Easiest oil change ever

[BanjoBoy]

..I doubt if the manuals are incorrect...

Manuals can be wrong, and wrong for years during an entire model's life span.

...I use 25-30 ft. lbs...

A man jumped off a building, as he passed each floor he was heard to say, "So far, so good..." Glad you are getting away with using a ridiculous torque value.

There are fasteners that are critical like the cylinder head bolts, some are structural like the ones that hold the engine in the frame so the torque is critical. The most critical even come with a 'torque to yield' that specify bolt stretch. Some bolts only need to be tight enough to not rattle out. Usually common sense can sort out the critical from the ordinary. I use torque wrenches that are periodically tested, but use them only on critical items like the cam shaft cap bolts. I have never used a torque wrench on a body panel bolt, battery clamp or many other lever, peg mount or muffler mount bolts. There is nothing structural about the oil pan bolt, the oil is not under pressure. The only job of the oil pan drain bolt is to clamp tight enough to prevent oil seeping and not rattle out. Using a deforming washer keeps the bolt under tension similar to a split lock washer and helps keep the bolt from falling out.

The manual does say 31 ft/lb (± 0), some people are compelled to do things exactly as they are written. When they use a color book and crayons the sky is always blue and the trees are green. I tend to take a red, orange and yellow crayon then line them up and swipe them across the page making a rainbow or sunset. My trees often have fall colors. My drain plug is never 31 ft/lb, it is creatively 'sufficiently tight'

^THIS^

I may not be the sharpest pencil in the drawer, butt One thang I do know iz that I don't wanta strip that drain bolt!

 

[HotRodZilla]

..I doubt if the manuals are incorrect...

Manuals can be wrong, and wrong for years during an entire model's life span.

...I use 25-30 ft. lbs...

A man jumped off a building, as he passed each floor he was heard to say, "So far, so good..." Glad you are getting away with using a ridiculous torque value.

There are fasteners that are critical like the cylinder head bolts, some are structural like the ones that hold the engine in the frame so the torque is critical. The most critical even come with a 'torque to yield' that specify bolt stretch. Some bolts only need to be tight enough to not rattle out. Usually common sense can sort out the critical from the ordinary. I use torque wrenches that are periodically tested, but use them only on critical items like the cam shaft cap bolts. I have never used a torque wrench on a body panel bolt, battery clamp or many other lever, peg mount or muffler mount bolts. There is nothing structural about the oil pan bolt, the oil is not under pressure. The only job of the oil pan drain bolt is to clamp tight enough to prevent oil seeping and not rattle out. Using a deforming washer keeps the bolt under tension similar to a split lock washer and helps keep the bolt from falling out.

The manual does say 31 ft/lb (± 0), some people are compelled to do things exactly as they are written. When they use a color book and crayons the sky is always blue and the trees are green. I tend to take a red, orange and yellow crayon then line them up and swipe them across the page making a rainbow or sunset. My trees often have fall colors. My drain plug is never 31 ft/lb, it is creatively 'sufficiently tight'

+1 Alan...I have never used a torque wrench on a drain bolt, and I haven't lost one yet!

 

[Bugnatr]

I miss the easy Yamaha oil changes. My KTM takes a half hour as I get to remove 2 oil lines to get to the oil filter plus 2 other oil screens. After the second oil change I realized I don't need to check the screens every time as they were clean each oil change.

Been using Gunther's method of "good and tight" for years on most bolts I deal with. So far, so good

 

[Breathless]

My 2006 manual says 31ft/lbs. If that is wrong wouldn't a newer manual correct it? Anybody got a newer manual? Please report.

On a happier note, I have just made the final addition to my endless collection of offset, flexible, or extended funnels. My funnel library was acquired in my never-ending search for a funnel that will put oil where I want it rather than on the floor without the requirement for a third hand.

For four bucks at the Waldomart I got a flexible funnel by Flotool which is oil change perfect. Offset enough and the neck of the funnel is a perfect friction fit in the oil throat, holding itself in place. It does so well enough that when I poured too quickly the excess was retained in the funnel without leakage. Yeehaw!

https://s1174.photobucket.com/user/sefern1/library/Perfect%20Funnel

 

[ionbeam]

My 2006 manual says 31ft/lbs. If that is wrong wouldn't a newer manual correct it? Anybody got a newer manual? Please report...

It really appears that Yamaha only updates their service manuals with items that change from year to year. Things that remain the same don't seem to be reviewed. I do think that if Yamaha's service shops were to use the FSM specifications for oil bolt torque there would be a lot of dealer complaints about stripped pans and a high oil pan ordering rate. The high ordering rate would get their attention. I do have to say that shortly after the Forum started to find TPS and CCT problems Yamaha quickly stepped up with recall and replacement parts. Same with the Gen II ignition switch, dash, ECU and with a little delay, the ground harness too. The FSM hasn't changed because the incorrect torque value hasn't caused a problem 'cause I'm sure the Yamaha service departments would never use a torque wrench on the drain bolt. If you want to see another ongoing incorrect table, take a look at the shift points in the owner's manual.

<assist>

I've seen things in the men's room that look like this -->

 

[Breathless]

So have I, 2Fun. But I think those are made by American Standard and are connected to something at the bottom.