oil level will be different at 170 degrees than at 185.

I have started letting my fan cycle 3 times before shutting off to check the oil. With just 1 cycle of the fan, I don't think everything (all of the oil and oil canister) were getting as hot as the engine with only 1 cycle of fan. I may be wrong but I think at one point I put my hand on the oil canister with only 1 fan cycle and it was not all that hot so that is why I started letting the engine run longer before checking. I believe the manual states to let it get to normal operating temperature. I would interpret that to mean get all of the oil to normal operating temperature.

It seems that everyone gets a somewhat different reading depending their exact method of checking. The first couple of times I changed my oil I put 2 qts. in oil canister + 1.5 qts. in engine and ran to get it hot, and topped off with 8 ozs. more and that seem to put the oil level on the full hash mark when engine is hot. I would then check it to see where the oil level would be the next morning with the engine cold, and it was about 1/4" below the full hash mark. After a 270 mile ride one weekend I checked the oil when I got home on a cold engine expecting to see the cold oil level 1/4" below the full hash mark and to my surprise the oil was not on the dipstick at all, so I went to adding oil. Then drove it around the yard and now it was way way overfilled, so I'm draining oil out it. Doesn't seem to be any sure fire way of determining where the oil level should be on the dipstick, or not on the dipstick, with a cold engine, in order for the oil level to be correct when the oil is at normal operating temperature. I finally quit trying to determine where the oil level would be with the engine cold.

 

[PapaSkeeta]

I just got back from a 1,100 miles in 13 days Overlanding Trip. With this type of riding it becomes more important to be able to check your oil level with a great deal of consistency to see if your consuming oil or not. Another one planned in August that will be about 1,000 miles in 14 days.

It is much easier and quicker for me to be able to check my oil level each morning on a cold engine before starting out that day on these Overlanding trips, before filling the bed up with all of your gear, making it hard to tilt the bed. This was the reason I attempted to determine the correct cold engine oil level for the oil to be at the correct level when hot. With the dry sump system it didn't provide a consistent oil reading when cold, at least not for me that I felt I could trust.

 

[PapaSkeeta]

FYI Papa, I just took my machine for a short drive letting the fan cycle 4-5 times within that.
I got the same level as i had after only warming it up for the fan once when I changed oil.
I guess I ll just add 3.5qt and 4oz next time which should get it on the stick and then add measured amounts till full so I know exactly what to put in and quit wasting oil!

Good to know.

 

[PapaSkeeta]

I have 4,200 miles on my Rmax and have always changed oil and filter every 500 miles and filled with 4 qts and 12 ounces like the manual says and reading the dip stick is always way high cold or hot. Go figure!🤔

When I bought my 2021 Rmax used, it had only 39 miles on it, but for some reason the original owner had already had his local dealer change the oil (I have the receipt/paperwork from the dealership). I checked the oil, at time of purchase to make sure it wasn't low but didn't think about it being on the full hash mark with it cold. The dealer must have had someone not familiar with the new dry-sump engines, at that time in 2021, and that individual filled it with oil up to the full hash mark with the engine cold. After getting it home I crawled under it to check the plastic end cap on the air intake plastic tubing, it was full of oil. I probably drained out several ounces (6-8 ozs.) and it took multiple times of getting the machine hot and redraining before I finally got it all out to the point no more oil would drain to the end cap. No damage done to the Rmax, but it wasn't like this for very long, only about 10 miles. Checked the spark plugs and no oil on them. Excessively overfilling one with oil can cause problems, not mentioning the mess it makes in the air intake tube/air box.