[maarten101]

Hi,

i accidently rode about 20 miles (in hi speed / power mode) with no transmission oil. (it had been emptied before holidays and not filled again).

Has this brought permanent damaga to the transmission.

thanks
Maarten

 

[Mike337]

Ugh! I don't know what type of internals there are in that trans? Gears I'd think would be ok, bearings??? Plus it had all that time to drip off and gears/bearings. But in reality, what can you do? Oil up, run it, and if it's all good after a while, tell me what kind of oil WAS in it! Hopefully the oil did 'cling' well, like AmsOil's suppose to.

 

[maarten101]

Thank you mike. Ill check what kind of oil _was_ in it. Im not sure what to do or whether it definitely needs servicing.

 

[Ralph M]

Fill with oil run for a few miles 20 or so drain oil into clean jar and inspect for metal bits
truth is that if any damage done it's going to cast the same even if you run it some more
so if no frighteningly big bits come out and it does not sound like a bag of nails
refill and carry on as if nothing had happened.

 

[NormanB]

Be prepared to learn an expensive lesson.

 

[Buffalo]

The most likely damage will be to the bearings. You will know if they go as you will hear a loud high pitched whine. The transmission bearings in a friends bike failed and I could hear the whine clearly from a hundred or more feed behind as we went down the road. We could also hear it when we pulled over to the side of the road and rain the bike on the center stand. As soon as the engine was reved up enough to engage the clutch the whine was plainly audible. I would second Ralph M's comment to fill it with oil and ride it for a ways to see what happens. If you drain it and find no metal pieces and bearing whine does not develop then you probably are OK.

Now for the bad news. If there is damage then it is a big job to fix. The transmission is housed inside the crankcase casting. To get to the bearings and gears in it you will have to pull the engine out of the bike and split the engine crankcase. In other words a total engine tear down.

 

[maarten101]

ok thank you i will fill it up and drain it. Just one question. What happens when bearings etc are damaged and i keep on driving? Will it just fail at certain point of time, or will it jam or cause any kind of danger to me and others?

 

[NormanB]

Oh hang on did you really mean no transmission oil or no final drive oil. I know what you said but just request clarification.

 

[maarten101]

Transmission oil. For sure.

 

[Buffalo]

If the bearings are bad then they could eventually seize up. That could cause the rear wheel to lock and slide. You will probably know they are bad by the loud whine long before they seize up.

If the gears have been damaged failure of one of them could result in either a similar wheel lock up or loss of power getting to the rear wheel depending on how it failed. I would think loss of power getting to the rear wheel would be the more likely of the two.

You might try filling it with oil, running it on the center stand for a little while with the engine speed up enough to engage the clutch, then draining it to see if any metal pieces come out. If you don't see any metal pieces then the gears are likely good. That should give you a little more confidence before you try riding it.

 

[NormanB]

I agree with the advice above, however if you do find metal debris that is direct evidence of damage BUT not finding metal debris is not a guarantee that damage has not been done.

Like the old saying goes: 'absence of evidence is not equal to evidence of absence'.

These situations are notoriously difficult to map out and are as problematical to answering the question - 'How long is a piece of string?'.

The likelihood is there has been damage and you probably need to monitor oil for metallic debris regularly for the next few thousand miles and keep your cranium fins well tuned in for any change of tone. :wink:

 

[ErikDK]

On the other hand, think about how little oil bearings in two-stroke engines get.

The transmission was drained, not washed out with solvent.

 

[erv77]

i have a problem with changing the trans oil, i just changed my regular oil and tried to change my trans oil but couldnt get the filler plug off, i checked to see there was oil there by loosening th oil level plug, the oil that came out still looked good so decided to wait until next time. i need a new tire by then anyway then will ask the dealer to do it
ride safe
erv

 

[Buffalo]

i have a problem with changing the trans oil, i just changed my regular oil and tried to change my trans oil but couldnt get the filler plug off, i checked to see there was oil there by loosening th oil level plug, the oil that came out still looked good so decided to wait until next time. i need a new tire by then anyway then will ask the dealer to do it
ride safe
erv

I never take the filler plug out, I fill through the level check hole.

 

[erv77]

thanks buffalo i never thought of that.
erv

 

[Mike337]

Updates? Everything still good, I hope?

 

[reimerdavid]

I guess the thing blew up ?

 

[mikeyMarine]

must be a looong walk home !

 

[ErikDK]

He sold it

 

[Fatjock]

Caveat Emptor!