You think you know how to do it, buy have never tried yourself and are
tired of paying someone else $40 to change it for you. Well worry no
longer because Mike takes the mystery out of changing your oil with these comprehensive
instructions!
*remember to check your oil level every 500 to 1000
miles as the GS500 is notorious for burning oil!
Ingredients:
Your favourite GS500E.
Oil pan.
Funnel.
21mm socket. I didn't have one handy, so I used the wrench for the
wheel nuts of my car. Worked great. A 3/8" spark plug socket will
work as well. Luc says that his 2000 California model had a 17mm plug,
so check before buying the tool.
10 mm socket with extension.
Racket wrench or equivalent.
Rubber gloves. Your wife's kitchen gloves are perfect, but that's
your idea, not mine. Greg G. suggests using Mechanix gloves or
something similar to avoid burns
Safety goggles.
3 quarts of 4-stroke motorcycle oil. I bought 4 to be safe, but 3
are enough.
Newspapers or carboard to catch spills.
Paper towels (not-so-optional if you are clumsy as I am.)
Oil filter (optional.). You can get from auto parts stores. Fram
part number is CH6000.
O-ring for oil filter cover (optional.) Come already with some
aftermarket filters.
O-ring for oil dip stick (optional.)
Aluminum washer (optional.)
Anti-seize compound (optional.)
30-40 min of your time.
Put the bike on the centerstand on a plain area. Spread
newpapers under the engine to catch oil spills, and position the oil pan
under the the oil drain plug.
While the bike is still cold, loosen the bolts on the oil
filter cover with the 10 mm socket just enough that you don't have to
struggle later when the bike is hot. You really don't want to put your
hands there and fight the bolts when the pipes are hot. Make sure that the
oil does not leak out at this point though.
Wear gloves and safety goggles.
As above, loosen just a bit the oil drain plug located under the engine
with the 21mm socket. Again, make sure there are no oil leaks.
This picture was taken at the end, so you see oil everywhere. Sorry for
the bad quality, both hands were busy.
Now start the engine and warm it up for about 5 min so that the oil
will flow out easily.
Stop the engine and let the pipes cool down for a few minutes.
Unscrew the dip stick on the left of the engine and leave it
off. Check the o-ring on the cap. Replace if broken or brittle.
Now remove completely the oil drain plug from under the
engine and let the oil flow into the pan. If you are smarter then I am,
you won't smear oil on the pipe. Oil vapors smell bad :(
Remove the lower nut on the filter cover first. That will
make the oil flow out into the oil pan. If you remove the lateral ones
first, the oil will flow onto the pipes. Don't ask how I found out :(
Remove the oil filter cover and expose the filter.
Remove the filter and let it drain on the oil pan for a
while.
Clean out the dirt in the interior of the filter casing with paper
towels
Suzuki suggest to replace the o-ring at every oil change. I
think you can keep the old one as long as it is in good shape and there
are no leaks.
If you decide to replace it, remove the old one with a knife, smear
some fresh oil on the new one with a finger, and fit it in place.
You should also replace the crusher washer on the drain
plug. I dind't have one, so I left in the old one. Besides it's really
hard to take it off.
Fit the new filter. The hole goes towards the engine.
Suzuki suggests replacing the filter at every oil change. Everyone has
his/her own opinion on whether and when it's best to replace it. My
opinion is that if the old filter is not too dirty, you can keep it. If
you want to have peace of mind, replace it.
(Optional) Use anti-size compund on the thread of the nuts
of the oil filter cover so that you can remove them easily next time.
Close all the bolts and the drain plug. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN since the
bolts are prone to breaking, and close each nut a little at a time until
tight.
Suzuki suggests 10W40. The weight you need to use depends on
your driving condition. If you drive a lot in slow traffic or see the
redline regularly, you may want to use a heavier oil. If instead penguins
are your riding mates, you might want to use a lighter oil.
I used Mobil1 10W40, fully synthetic, mainly because I am very
satisfied with Mobil1 on my car.
Pour about 2.5 quarts of oil in the cranckcase. Make sure the funnel is
clean before doing that. You don't want any dirt travelling around in your
engine.
Check the oil with the dip stick. Add more if necessary.
The oil is read without screwing the stick in, just drop it on the casing
and let it rest there.
The owner's manual says it holds 3 quarts. I used about 2.8.
Screw the dipstick in and run the engine for 2-3 min at idle. Drwebb
suggests turning off the safety switch and clicking the starter 2-3 short
bursts until the oil pressure light goes out to prime the oil filter
first.
Check the oil level again and add more if necessary.
When done, make sure all bolts and screws are well tight, clean up
everything and bring the old oil and oil filter to a recycling center.
Please do not throw the oil into a drain or into the soil as it is very
polluting. Also, do not put the rubber gloves back in your kitchen: motor
oil does not mix well with food.
Feel good about yourself, but drink that beer you have in the fridge
only after you GO FOR A RIDE.
After a few miles, check the oil level again and top off if necessary.
