Topic: Overfill oil difficult to shift when stopped?

[gregripko]

Think I overfilled oil a little on cb550 and now it's impossible to put it in neutral unless I'm moving. Can this be the cause? It worked fine before.

[grasscutter]

original thread found @->  http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=116170.0  (hope I posted that correct).

[dave500]

it would be have to be grossly over filled to cause any drama,a bees dick over wont hurt.

[HondaMan]

Since your previous post indicates that the bike was 2 qts. low on oil when you started with this, I'd suggest that you now have at least one (if not more) plates that are damaged or warped from heating. Oil levels that low will run the plates dry because there's now way for the sump to fill in the pressures needed to wet the clutch plates. Once a set of plates is warped, they will disengage when dry, slip under power, and drag severely when wetted again. So, you may have to start by pulling off that cover and the plates to check them out.

[gregripko]

gotcha..... thank you....I'll post the outcome when it happens

[Bailgang]

I don't mean to open a can of worms again here but I can't help but wonder if everyone is possibly missing the obvious and that is just exactly HOW did you check the oil in the previous thread? Was the bike on it's center stand or was it leaning on it's side kick stand? 2 qts low on an engine that only takes a total of 3.2 qts is dangerously low yet you claim it ran AND shifted just fine before you added the additional 2 qts. My cb550 doesn't have it's center stand so when I check the oil I have to sit on the bike to make sure it's setting upright when I check the oil to get an accurate reading. If I check it while it's leaning on it's kickstand I'll be lucky if I get so much as a drop on the end of the dipstick making it seem as though it's very low on oil even though it's actually got the correct amount.

I can't help but wonder if your oil level was just fine to start with and you grossly overfilled it which is causing all your problems.

[gregripko]

Bike had a little too much oil.... Drained it and clutch was perfect

[HondaMan]

Yeah, if the oil is so deep that the tranny gears are flinging it everywhere, it makes it foamy. This causes low oil pressure everywhere as the pump has a harder time trying to suck it in.

This only happens on the wet-sump engines, BTW. On the 750, it also happens with high-detergent oils like Castrol GTX (automotive), Valvoline, and Havoline, and the so-called "V-Twin" oils made for Harley twins.