I had the O ring missing once when I changed my oil. Got a new one and it’s been 30k miles since. Certainly doesn’t seem to have had any damage.

 

OK, thanks, just called around auto parts stores, doesn't seem like any filters come with o rings anymore

 

That small o ring makes most of the oil go thru the filter media but even if it was in place, about 45% of oil will BY-PASS the filter thru a valve at a set pressure. It is designed this way. It is better to get 55% filtered and 45% unfiltered oil to the bearings than a plugged filter that passes only 55% or less.

So just order a few to have on hand.

 

Ok, thanks Dave, I feel a lot better, will just have to wait for the new rings to come in. Hey, did you buy that wrecked 400 in vancouver?

 

No. Like I said I am not in a hurry and can wait for one to drop in my lap. :grin

 

Filtered oil is fed to the engines main moving parts at around 15-16psi. This is a lot lower than many other engines that have 'plain bearings' for the crank and big ends. Those normally operate at anywhere between 45-65psi. Our 400 Burgmans have ball and roller bearings so don't need much pressure to proctect them. Parts that are pressure fed are the crank bearings including the big end, piston underside oil jet, wrist pin, valve gear etc etc. If the 'o' ring is not in place this oil pressure is affected, but not by much. It's doubtful that any real extra wear has resulted from a missing 'o' ring. If the bike was to run for it's entire life like that then it would impact the engine life but you have nothing to worry about.

 

This ^^^ is so true. But to add to it.... Oil filters have what is called a Bypass valve. As the filter gets full of crud and plugs up, more and more oil gets bypassed back into the engine unfiltered. This happens even with a new filter but only to a small percent. It is better to have full pressure of dirty oil than NO pressure.

Every filters "Media" will cause some pressure loss. So if the O rings are missing the engine is getting a bit more pressure of oil but far less filtered when the gap allows oil to bypass the filter and just return into the engine.

 

Good to know info. I just changed oil filter in the Burgman. O ring was in place. Replaced with a new one.

 

Get the dimensions of that pricey Suzuki O ring....go to O ring suppliers on line. Buy a bag of the same for the price of one from Suzuki. Then you will feel much more free to keep new ones in there. Do the same with bearings....top quality Japanese or German bearings from many other sources are inexpensive.
Stig

 

Since the new filters don't come with o-rings, does anyone have a part number and a preferred source.
I changed my filter when I first got the bike ... at 1,800 miles; I only replaced the filter and re-used the original rings. I want to be prepared for the next round.