California 1400 Fluid Changes

[JGBoise]

Hello. I've owned a 2014 California for 2+ years and put 7,000 miles on it & counting. Very special attachment to this Guzzi, just love everything about it.

At present it has about 12k mi.

I had a local mechanic change oil last year and it's due for another. Would now be the time to change the gear oil for the first time? What brand and viscosity? Exactly what is the amount of gear oil to add?

For the engine oil change, same questions. Best brand and viscosity?

I also want to change brake pads. There is a local shop called Birds Of Prey Motorsports in Idaho and they said they'd work on it, not weird about it being a Guzzi like other shops. Should I order the special tool for changing the filter though? Planning to order the parts from MG Cycle. Any advice for this is appreciated.

 

[Robert Gibson]

Hello. I've owned a 2014 California for 2+ years and put 7,000 miles on it & counting. Very special attachment to this Guzzi, just love everything about it.

At present it has about 12k mi.

I had a local mechanic change oil last year and it's due for another. Would now be the time to change the gear oil for the first time? What brand and viscosity? Exactly what is the amount of gear oil to add?

For the engine oil change, same questions. Best brand and viscosity?

I also want to change brake pads. There is a local shop called Birds Of Prey Motorsports in Idaho and they said they'd work on it, not weird about it being a Guzzi like other shops. Should I order the special tool for changing the filter though? Planning to order the parts from MG Cycle. Any advice for this is appreciated.

The spec and quantity is in the owners handbook. Personally Castrol is my brand of choice, I also removed the plastic shroud around the shaft filler and replace the oil whenever I replace the gearbox oil. (The same interval as the engine oil).

 

[whatthe]

10w60 oil is called for I have a 2016 Eldorado don't know if your engine is the same. It is recommended not to use 4 liters of oil because of oil running out the vent tube and possibly filling up your air cleaner I have used 3.5 liters with no problem. If you cannot get the OEM oil filter Bosch3330 will work. Transmission oil is 85-90w and 430cc capacity. Differential fluid is 80-90 and 250cc. Once you get the oil filter take it to an auto parts store and buy an oil filter cup that fits it. This info is for a 2016 model make sure to check if this works for your model or maybe someone on the forum can verify.

 

[Robert Gibson]

10w60 oil is called for I have a 2016 Eldorado don't know if your engine is the same. It is recommended not to use 4 liters of oil because of oil running out the vent tube and possibly filling up your air cleaner I have used 3.5 liters with no problem. If you cannot get the OEM oil filter Bosch3330 will work. Transmission oil is 85-90w and 430cc capacity. Differential fluid is 80-90 and 250cc. Once you get the oil filter take it to an auto parts store and buy an oil filter cup that fits it. This info is for a 2016 model make sure to check if this works for your model or maybe someone on the forum can verify.

The HiFlo565 oil filter is also an option and for this you will need a 76mm/8 side wrench. Be aware you may need two different wrenches for the OEM filter as it comes with different ‘sides’. I know from experience.

 

[Kevin Ballowe]

For the 1400 crankcase, I use 3.2 liters 10W-60 for drain and refill, with the HiFlo HF-565 filter. More than 3.2 liters, and it ends up in the air filter box.

For 10W-60: Liqui-Moly branded oil is popular, as is Motul, Castrol Supercar (fav of Porsche owners, also) and more.

My owner's manual wants 85W-90 in the transmission (gearbox). Some of the owner's manuals specify AGIP ROTRA MP and others say AGIP GEAR MG/S SAE 85 W 90 - and others will say Castrol. These all have the MT-1 rating which also includes a seal conditioner. As does the Pennzoil product. Kinda hard to screw this one up. Grab your favorite 75W-90 and pour in the specified amount.

Note that the rear wheel must be removed in order to change the fluid in the shaft drive pumpkin. You can use that (your favorite) 75W-90 gear oil here, also.

Oil is 95% opinion and 98% marketing. Get the correct grade, and try to pay more than $6/liter


I had some of this and so it's now in the shaft drive unit.

