Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > Sport Touring: ST4 / ST3 / ST2 > oil level

[ratchet]

quick one, handbook says check oil level when warm.
03 st4s.

how warm, 72 degrees, 84 degrees ?, how much diference does it make, I know on the old monster it made quite a bit but of course this is a totaly diferent engine.
I ask cos I think I am burning a bit and want to get it spot to check consumption quantities.

[rockhopper]

Can't imagine the actual temp would make any difference to the level. Its not as though the oil expands much, or perhaps it does?

Ah but if the bike has an oil cooler and an oil stat then if the stat is open the cooler would be full of oil and the level in the window would be lower than of the stat is closed and the cooler is empty. Don't know if they do have any kind of oil thermostat though.

Why do you think its using oil? Are the plugs black?

[Carbon749]

Originally posted by rockhopper
Can't imagine the actual temp would make any difference to the level. Its not as though the oil expands much, or perhaps it does?

Oil will not expand, or "contract" under pressure .... that's why they use fluid in brake systems etc

Think your idea about ensuring the oil has reached all the parts and settled back to a normal level sounds more like it.

Any way rock hopper ... you should know about checking weird oil levels .... engine hot, running and on level ground

[John W]

They can use a bit of oil now and then.
Mine uses none on general day to day riding, but if I go play in the alps with lots of high revs and serious engine braking, it'll use a litre of oil in a 1000 miles (also an 03 ST4S)

I usually check it when returning from a ride. Slap it on the centre stand on level ground and check it about 10 minutes after you've stopped.

[ratchet]

if its normal to use some oil when playing thats fine, i do quite a bit of two up riding, bike was only serviced 2000 miles ago and oil level was on min when i checked, got used to the fact that my old monster never needed toping up between changes, so was a bit shocked when i got best part of a litre in.....

[John W]

Mine spends 95% of its time two up too.
I normally do an oil & filter change every 3kish, and rarely have to fill up in between.
It will quite happily do 2k or 3k miles and use next to nothing, but if I use lots of high revs, and lots of engine braking, especially when in low gears (so it gets a bit hot & sweaty) then it will use some.

If your experiences are the same I wouldn't worry about it.

[rockhopper]

Mine is 24,000 miles old and doesn't use any apart from on trackdays.

[Athelstan]

Ratchet
Firstly it is great to see that you have a YELLOW one - sensible chap.

My experiences are the same as JW, and as he said - do the oil change every 3k miles.

Any usage over and above that ie to quote you "done to min level" should in my opinion be investigated further.

It may just be that who ever did the oil change last time missed a simple trick - and that is fill up the new oil filter first before fitting, and then put in the full recommended amount. I have been told by more than one Ducati Engineer that not to do so will give you a false reading, and you'll think you've used more oil than you actually have.

[ratchet]

Athelstan
never been called sensible before, cheers.

I think the temp when measuring oil level will have more to do with expansion of the engine internals, displacing oil / and expansion of the cases themselves, but they could all cancel one another ?, hence queery