DIY Oil Changes While On the Road - Suggestions?

Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum

Help Support Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

rjrettig

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 8, 2010
Messages
76
Reaction score
12
Location
Indianapolis IN
I will soon be departing for a 2+ week trip that will require I do an oil change somewhere during the trip. How do others deal with this? I have no problem doing the oil change - thinking about what to drain the oil into, how to dispose of the oil etc.

 
Most dealers will get travelers in for something that easy, very quickly.

Other options ... Wal-Mart parking lot. They sell Oil, Filters and Oil Pan/Containers

Do the change, seal up the can and either give someone a free can that they just have to empty or dispose of it in the Wal-Mart Service Bay

 
Some have written about changing oil in a Walmart parking lot after purchasing an inexpensive oil pan. Walmart advertises that they will accept used oil for recycling.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I will soon be departing for a 2+ week trip that will require I do an oil change somewhere during the trip. How do others deal with this? I have no problem doing the oil change - thinking about what to drain the oil into, how to dispose of the oil etc.

Super easy. Wal mart. Go inside and buy a Bosch oil filter and Mobil 1 High Mileage 10w-40 oil. Buy one of those cheap oil change buckets to drain you oil into. Change oil around back next to the auto care center. Dispose of old oil, filter there. Your back on the road.

 
I will soon be departing for a 2+ week trip that will require I do an oil change somewhere during the trip. How do others deal with this? I have no problem doing the oil change - thinking about what to drain the oil into, how to dispose of the oil etc.
Rjrettig,

I would just change the oil right now and be done with it, before the trip. We won't tell anybody, if you don't tell anybody.
grin.gif


Cheers,

Infrared

 
I agree with infrared. If you look at generator specifications, traditionally oil was good for 100 hours. Going on a long trip, cruising at high speeds for a long time, your oil will survive quite nicely.

You could also be a half-slacker and just get a filter and top-up along the way.

 
If you don't want to do Walmart, see if a Forum member is along the way and will let you use his/her garage.

Either that or just wait until you get home. Even if you're averaging 500 miles a day for 14 days, that's only 7k miles. 500 miles a day for 14 days would probably suck for most people, so I'm betting 7k is on the high side.

 
I agree with infrared. If you look at generator specifications, traditionally oil was good for 100 hours. Going on a long trip, cruising at high speeds for a long time, your oil will survive quite nicely.
This is something I plan on having tested at the next oil-change.

I have an 8000 mile ride planned and when I return I'll send a sample of the oil from my 100k engine off to Blackburn Laboratories. They will tell me if I pushed the oil too far, but even if I did there will be little consequence for what amounts to missing a single oil change.

I'll post the results.

 
If doing the Walmart drill just get one of those aluminum disposable pans that are used for cooking something like a turkey. Very inexpensive.

 
I agree with infrared. If you look at generator specifications, traditionally oil was good for 100 hours. Going on a long trip, cruising at high speeds for a long time, your oil will survive quite nicely.
This is something I plan on having tested at the next oil-change.

I have an 8000 mile ride planned and when I return I'll send a sample of the oil from my 100k engine off to Blackburn Laboratories. They will tell me if I pushed the oil too far, but even if I did there will be little consequence for what amounts to missing a single oil change.

I'll post the results.
What kind of oil are you going to torture for that long?

 
I agree with infrared. If you look at generator specifications, traditionally oil was good for 100 hours. Going on a long trip, cruising at high speeds for a long time, your oil will survive quite nicely.
This is something I plan on having tested at the next oil-change.

I have an 8000 mile ride planned and when I return I'll send a sample of the oil from my 100k engine off to Blackburn Laboratories. They will tell me if I pushed the oil too far, but even if I did there will be little consequence for what amounts to missing a single oil change.

I'll post the results.
What kind of oil are you going to torture for that long?
Shell Rotella T

I just changed it at 4000 miles. It looked almost new, so we'll see.

When guys have done this before the labs have usually said that doubling the service interval is safe. So I'll ask.

ps ... We don't really "torture" the oil, except maybe on a track day.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I agree with infrared. If you look at generator specifications, traditionally oil was good for 100 hours. Going on a long trip, cruising at high speeds for a long time, your oil will survive quite nicely.
This is something I plan on having tested at the next oil-change.

I have an 8000 mile ride planned and when I return I'll send a sample of the oil from my 100k engine off to Blackburn Laboratories. They will tell me if I pushed the oil too far, but even if I did there will be little consequence for what amounts to missing a single oil change.

I'll post the results.
What kind of oil are you going to torture for that long?
Shell Rotella T

I just changed it at 4000 miles. It looked almost new, so we'll see.

When guys have done this before the labs have usually said that doubling the service interval is safe. So I'll ask.

ps ... We don't really "torture" the oil, except maybe on a track day.
Its the transmission that tortures the oil. The Gears crush the oil and break it down.

 
I agree with infrared. If you look at generator specifications, traditionally oil was good for 100 hours. Going on a long trip, cruising at high speeds for a long time, your oil will survive quite nicely.
This is something I plan on having tested at the next oil-change.

