Hi guys

Please help me out. I got 2019 114” Heritage and I have this problem second time. I did my engine oil change. I was at half way mark after I warmed up the oil before I drained it.

This time I decided to carefully measure amout of oil that came out - I ended up with 4qt 11oz. Let say another 2oz remained on oil pan walls etc.

i added 4qts and 11oz - dipstick was bone dry didnt even registered any oil on it. I kept adding up till I ended up with 4qts and 28oz and this is where I am on on my dipstick (this is cold check).




What the hell is going on here. Where is my damn oil? I added about 15oz over what came out and level is not even close to previous level. Since I know max capacity of engine is 5qt I would expect I will be at half mark on cold engine but is not even close to this level I am barely at second mark.

This M8 give me such a headache each time when I have to do oil change. Please help me out as I am freaking out about overfilling as we know what will happen after this.

Is there a chance more oil remain at rest of the engine that might be trapped there so my reading is inaccurate. Based on videos on M8 softails i watched people are ending up with 4 dots from the bottom after only 4 qts.

I am loosing my mind here.

 

You've got oil on the dipstick. That is good. Start the bike up and let it idle off the jiffy stand while you're siting on it. Shut the bike off and check oil again. If it goes up, ride around for a few miles o get the bike warm. Before shutting off, let it idle upright for a minute, shut off and check on jiffy stand. I'm pretty sure you will be overfilled.

 

We have owned at least 8 Softails from an '87 up to an '08 model.
In all those years (and bikes) I have only experienced one incident of having a "sump" issue where the oil in the horseshoe oil tanks drains down into the engine and that was after the bike (the '08) had sat over the winter months.

When I got the bike out for the summer I washed it and started it up and ran it for a few minutes then shut it off and checked the oil and it was over a quart low.
After adding enough oil to bring the level up tp the full mark on the dipstick.
I rode the bike to the dealership about 12 miles to the dealership with no issues,
The dealership installed two new tires (and tubes) and the mechanic took it for a test ride, and again no issues.
On the ride home my wife was following me and I got on the throttle (moderately) a few times and I saw her flashing her headlights to ge me to pull over.
That's when she told me that I was leaking so much oil that it was getting on her windshield!

Got home and checked the oil and sure enough I had overfilled the tank and it was pushing it out!

In short I would recommend that once you make sure that you have some oil in your tank. let it fully warm up. maybe even take a short ride then check the oil level again before adding any more oil.

 

I think you may be overthinking this. A few ounces one way or another isn't much. There are many "hiding" places in the engine. I always drain my oil, change filter, then add oil recommended. Start the bike and run for a minute or so, then shut down and start picking up tools. After a couple minutes I check oil and add as needed. I have never measure out coming oil. And I only put enough oil in to be at the half way mark on the dipstick. I would not worry....just make sure the oil is at your preferred setting and ride. Check it tomorrow and see if it's still where you like it. Ride and enjoy.

 

When I recently did my 2018 Heritage (FLHCS) 25k service, I added 4.5 qt of oil and ran the motor for about 5-min. Shut it off, let it sit for a couple of minutes and the dipstick just measured almost a quart low. Added the other 1/2 qt to make 5 qt total added. Took the bike for a spin (~10 miles) and re-checked the oil. It was over-filled a bit. Removed almost 1/2 qt and it's fine now at full mark when fully warmed up. I over-thought it this time. On a trip out west now and oil level remains fine.

 

Did you change the filter too?

 

You are omitting information. Before the oil is drained, are you warming up the bike fully while holding the bike upright (as opposed to on the stand)? This is important in order for the old oil to be scavenged from the sump.

I have always done the oil and filter change with 4.3QT. Without fail, this puts it on the full mark hot after a complete oil change with filter. Oil is checked on a full hot engine on the side stand, after idling for two minutes upright.

Correct order of process gets it right every time. However, that level isn't as mission-critical as you may think. Some guys purposely run a little low to keep oil out of the intake. I always put mine on full.

 

ive yet to see a reference in the manual for measuring how much of any fluid comes out of any hole when you drain it....i get the theory, but what if it had been overfilled before?

I'd start from scratch....drain it all

start with about 4 and 1/3 quarts....light it up and warm it up...i guess if you hear grinding scraping noises, maybe turn it off? <shrug>

once you get it warmed up, measure the oil and top it off if needed

 

I usually ride a few miles to make sure everything is up to operating temperatures. Then I come home and let it sit for a few minutes. Maybe 10-15, while I get my stuff out and around. Then remove drain plug and let it drain. I usually give that about 10-15 minutes to drain... until the drips are a few seconds apart. Replace plug, then change filter. Filter always changed on oil changes. Never had any issues with any of my bikes doing this. Good luck to y'all!

 

You measured the oil you drained out, did you also measure the oil that came out of the filter and estimated the amount of oil trapped in the filter element?

Filter will take a few ounces to fill and that could be where your issue is.

Probably over thinking it.

Change the oil and filter, put 4.5 qt oil in it. Go ride it for a while, check oil when you get back, add some oil if necessary.