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I am coping right out of the 2015 touring service manual page 1-15
OIL LEVEL COLD CHECK
1. Place vehicle on level ground for PRE RIDE
2. Remove dipstick, wipe off . Insert dipstick and tighten into fill spout
3. Correct oil level is midway between ADD and FULL HOT
HOT LEVEL OIL CHECK
Preform engine oil level hot check only with engine at normal operating temperature
1. Run motorcycle until oil is at normal operating temp
2. Allow engine to run one to two minutes on level ground
3. Remove and wipe off dipstick. Insert dipstick and tighten fully into fill spout
4, oil must register between ADD QT and FULL HOT marks.
If oil is below ADD QT
add only enough oil to bring the level to the FULL HOT mark.
Do not overfill
HOWEVER
on my freewheeler I am running the oil just below the full hot (about the four dots below full hot)
the manual says when the engine is cold the oil level should drop to half way on the dip stick.
My oil level stays the same hot or cold.does anyone elses do this?
As you can see by what you copied from the manual, it can be confusing.
Look at what I put in bold from your manual.
Since your oil stays at the same level whether hot or cold (and this is not unusual) and the manual state that when cold the correct oil level is at the midway point....
That means when you fill it to just below the Full Hot mark when it is hot, it is ABOVE the midway point when it is cold...which is obviously overfilled according to the manual.
Also, the manual states to only add oil when it is below the add qt mark.
This appears to mean that if it is even a smidgen above that point that you do not need to add any oil.
It all becomes less confusing when you take into account that the Harley engine is a dry sump design.
Unlike automobiles that pick up the oil from the oil pan (wet sump).
The Harley engine pumps the oil from the oil tank, that is separate from the engine, thru the engine, and then back into the the tank.
The only purpose for the tank is so that there is a supply of oil for the pump to push thru the engine. As long as that oil in the tank is at the add quart mark, there is enough oil for the pump to do its job.
The only theoretical benefit to having 1/2 - 1 quart more oil than is necessary (at the add quart mark) is that the oil has a few seconds longer to sit in the tank (and cool down) before it is pushed back thru the engine. This benefit is so small it is not readily measurable.
With more oil it also means the wear on the oil is reduced by the oil not being used as much.
Both of these supposed benefits are negligible.
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To get the dog to chase its' tail some more.....
There are oversized oil tanks (Baker) that add 1.5 quarts to the total capacity. The idea being that the extra 1.5 quarts will give the oil even more of a rest/cooling down period before being pumped back thru the engine.
Engines that have these pans do run cooler, by 15-20*. However, it is more from the internal baffling design and the outer cooling fin design of these pans than it is from the extra capacity.
There...was that fun watching the dog make a few more circles. lol
Kevin