Oil Change + Washer

[NeckDeep]

Hey All,

I want to preface this by saying I’m a complete noob and have never changed the oil on anything or have any experience around an engine. I have a 2022 Honda Trail 125 that I just changed the oil on for the first time at around 670 miles. I ended up finding that the washer fell into the old oil after I had already changed the oil completely. I’m curious if I should replace the oil again so I can put the washer back on or if I should try to throw it on super fast before I lose all the oil I just put in. Thanks for any help!

 

[Tman]

I haven't tried this yet but I've seen several comments that you can turn the bike on its side and undo the drain plug without losing any oil at all. (might be a good idea to throw down an old towel or other soft material/padding). Several people have installed the aftermarket "Gold Plug" this way without changing oil. Good luck.

 

[m in sc]

get a clean container, and drain and put the washer back on. then pour it back in. its like 10 minutes.

 

[NeckDeep]

get a clean container, and drain and put the washer back on. then pour it back in. its like 10 minutes.

Don’t know why but I didn’t even think of this. Thanks!

 

[JTB]

Lay the bike flat on its side on the grass(so as not to scratch) with the oil filler cap side up. You can remove the plug without losing any oil. I have done this. It was a little sad to see the bike layed down like an injured horse. But we both recovered fine once it was over.

 

[SneakyDingo]

It was a little sad to see the bike layed down like an injured horse. But we both recovered fine once it was over.

Every CT125 owner removing the plug without losing oil be like

 

[ShieldArc]

Lay the bike flat on its side on the grass(so as not to scratch) with the oil filler cap side up. You can remove the plug without losing any oil. I have done this. It was a little sad to see the bike layed down like an injured horse. But we both recovered fine once it was over.

I will be getting my bike any day now and that is the way I am going to install the magnetic drain plug before I start riding it. During break-in is when you will get the most metal.

 

[fmdualexhaust]

You should replace the washer every time.

 

[m in sc]

use a stat o seal. reusable, less stress on the threads.

 

[JPMcGraw]

I don't know. I reused the ones on my 07 Frontier, 17 Fit (RIP) and my 21 civic. Its been the better half of 20 years reusing the washers they came with and i have had no leaks or build up. I'm on my 3rd change on the CT with the same washer it came with. You just have to look at it to make sure its still flat and doesn't have any grooves cut into it.

Its one of those things where it doesn't cost anything or take up any time to change but it also isn't going to cause any problems if you don't as long as the washer isn't buggered. Its a "technically true" thing that armchairs love to latch on to.

 

[ShieldArc]

Another one of those don't fix it till it breaks but have a spare in case you need it someday.

 

[SneakyDingo]

1. It's fine to reuse washers until it's not.
2. Of all the things to cut costs on, drain plug washers are a strange choice.
3. Except for the Honda CT125 ones, which are priced like they're made of Palladium

 

[m in sc]

wait till you try taking a 5x reused one off the drain plug. lol. seriously, any parts store has packages of them on the shelf they are dirt cheap.

 

[NeckDeep]

Okay, bumping this lol.
This was my first oil change so idk what to expect. But today I heard a loud clank noise. No idea what it was but it made me investigate the bolt. There was oil on the bolt but no leak on the ground. Does anyone know what this issue could be? I was worried about tightening the bolt too much but I’m afraid I overdid or under-did it.

 

[dmonkey]

If you're not confident in tightening it by feel, you can't go wrong with loosening it a bit and then using a torque wrench to tighten it and measure that you're getting it to spec. The torque specification for the oil drain plug bolt is 24 N m (18 lb ft). Wipe off any oil after, make sure you got it all, run the bike for a bit, and then check again for oil on the bolt.

 

[SneakyDingo]

As someone who's seen what happens when you overtighten the plug (thanks former owner of my old car), I'd rather under tighten it than overtighten it . Same as I'd rather use a new washer.

There's a ton of videos out there for changing the oil and the procedure for this bike isn't unique, BUT I'm just about to do mine. If you want, I can make a video so everyone can tell me I'm doing it wrong.

EDIT: I just realized that @calobster did a video a while back on oil changes.

 

[SneakyDingo]

Both the owners manual and the service manual say the bike should be on the center stand when checking the oil. In stock configuration the bike sits on the rear tire.

What gave you that impression? Front wheel touches the ground by default for the stock configuration. In the stock configuration my bike only at on the rear tire if I loaded over 40 lbs on the back of it.

I check my oil with the front wheel touching the ground, on the center stand, on level ground.

 

[JTB]

What gave you that impression?

I just misremembered what my bike was like when new I guess. Thanks for pointing it out. Gotta go drain some oil out of my bike now!