I am wondering how much oil temperature can affect the oil level.

I have an electronic dipstick. I got it more for checking the oil temp than the oil level. The unit always has flashed hi level since I have had it I never thought that much about it as I know it might not be accurate for checking the oil level. I was having the dealer do the service but decided to save some money and start doing the changes myself. I use the original dipstick for checking the oil level and always fill it to the top of the indicator when on the jiffy stand. the other day when I checked the electronic dipstick showed 1 bar down. cold( it never usually does) I road the bike and warmed it up and checked with the normal dipstick it was about 4oz low. I topped it off and have been keeping an eye on it. Tonight when I got back from a ride I checked and the oil temp was 217 and it was not flashing hi. When I checked with the normal dipstick it was about at the same level as when it was 4oz low. Normally I see oil temps in the hi 220's up to 260 this summer. Could it be that with the oil not as warm it is not registering as hi? Or is my bike starting to burn oil? It is a 2011 RK with around 11k I do not ride it that hard and feel I broke it in the right way.
I have started to pay more attention to it because I am doing the oil changes myself.

any advice will be greatly appreciated

 

I think... youre over thinking this a bit. Oil does expand with temps and the hotter the temp the more it will expand...

Absolutely no precise qualifier here, Im just using numbers for reference: So lets say the expansion rate is exponential & at 200 it expands 2% and at 260 it expands 4%. Based on a 4 qt volume = 128 oz, a 2% expansion is only 2.56 oz and at 4% its 5.12 oz... add a 1% reading variance for different dipsticks, plus not knowing the exact temps when the fluid check is done and youre close to the one notch difference in your readings you see.

For me the bottom line is, its all ok & youre good to go. Worry less & Ride more...

 

Another words, it's only like 3 or 4 shots of Jack....not that big a deal.

 

I might be over thinking it and over worrying about it. This change in the level (2 dots on the dipstick) happened in a few hundred miles that's why I am a little worried about it. It did not happen over thousands of miles.

 

When oil/engine is cold, the oil level should be in the middle of the two lines on the dipstick ('add qt' and 'full hot') Oil will expand when temp rises. Service manual shows the cold check level is right in the middle of the 2 lines.

as long as the oil level is between the 2 lines, you are not "low".

To perform a hot check, after warmed up, let the engine idle on the side stand for 1-2 minutes then shut it down and check the oil. Before determining if you have an "oil loss" condition, make sure you are following the same procedures when you check level each time.

 

yes I am checking the oil the same way every time with the bike parked in the same place in the garage every time.

I understand how to check the oil cold and hot. My question is how much can temperature affect the oil level? Can a 10-20 degree drop in oil temp result in the level on the dipstick being 2 dots low when warm?

 

This is exactly why I never have owned any type of oil gauge on any of my bikes. Causes people to worry way to much.

 

not sure how checking your oil level with the normal dipstick and seeing that your level had gone from the full level to below full in a few hundred miles is worrying to much.

All I am trying to figure out is it using oil or with the lower oil temps I have been seeing is why the level as dropped

 

Checking with a normal dipstick once in awhile is not worrying, but it all started with your digital dipstick and now you are worrying too much.

 

Yes it did start with it. But if your bike is using oil wouldn't you want to know?

Dropping or appearing to drop 4-5oz in a few hundred miles seems like a lot to me and would require checking the level more often to make sure you do not let it get to low.

I am trying to figure out if I am burning oil or if it could be the temp difference