Fluids, How Much?

[mortation]

I am going to walk to VIP since we are having a huge snow storm and I can go no further on my carbs till the plugs and bolts show up. I want to get all the fluids so I can drain whatever junk is in there and put fresh stuff in.

So my questions is how much of each of the following fluids do I need to but to properly fill each location after being completely drained of old fluid.

BIKE: 1983 GS850GLD

Spark Plugs.......: NGK B8ES
Motor/Tranny OIL..: SAE 10W-40
Fork Oil..........: SAE 10, 15, or 20
Gear Oil..........: GPL-5 or SAE 90
Brake Fluid.......: DOT 4

[bwringer]

Spark Plugs.......: NGK B8ES
Um... Four? :-D
The NGK stock number is 4011 -- some stores only reference plugs by the stock number.


Motor/Tranny OIL..: SAE 10W-40
A bit less than four quarts. Ask which kind is best if you'd like to start an nice argument.


Fork Oil..........: SAE 10, 15, or 20
Get a quart container or two pints of 15. You'll use a little more than half, I think. Any brand is fine, as long as it's fork oil.


Gear Oil..........: GPL-5 or SAE 90
I'm pretty sure that one quart container will change both gearboxes twice if you don't spill any. Any brand of good old 85W-90 like you'll find in any auto parts store is fine. Just make sure it says "Hypoid" somewhere.


Brake Fluid.......: DOT 4
I always keep three or four of the smaller sealed containers around. The large containers can absorb water once the seal is broken. It'll probably take one or two small containers to flush/fill all the brake lines, depending on filth levels and procedure. It's much faster and cleaner with a Mityvac. I prefer a name brand over a store brand of brake fluid, personally. Do NOT get DOT 5.1 fluid, which is based on an entirely different chemistry.

[mortation]

Excellent thanks!

[mortation]

Can I blow compressed air through the master cylinders with the calipers off to clean everything out?

[Steve]

Yes, you probably could, but since the main objective is to keep air OUT of the brake system, I would have to ask...WHY???

Use your Mity-Vac (you DO have one, don't you?) to suction the master cylinder dry, then fill it with fresh fluid. If there is more than one brake that is fed by that master, go to the farthest one, attach your Mity-Vac to the bleed nipple and suck the fresh fluid through, making sure you don't suck the master cylider dry. Repeat for the other brake, if there is one, then do the other end of the bike.


.