Oil Cooler

[UndeadMetalhead]

I just installed an aftermarket oil cooler from CFM Performance. The dipstick is either showing it completely empty or over flowing. It says this oil cooler holds 1.25 more quarts than stock but it's flowing onto the ground as soon as I pull the dipstick. At one point it idled for atleast 3 minutes and was showing dead on so I went for a little ride around the yard and checked... empty.  Any suggestions? I think I'll drain it all and start again..

[Spartan]

Did you drain the crankcase too?

[UndeadMetalhead]

Yeah and changed the oil filter.

[UndeadMetalhead]

Am I supposed to be reading my stock dipstick or just using it to keep the oil from over flowing? I was thinking the CFM tank worked like the stock tank and not be filled all the way but maybe I'm wrong?

[Peelz]

an oil cooler that holds 1.25 qts extra? hmmmm. maybe it has a blockage...

[Mad Dog]

Yes you use the OEM dipstick with the oil tank....the level works the same way.  If you put in the correct amount of oil (stock +1.25qt) and it's overflowing then there are 2 possibilities.

1 You didn't drain all the oil out of the engine first
2 You have a blockage and the oil isn't circulating

Number one is a simple fix, drain out the oil you don't need until the level is correct on the dipstick

Number two, not so simple.  And I'd stop riding the quad because it's possible you're destroying the engine.  Check that oil flows out of the tank and into the engine by removing the oil feed line from the tank to the oil pump at the oil pump.  If you have oil there, follow the chain and check the oil line feeding the top end (you will need to turn the bike over for this, but take the spark plug out).  If that's good, move to the oil return line coming into the oil tank.  If oil is moving throughout this process then see item 1, where you didn't drain all the oil out or put too much into an empty motor. 

It's possible the oil tank manufacturer lied, or that the spec you got with yours was incorrect.  If you bought it off ebay, the spec may have been copied and pasted from other atvs that added more capacity than your 700 tank.  In all of these cases, you put too much oil into it.

[UndeadMetalhead]

It is an ebay item so I'm guessing it might be a copy and paste deal. I don't think there is a blockage because at one point I had the oil level perfect. I idled it for several minutes, spiked the throttle a few times and everytime I shut it off it was dead on, till I took it for a little ride. When I came back there was nothing on the dipstick which scared me lol.. What would it hurt to run with too much oil? I'm thinking of slowly draining a little bit of oil at a time but I'm afraid to mess up my motor more than I may have already. After this I'm never changing my oil again haha..

[Mad Dog]

Too much oil isn't good, but it won't hurt the engine.   You'll just spew the extra oil out the crankcase vent.

You should be checking the oil level when the engine is warmed up, the oil pump draws oil into the engine when it runs and this empties the tank.

Don't rev the engine, or spike it, in neutral, does nothing good for the motor or the oil pump.

[UndeadMetalhead]

Thanks Mad Dog.. The manual told me to rev the engine. I let it idle for awhile before my little ride around the house.. it had to be warm.. I'm tempted to just buy a stock oil cooler on ebay and take a loss.. oil is not something I want to play guessing games with.. Maybe if I take some measurements and try really hard to remember stuff from Math class I can figure out how much oil this thing holds..

[Spartan]

Do a standard 2 qt fill (1 in tank/1 in crank) let it run a bit, then start adding a little bit of oil at a time til it reaches the upper end of the dipstick.

[UndeadMetalhead]

I like the way you think Spartan.. You must have many oil changes under your belt.

[Spartan]

I've had the same thing happen with one of my older trucks, had an odd aftermarket oil pan and we couldn't figure out the capacity so we went from stock and started adding a bit (like 1/4 qt at a time) til the dipstick was reading full.

[Dales396LT4]

I have the the same tank and it dose NOT hold +1.5qt  at most .5,,, It took me some time to get it right but when I change my oil I put 3\4 of a qt in the motor and 1.5 in the tank and all is good... I run mine on the low side of the dip stick, it is very ez to over fill so bring it up slowly.. The tank will keep the oil cooler but will take longer the worm up...