Re: Oil Change

[Bob MacFarland <emoto1@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Tom Brown wrote:

>Falvio:
>
>I've found the BMW specs to be too much.  They turn the aluminum crush
>washers to mush!   I tighten just enough to compress the crush washer a
>bit...maybe 1/8 to 1/4 turn.  Tighten and leave it, don't back it off after.
>As long as you're sqashing the washer, you're sealing and holding the bolt
>tightly.  I've been doing things this way for years and have never had a
>problem.
>
>If you do it this way, you can re-use the crush washer if you need to.   I
>don't make a practice of this unless I'm on the road and there's no new
>crush washers around.   If you tighten to factory, the washer is really
>squashed.  It's difficult to remove from the bolt and it's pretty useless
>for re-use.
>
>For the filter, I put them on hand-tight plus about half a turn. It's
>enough.   Again, once the gasket is compressed all around the circumference,
>you're sealing and holding the filter tight.   That's all you need to do.
>
>It's always more difficult to get them off than to put them on.
>
>Let's not start an endless thread over this, OK?
>

I don't usually chime in on things like this, but I feel compelled to 
say that I have known a lot of guys who for reasons unknown don't 
believe the torque specs designated by the engineers who designed the 
bike, or have somehow determined that some other torque spec is "better" 
than what the factory specifies. To each his own, I say, but deviating 
from the factory torque specs is, in my personal opinion, an extremely 
risky practice. No offense, Tom, I'm glad you've had good luck with your 
decision, but no way in hell am I going to follow your lead on this.

Bob

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