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8th Gen VFR800 Oil Change Guide


thtanner

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A couple of people have expressed some frustration over the 8th Gen oil change procedure, so I thought I would quickly make a rundown with pictures to help anyone who has questions in future. It took me roughly 30 minutes end-to-end the second time I did this.

First, and foremost, you need the tools...

  • Allen key (included in tool-kit)
  • "Phillips" (actually JIS) screwdriver (included in tool-kit)
  • 10mm socket
  • 17mm socket
  • Torque wrench
  • Oil filter wrench (do *not* skip this - Honda P/N 07HAA-PJ70101 or 07AMA-MFJA100)


...as well as the consumables.

  • 4qt Honda GN4 10w30 (3.3qt used)
  • 1 Crush Washer (Honda P/N 94109-12000)
  • 1 Oil Filter (Honda P/N 15410-MFJ-D01)


QnPSF3h.jpg

 

Notes

  • "screw-type" pins are removed by unscrewing them until the middle plastic part separates from the body of the pin visibly. Pull outward to remove. Installation is reverse of removal; press middle part in to secure.
  • "pin-type" pins are removed by pressing the middle of the pin in, pull outward to remove. For installation, pull the middle plastic pin piece so it is poking out of the pin. Push the pin body into the hole and press the middle of the pin in to secure. All this makes sense the second you touch them.
  • A US "Standard" model was used to document this procedure. The portion about the lower radiator bolt only seems to apply to AC and II AC models (America/Canada.) I am unsure if you need to do that portion on the ROTW models. It will be very apparent if so, when you go to remove the filter.

 

1. Remove left-lower-side fairing.

  • 3 allen screws - front one is the 'smaller' one
  • 2 "screw-type" plastic pins
  • 1 "pin-type" plastic pin
  • Pull reward to unhook from side fairing


2. Remove right-lower-side fairing.

  • 2 allen screws - front one is the 'smaller' one
  • 1 "screw-type" plastic pins
  • 1 "pin-type" plastic pin
  • Pull reward to unhook from side fairing


SOYM40c.jpg
Wio5yKY.jpg

 

3. Remove radiator grill cover.

  • 2 "pin-type" plastic pins
  • 2 allen screws
  • Pull top of grill forward to unseat from rubber retainers
  • Pull upward and remove, may have to slightly manipulate left and ride side fairings


zchuDER.jpg

 

4. Remove 17mm oil drain bolt; drain oil. Trash the old crush washer.
fXgmijh.jpg

 

5. Remove 10mm bolt securing lower part of the lower radiator (accessible via left-hand side.)
RSAOgC2.jpg

 

6. Loosen oil filter (using the oil filter wrench; the filter will be quite tight on your first oil change!)
oAdzwA3.jpg

 

7. Pull lower portion of lower radiator forward, and remove the oil filter through the left-hand side of the headers as shown.
LvPbc8a.jpg

 

8. Pour some oil in your new filter, and use your finger to lubricate the o-ring on the filter with engine oil.

 

9. Install oil filter reverse of the removal. Tighten oil filter to 19ft-lb.

 

10. Reinstall oil fill bolt with new crush washer. Tighten to 22ft-lb.

 

11. Fill the bike with 3.2qt of oil. Use the marks on the side of the bottle to roughly gauge the .2qt from the fourth bottle.

 

12. Start the bike for 3-5 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes.

 

13. Have someone stand the bike upright, and ensure oil is between the lines in the sight glass. Add an additional .1qt if needed to bring near top fill line.

 

14. Ensure there are no leaks.

 

15. Install the lower radiator's lower 10mm bolt to secure

 

16. Install the radiator grill reverse of removal. Plastic pins in the bottom, allen bolts on top.

 

17. Reinstall right-lower-side fairing reverse  of removal. Ensure the rear portion of the fairing hooks onto the bike.

 

18. Reinstall the left-lower-side fairing reverse  of removal.

 

Let me know if something was not clear or if anyone has any questions. A downloadable/printable PDF version can be found here: http://www.thtanner.com/files/2014-2015 Honda VFR800F Oil Change Guide.pdf

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Nice post - thanks.  I have the T-Rex sliders which have to be removed to be able to remove the lower fairing.  Has anyone done this without completely removing the fairing?  I'm thinking a filter wrench and removing the bottom faring pins and radiator grill may work?  Anyone tried this?

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One minor correction...it's JIS not JAS. and they do work better than Philips screw drivers. I bought a set of Vessel drivers along with a couple of their impact driver versions. When I first got them I was trying them out on just about every screw I could find!

 

BTW, great post. I always forget to stop and take pics and document things when I do task that some find intimidating or difficult. I always end up getting done and then thinking why didn't I take pics. Having a good guide and the proper tools does makes a difference.

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1 hour ago, Duc2V4 said:

One minor correction...it's JIS not JAS. and they do work better than Philips screw drivers. I bought a set of Vessel drivers along with a couple of their impact driver versions. When I first got them I was trying them out on just about every screw I could find!

 

BTW, great post. I always forget to stop and take pics and document things when I do task that some find intimidating or difficult. I always end up getting done and then thinking why didn't I take pics. Having a good guide and the proper tools does makes a difference.

 

Bah, auto-correct and 1am lead to JAS. They seem to work great on any phillips screw, but doubly so on Japanese products with JIS screws. Amazing how hard they are to strip compared to a P2.

 

It took the wife reminding me to "take a picture" every few minutes or else I'd have forgotten, honestly. No idea how you can do this without an oil wrench, especially the first service. I had to put a small breaker bar on my wrench to get enough leverage... 