 

[Robert Gibson]

For the 1400 crankcase, I use 3.2 liters 10W-60 for drain and refill, with the HiFlo HF-565 filter. More than 3.2 liters, and it ends up in the air filter box.

For 10W-60: Liqui-Moly branded oil is popular, as is Motul, Castrol Supercar (fav of Porsche owners, also) and more.

My owner's manual wants 85W-90 in the transmission (gearbox). Some of the owner's manuals specify AGIP ROTRA MP and others say AGIP GEAR MG/S SAE 85 W 90 - and others will say Castrol. These all have the MT-1 rating which also includes a seal conditioner. As does the Pennzoil product. Kinda hard to screw this one up. Grab your favorite 75W-90 and pour in the specified amount.

Note that the rear wheel must be removed in order to change the fluid in the shaft drive pumpkin. You can use that (your favorite) 75W-90 gear oil here, also.

Oil is 95% opinion and 98% marketing. Get the correct grade, and try to pay more than $6/liter


I had some of this and so it's now in the shaft drive unit.

View attachment 19984

If you remove the plastic shroud on the shaft drive (at first tyre change for example), you can replace the oil whenever you wish without removing the wheel.

 

[Moto-Uno]

^ , I'll remember this the next time , jeepers it takes quite a bit of work to get that rear wheel off . However , on the
bright side , I actually put some grease on the axle and drive splines . Not a trace was evident on my new 2018 Eldorado .
Strange , but I found the exact same thing on my Le Mans 2 when I bought it new 38 years ago , some traditions never change.
Is grease that expensive in Italy ? Peter

 

[Garwood]

In my 2016 Eldo I use whatever good quality synthetic oil of the correct viscosity is available. I change the engine oil and filter every 5,000 miles, and the transmission every 10,000 (those intervals are easy to remember and it isn't far enough to challenge the oil or filter's capacity to do their jobs.). I have the differential oil changed whenever it gets a new tire on the back. The bike has 26,000 miles on it and everything is good.

I started out using 3.5 quarts of Redline 10W-60 oil in the engine. But recently I have noticed a bit of oil in the air filter box. I am now refilling with only three quarts and that seems fine. This bike uses no oil between changes so I'm not too worried about it running out. Recently I replaced my plastic dip stick with a nice stainless steel one that had to be cut and marked. I put it in just after the last three quart oil change and put a "full" mark on it while on the side stand.

An interesting additional benefit to the SS dip stick is it is much easier to get out when the engine is hot. I guess it doesn't expand like the plastic one did and lock itself into the port. It's a bit "warmer" on the fingers though. And it's easier to read than the old black plastic one.

 

[slobyk750]

I did a test on how much oil is put in the crankcase. First, I put in just shy of 4 qts with a new Hilo filter than I took a look at the dipstick. When on the side stand it measures about 1/2-3/4" above the max line. Then I had my brother sit on the bike in an upright fashion and checked the dipstick. Right at the proper amount. So, I put a marker line on the high mark with it on the side stand so I could tell what was happening to the oil. Anything between 4qts and 3 qts is satisfactory. I also put in the thermometer metal gauge from MGCycle with the new mark installed. I can't understand why Guzzi did not put the marks in the proper position on the dipstick as all the time you are going to check the oil level when traveling it is on the side stand. And yes, the Italians are very stingy with grease.

 

[Curt Russell]

Hey Fellas, I just finished changing my gearbox oil and realize I may have overfilled it. I thought the procedure was to fill until it runs out the fill opening which is what I did. In my typical form I checked the instructions and this forum AFTERWARDS and find I was wrong. Should I drain it and use the right amount or am I OK leaving it as is?

 

[PaulDavies]

Hey Fellas, I just finished changing my gearbox oil and realize I may have overfilled it. I thought the procedure was to fill until it runs out the fill opening which is what I did. In my typical form I checked the instructions and this forum AFTERWARDS and find I was wrong. Should I drain it and use the right amount or am I OK leaving it as is?

