DS800X Rally Engine Oil & Secondary Oil Filter Change

The official manuals differ on several points for this job: drain plug torque, oil capacity, secondary filter torque, filter tube joint torque, minimum API grade and the service interval. Every value below carries its document and PDF page. Where the documents differ, all values are listed. We cannot verify which is correct.

The secondary oil filter is at the front of the engine Chassis manual p. 11. The oil drain bolt is on the left side of the engine bottom Owner's manual p. 98.

Service interval

The three official documents give three different schedules. We cannot verify which is correct.

• Engine workshop manual Engine manual p. 18: columns at 1,000, 6,000, 12,000, 18,000, 24,000, 30,000 and 36,000 km, with a matching row of 1, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36 months. Engine oil and the secondary oil filter are marked R (replace) in every column.
• English owner's manual Owner's manual p. 113: columns at 1,000, 7,000, 13,000, 19,000, 25,000, 31,000 and 37,000 km, whichever of time or mileage comes first. Lubricant and lubrication element are marked R in every column.
• Swedish owner's manual Swedish owner's manual p. 120: first service at 1,000 km or 3 months, then at 10,000, 20,000, 30,000 and 40,000 km, or at 12, 24, 36 and 48 months, whichever comes first. This manual has no per-item table. It says to replace the oil and the oil filter when the maintenance interval is reached Swedish owner's manual p. 106-107.

Specifications at a glance

Where the manuals give different values, each value is listed with its sources and the row is marked Sources differ. We cannot verify which value is correct.

What you need

• Fresh 10W-40 engine oil to the grade above, in the quantity from the capacity rows
• New secondary oil filter. The owner's manual says to use original VOGE parts.
• New seal ring (copper washer) for the drain bolt. The owner's manuals say to replace the drain bolt as well (see step 6).
• Cap-shaped wrench for the secondary oil filter
• Torque wrench
• Drain pan, funnel and rags

Procedure

1. Remove the lower fairing cover

The chassis manual removes the lower fairing cover before the oil filter job. Its bolts are tightened to 9 N·m on refitting Chassis manual p. 11.

2. Warm the engine

Start the engine and let it warm up for 3-5 minutes Engine manual p. 23. The owner's manual says warm oil drains more completely.

Burn warning: the drain bolt is near the muffler. The owner's manual says to wait until the bolt and muffler have basically cooled down before draining.

3. Park upright

Stop the engine. Keep the bike upright on flat ground, on the main stand. See the centre stand technique guide.

Remove the oil gauge (dipstick). The owner's manual p. 99 says to turn it anticlockwise to remove it; the Swedish owner's manual p. 106 says clockwise. We cannot verify which is correct.

4. Drain the oil

Place the drain pan under the drain bolt. Remove the drain bolt (the engine manual calls it the seal plug kit) and let the oil drain.

5. Replace the secondary oil filter

• Remove the secondary oil filter with the cap-shaped wrench.
• The owner's manual says to confirm the tube joint torque of the secondary oil filter at this point. It gives 28 N·m Owner's manual p. 101. The engine manual torque table gives 27 N·m, M24 Engine manual p. 15. We cannot verify which is correct.
• Coat the threaded part and the seal ring of the new filter with fresh oil.
• Fit the new filter and tighten it to 12 N·m Engine manual p. 23 Chassis manual p. 11 or 11 N·m Owner's manual p. 101. We cannot verify which is correct.
• Check the filter o-ring and replace it if necessary.

6. Refit the drain bolt

The documents differ on what to replace:

• The engine manual says to clean the seal plug kit, replace it if necessary, and fit a new seal ring. It adds that the seal ring must be the correct specification Engine manual p. 23.
• The owner's manuals say to replace the drain bolt and its seal ring (copper washer) with new ones, because reusing them can cause oil leakage Owner's manual p. 99 Swedish owner's manual p. 106.

Tighten the drain bolt to 22 N·m Engine manual p. 23 Chassis manual p. 11 or 30 N·m Owner's manual p. 99. We cannot verify which is correct.

7. Refill

Keep the bike upright on flat ground and fill through the oil gauge hole. Use the quantity from the capacity rows above. The documents give different quantities.

Check the o-ring on the oil gauge and replace it if necessary. Coat it with oil before fitting the gauge.

8. Check the oil level

The manuals describe four different checks. We cannot verify which is correct.

• English owner's manual Owner's manual p. 97: bike on horizontal ground on the main stand. Idle until the cooling fan starts, then idle for 1 more minute. Stop the engine and wait 1 minute. Clean around the filler, remove and wipe the gauge, insert it and turn it 1 full round, then remove it and read. The level must be between the upper and lower marks.
• Engine workshop manual Engine manual p. 22: idle for 3-5 minutes, stop, and wait 2-3 minutes with the bike upright on flat ground. Insert the wiped gauge without fastening it, then remove it and read. Top up in small amounts until the level is midway between MAX and MIN.
• Chassis workshop manual Chassis manual p. 10: idle until the cooling fan works, then idle for 1 more minute. Stop, remove the gauge and wait 1 minute. Fasten the gauge, remove it again and read. After filling, idle for 30 seconds and check the level again.
• Swedish owner's manual Swedish owner's manual p. 104: stop the engine and wait 1 minute with the bike on the centre stand. Clean around the filler, wipe the gauge, insert it and turn it one turn, then remove it and read.

The engine manual says not to check the level with the bike on the side stand only, because the reading will be wrong.

9. Check for leaks

Check that there is no oil leakage. The Swedish owner's manual says to run the engine at varying speeds for 5 minutes while checking the removed parts for leaks Swedish owner's manual p. 107. The chassis manual says to clean oil residue off the engine and muffler, then dry them with compressed air.

Refit the lower fairing cover (9 N·m, Chassis manual p. 11). Dispose of the old oil and filter in an environmentally responsible way.

Common pitfalls

• Reusing the drain bolt seal ring. The owner's manual says reuse can cause oil leakage.
• Checking the level on the side stand. The engine manual says the reading will be wrong.
• Fitting a non-original filter. The owner's manual says a wrong oil element may damage the engine.

Other models

The DS900X uses a different engine (KEL895) with its own values. See the DS900X oil change guide and do not use its values on the DS800X Rally.

Sources

• Voge DS800X Rally Engine Service Manual (English)
• Voge DS800X Rally Chassis Service Manual (English)
• Voge DS800X Rally Owner's Manual (English)
• Voge DS800X Rally Owner's Manual (Swedish)
• DS800X Rally torque specifications, engine torque table for cross-reference

Have shop notes that improve the procedure? Send them in.