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8 hours ago, joecbr said:

Nice post - thanks.  I have the T-Rex sliders which have to be removed to be able to remove the lower fairing.  Has anyone done this without completely removing the fairing?  I'm thinking a filter wrench and removing the bottom faring pins and radiator grill may work?  Anyone tried this?

 

There is absolutely no way to remove the filter without removing the left lower-cowl.

 

I'll have to check, but removing the right lower-cowl might be a skippable step; I was just following the factory manual to a T. It may get messy with it in the way, though.

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I just did mine yesterday and I think the right side could probably be left on but I took mine off. I tried to skip the radiator screen but I couldn't get the filter out without removing the bolt from the radiator and the screen. I got the filter off but I couldn't get it all the way out. I didn't feel like forcing it just to save a few minutes and risk breaking the fan.

 

This is my first bike with body work in years so dealing with that part was different but the manual does cover it pretty well.

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Is a new crush washer absolutely necessary every oil change? 

 

I bought a 2014 with ~1,600 miles on it and figured I should change the oil. Glad I did, I know it was the first oil change because of how hard it was to get the filter off. I ended up driving a 12" spike nail through it to break it free. 

 

Great write up. :fing02:

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Great write up.

I have done the oil changes without touching the right lower cowl. Also, I don't touch the radiator cover. I simply remove the lower left radiator support bracket. FYI, I have the CDN version (Deluxe) without the canister.

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44 minutes ago, fink said:

Did mine without having to release the bracket.

 

It did mention AC/II AC models only on that step, so maybe it's something they had to adjust for the US market for what-ever reason? Without doing that I could not get the filter out. Wonder if we got a bigger lower radiator?

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I also did my oil change today. There is no need for the right side cowl to be removed. Although I will say my oil filter was on crazy super tight. Damn near so tight I was worried the assembly worker may have cross threaded. I removed it and was done in 30 minutes from start to finish. 

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15 hours ago, PNWGumby said:

Is a new crush washer absolutely necessary every oil change? 

 

As far as I'm concerned absolutely not (unless its somehow damaged). Had four VFR's and never needed to replace one sump plug washer, hate to think how many oil changes I've done! Same goes for our two cars! 

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5 hours ago, Grum said:

 

As far as I'm concerned absolutely not (unless its somehow damaged). Had four VFR's and never needed to replace one sump plug washer, hate to think how many oil changes I've done! Same goes for our two cars! 

I'm with Grum.  I've owned at least 20 cb750's from the 70's. I'm pretty sure those crush washers were and have never been replaced unless someone really eff'd up the drain plug itself. 

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Just now, Tews19 said:

I'm with Grum.  I've owned at least 20 cb750's from the 70's. I'm pretty sure those crush washers were and have never been replaced unless someone really eff'd up the drain plug itself. 

 

When I write a guide I'm going to follow Honda's procedure to a T. If someone skips the crush washer step and borks their threads, it's on them. 

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10 hours ago, thtanner said:

When I write a guide I'm going to follow Honda's procedure to a T. If someone skips the crush washer step and borks their threads, it's on them. 

 

I'm under the impression that the crush washer has zilch to do with the threads and is all about preventing the bike from marking its territory.

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6 hours ago, Rectaltronics said:

 

I'm under the impression that the crush washer has zilch to do with the threads and is all about preventing the bike from marking its territory.

I was under that impression too. Isn't the idea that they, um, crush slightly under the torque of the bolt to create a better seal than the bolt by itself would? 

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I've been doing some reading and it seems to be a bit of both.  The crush washer allows a better seal, and does so at lower torques that don't imperil the soft Aluminum threads in the oil pan.

 

There will always be the "empirical evidence" crowd.  ("It never caused a problem for me so everyone in the world oughta' be fine.")  But that doesn't mean it's a good idea to ignore the manufacturer's advice and the advice of a gazillion trained and certified mechanics.

 

Or...  It's an evil conspiracy from the copper industry!  :warranty:

 

Just think of all the money you could save over the life of the bike!  You could buy a Frappucino(tm)!!!

 

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In Thtanner's case, he is doing a "factory" service on a motorcycle that has an extended warranty. If he were to deviate from what is considered a standard practice for such a service and something were to happen later on down the road, the insurer could say that his lack of following the standard practice voids his warranty. Although a very remote possibility, it is something to consider.

 

Similarly, the practice of using a torque wrench is often times left out by experience mechanics who go by feel. This too could be construed as not following standard practices written in the factory manual.

 

In my business I hear it all the time, "I've done it this way many times and never had an issue". When the equipment manufacturer has a specification and you didn't follow it, they will often tell you to go back and do it to specification and call them back if you still have an issue. Most of the time, doing it by the specification solves the issue. I think being safe, than sorry goes a long way and for the pennies a crush washer cost, is it really an issue using a new one?

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Reminds me, I had been having an issue with my 4th gen's subframe mounting bolts getting loose.  I'd make 'em "farmer-tight", and a couple thousand miles later I'd feel the subframe moving around again.  Mentioned it to my friend the certified mechanic, he grins knowingly, whips out his torque wrench and sticks it in front of me, downloads the service manual, checks the torque on the bolt, has me apply proper torque (which rather unintuitively felt like about half the tightness I was using).  Damn bolts, never budged again.  Go figure.

 

Something else the 8th gen owner's manual and service manual says to replace is the brake caliper bolts, by the way.  But at around $11-$12 apiece by mail those are considerably more expensive.  And even Mr. Certified Mechanic (and teacher!) shrugged and said don't bother quite yet.  If one were to Google "ALOC bolts", one would find many discussions on the subject.  But that's another subject and I think I have a thread about this elsewhere here.

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