Well that would make two of us, although in my defence that's what I belive it says in the book (it also says 430cc when replacing) and I did do it with the bike upright and checked it when warm. Having said all that, It's been 4 years now and I change the oil the same way each year (while I'm down there doing the engine oil as it's pretty cheap) and I've had not issues after 30,000Kms

 

[stephenm]

At or near the level of the fill hole is fine, according to the Workshop Manual.

Stephen

 

[Curt Russell]

Thanks Guys. Yeah I think I’m fine. Funny the manual refers to a dip stick which my Calif 1400 has never had.

 

[roadventure]

I did a test on how much oil is put in the crankcase. First, I put in just shy of 4 qts with a new Hilo filter than I took a look at the dipstick.

Oops. Too much oil. You will get a lot of blow back into the air filter box and belching oil from the air box drain tube. The correct amount of oil for an engine oil change is 3 quarts.

So, if you notice a puddle of oil under your bike, this is probably the cause.

 

[Moto-Uno]

^ +1 , The owners manual for the 2018 Eldorado specifically says , screw in the dipstick ( with the bike vertical) to check oil level .
With an oil filter 1 week ago 3 liters was quite close to the full line . But we're all adults here and you can
put in what you want and however much you like . Get back to us , we're a curious lot . Peter

 

[DeadEye]

^
Strange , but I found the exact same thing on my Le Mans 2 when I bought it new 38 years ago , some traditions never change.
Is grease that expensive in Italy ? Peter

it was being rationed durring the war

 

[crzrdave]

Oops. Too much oil. You will get a lot of blow back into the air filter box and belching oil from the air box drain tube. The correct amount of oil for an engine oil change is 3 quarts.

So, if you notice a puddle of oil under your bike, this is probably the cause.

Been there, done that. Previously posted in this forum, my California fell victim to overfilling the oil while I was in New Mexico. The urgent service lit up but I managed to get it to Prescott, AZ for service. ( I also got stranded in Bishop, CA but that's another story). Since then, I've taken it to Todd's shop for service and I haven't had a problem since then. It's very important not to overfill the oil.

 

[Moto-Uno]

^^ Absolutely love your reply . Peter
( I like to tell people I was born in the middle of the last century )

 

[PaulDavies]

In my 2016 Eldo I use whatever good quality synthetic oil of the correct viscosity is available. I change the engine oil and filter every 5,000 miles, and the transmission every 10,000 (those intervals are easy to remember and it isn't far enough to challenge the oil or filter's capacity to do their jobs.). I have the differential oil changed whenever it gets a new tire on the back. The bike has 26,000 miles on it and everything is good.

I started out using 3.5 quarts of Redline 10W-60 oil in the engine. But recently I have noticed a bit of oil in the air filter box. I am now refilling with only three quarts and that seems fine. This bike uses no oil between changes so I'm not too worried about it running out. Recently I replaced my plastic dip stick with a nice stainless steel one that had to be cut and marked. I put it in just after the last three quart oil change and put a "full" mark on it while on the side stand.

An interesting additional benefit to the SS dip stick is it is much easier to get out when the engine is hot. I guess it doesn't expand like the plastic one did and lock itself into the port. It's a bit "warmer" on the fingers though. And it's easier to read than the old black plastic one.

Just a heads up for everyone who overfills their engine oil (Yes I've done it also), but from what I can see, the drain hole that leads from air box to the clear plastic pipe that hangs under the bike lies *behind* the air filter, i.e. on the throttle intake clean air side rather than the dirty air side. Why is this important? Well a few weeks ago I removed the rubber "bung" that caps the end of the plastic pipe to let the oil drain away, but never put it back (I thought it would be easier to let small drops of excess oil drain away as it builds up rather than keep checking). It suddenly came to me in a premanition that I could be sucking unfiltered air into the engine via the uncapped pipe. I've just put it back - duhhhh!!!

 

[roadventure]

It suddenly came to me in a premanition that I could be sucking unfiltered air into the engine via the uncapped pipe. I've just put it back - duhhhh!!!

How about dripping oil right onto the rear tire? That could get your attention too, if you think a bit about it.