Oil change not done.

[FurstyFerret 66]

School boy error, read the manual wrong and thought I only had to change the oil every 16k (no wonder I thought the NC was economical to run). So it's on 32k and missed its 24k oil change. 

 

Oil was black with a tablespoon of chocolate pudding in it. Have just fitted new filter and oil. Any recommendations/words of wisdom?

[Andy m 23,580]

Don't worry about it.

 

More importantly, has the brake fluid been changed and is the coolant due? Both on 2 year intervals rather than miles and both can ruin your day.

 

Andy

[ChrisCB 6,674]

May be worth changing again in 1-2k miles as way of a flush.

[Xactly 5,435]

I don't automatically change brake fluid every two years. I measure the moisture content and use that as a guide. But I don't commute, nor do I ride in adverse weather unless on a trip, so my brake fluid always looks like new at two years. I use the five-year coolant too, when I first change it. I favour not disturbing things at the specified intervals if there is no real need.

That said, at the OP's mileage I'd do both. +1 on replacing the oil (but not filter) again after a few hundred miles. Best get rid of the rest of the chocolate pudding.....

[FurstyFerret 66]

2 hours ago, Andy m said:

Don't worry about it.

 

More importantly, has the brake fluid been changed and is the coolant due? Both on 2 year intervals rather than miles and both can ruin your day.

 

Andy

Coolant tomorrow with valve timing, spark plugs and air box.

[Tegraman 790]

17 minutes ago, FurstyFerret said:

valve timing

Do you suspect the timing has moved, or is it a typo?

[FurstyFerret 66]

14 minutes ago, Tegraman said:

Do you suspect the timing has moved, or is it a typo?

Likely using the wrong nomenclature, I mean where you stick a feeler gauge in between the taps on the cylinder head.

 

I've picked up everything from YouTube basically. It was do it myself or pay Honda ever increasingly extortionate servicing prices and often finding out it hadn't been done properly anyway.

[Tegraman 790]

2 minutes ago, FurstyFerret said:

Likely using the wrong nomenclature

Thank goodness. A valve timing error for whatever reason is serious. Incorrect assembly is the least worrying. The list of other potential causes is long and expensive!. 

Valve clearances, on the other hand, is a straightforward DIY job on sensible engines like the NC. Take your time doing it, have mercy on the locknuts, and don’t drop anything into hard to reach places or you will be rehearsing all your bad words. 

[Xactly 5,435]

The telescopic magnet and kitchen paper towel are your friend.....😀

[listener 11,206]

4 hours ago, FurstyFerret said:

Oil was black with a tablespoon of chocolate pudding in it. Have just fitted new filter and oil. Any recommendations/words of wisdom?

 

As long as it doesn't look like an alien blob you'll be fine. 

 

 

[Steve T 1,342]

3 hours ago, Xactly said:

The telescopic magnet and kitchen paper towel are your friend.....😀

Why?

[baldric 857]

On 19/04/2024 at 17:14, Steve T said:

Why?

To help you fish out dropped items from hard to reach places and then put them safely ready for re-use.

[Tegraman 790]

11 hours ago, baldric said:

To help you fish out dropped items from hard to reach places

As a teenager I was finishing a painstaking re-assembly of a Villiers 2T two-stroke twin and was about to mount the cylinders when I dropped a circlip into the crankcase. Horror! Take it all to bits again! Crikey! (or similar)

My dad said “ the crank cheeks in a two stroke have to be a close fit in the crankcase to force the necessary gas flow. Turn the engine by hand until the crank cheek appears in the cylinder hole beside the conrod, and put a glob of stiff grease on the cheek. Then slowly turn the engine 360 deg until the crank cheek reappears, the circlip will be stuck in the grease and you will be able to retrieve it"

There it was!

I still miss that man (sigh)

[Trumpet 216]

On 19/04/2024 at 11:40, Xactly said:

I don't automatically change brake fluid every two years. I measure the moisture content and use that as a guide. But I don't commute, nor do I ride in adverse weather unless on a trip, so my brake fluid always looks like new at two years. I use the five-year coolant too, when I first change it. I favour not disturbing things at the specified intervals if there is no real need.

That said, at the OP's mileage I'd do both. +1 on replacing the oil (but not filter) again after a few hundred miles. Best get rid of the rest of the chocolate pudding.....

Err, my experience on five year coolant is mixed. They say UP to five years. I left mine for four years on a wet liner Triumph and rust came out with the coolant ..