I have an 8000 mile ride planned and when I return I'll send a sample of the oil from my 100k engine off to Blackburn Laboratories. They will tell me if I pushed the oil too far, but even if I did there will be little consequence for what amounts to missing a single oil change.

I'll post the results.
I'll be looking forward to that report. I've been running the MC specific Castrol Synth. as I've found it shifts a little smoother than the Rotella T6 I used to run. I change it @ 5k miles and am a little surprised as to how clean looking it still is. We shall see how 'lubby' your oil is @ 8k.

 
I have no qualms about extending the service interval for oil; especially on a long trip where I will be running 500+ miles per day. Straight highway riding is pretty easy on the oil when compared to short hop runs. This is especially true with synthetic oil. There will be very little condensation in the oil and minimal rich running byproducts from start + warmup. I seriously doubt that there would be any issues running a quality synthetic oil up to 10,000 miles or more although I certainly wouldn't make a habit of it. I will also be interested in seeing the results of Twigg's post-trip oil analysis - bet it shows there is no problem. If you do the mid-trip change, I wouldn't do the oil filter. First of all, Yamaha says the filter only needs to be be changed every second oil change although most people (myself included) do it every time. Also, a four quart jug of oil should be (just) enough if the filter isn't swapped out; no need for another part bottle of oil if you are buying quarts or a four quart jug. Note: I might be less inclined to extend the drain interval quite as far if the ride included multiple 100 °F days running at 90+ mph.

I have done the Walmart parking lot oil change. In my case, the auto service department even loaned me a funnel and drain pan and then accepted my used oil when I finished. Including buying the oil, I was back on the road in about 20 minutes. (Very early in the morning on a slow day at Walmart.)

 
Last edited by a moderator:
If you don't want to do Walmart, see if a Forum member is along the way and will let you use his/her garage.
Either that or just wait until you get home. Even if you're averaging 500 miles a day for 14 days, that's only 7k miles. 500 miles a day for 14 days would probably suck for most people, so I'm betting 7k is on the high side.
Well we just did 6500 miles on our SW-FOG trip. I didn't do any oil change. We did 7500 miles in 14 days of riding for NAFO 2012, however the oil and tires were changed on that one. I would have been fine with going 7500 miles before changing, but I figured since I already had it in the shop they may as well do it. The oil these days is completely capable of those intervals.

 
...Go inside and buy a Bosch oil filter and Mobil 1 High Mileage 10w-40 oil...
Since this thread now has oil information in addition to tips for trip oil changes I'll add something here. High Mileage oil normally contains seal swelling agents which helps CAR engines with crank seals and valve stem seals. It is worth noting that the original Gen I engines had some rare instances of excessive valve guide wear causing the valve stems to rattle in the worn guides (Forum named "Tickers"). The root cause was valve stem seals that were too tight and starved the valve guides of oil lubrication. The fix was for Yamaha to install slightly looser stem seals. I'm not sure that a seal swelling oil would be a good thing. Just an observation, we are big boys and can make our own decisions.

If you start the trip with any name brand oil and a new oil filter there should be no problem going 7.5k miles. Motorcycle engines share the oil with the transmission which does shear the oil's polymer chains causing oil which goes in like syrup to go out like water. Synthetic oils take heat better than pure mineral based oil. Most brand name oil's additive package should be good for at least 7.5k miles. An air filter that lets in fine grit is probably more harmful than an extended oil change.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
l have done the Walmart parking lot oil change a few times. And I've changed my oil in other parking lots as well, such as an auto parts store. The important thing for me is to find a comfortable place in the parking lot, like under a shade tree, and out of the way of the store's normal activity. I always leave the spot clean and I always pour the old oil back into the containers the new oil came in and recycle it at the store. I have never seen a store that sells oil that does not also take the old stuff. I normally put the drain pan and funnel in the trash with the used paper towels. Easy peasy.

Also, I normally change my oil and filter every five thousand miles. On a long trip I allow it to go as much as eight thousand miles. That is my maximum.

Charlie Hoss and Thingfish changing oil at Walmart, somewhere near Sacramento, California. That's my FJR on the left:

DSCF0994_zpsdutk1i06.jpg


 
I am of the opinion that parking lot oil changes are only a necessity if your trip is significantly over 8k miles. Up to that, just do one before leaving (even if it's early) and another on your return. Sure, if you are visiting folks along the way a driveway change at a friend's place is great. In that case I wouldn't bother changing the filter, just the oil, as is prescribed by Yamaha.

I would, however, recommend using a high quality synthetic oil at the upper end of the viscosity spec range, if you are anticipating an extended change. The idea is that, with synthetic there is less viscosity breakdown with use than with a conventional oil, and even if there is some breakdown, the oil will still have adequate viscosity to protect the engine. For example, I think that Mobil1 15W50 is a good choice for extended changes. I'm sure there are others. I actually run that oil in my 3 bikes all the time as it is not much more expensive than the conventional oils.

Be aware that, like a motorman break-in, extending one oil change interval may violate the Yamaha factory (or YES) warranty. But realistically, it will not cause any harm whatsoever to your bike.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Top