Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 engine oil level

Just wanting to get this correct the engine oil level should be checked with the oil at operating temperature (like my Harleys). Not like my Goldwings which are checked cold.

Not necessarily at operating temperature but definitely after the engine has run for a couple of minutes to scavenge any excess oil from the sump.

that is helpful, because with the Harley it is definitely at operating temperature

The S&S tech literature specifies a minimum 4 quart system, and the Morgan design provides for 6 quarts, so it seems to me oil level is not super critical as long as it's in the upper range of the dipstick or indicator. They also specify at least 1 quart of air in the oil tank to allow the breather system to function as it should, so don't over fill.

That said, the engine no doubt works harder in the M3W vs a bike due to the weight, and I wouldn't want run it low for very long at all as oil is part of the cooling strategy on air cooled machines.

I check my level before every longer (>50 mile) run and every 4-5 runs when doing shorter hops. I don't have any oil leaks (yet) and the apparent oil usage thus far looks to be about a quart every 1500 miles.

I'll kick in with a few observations: You have 6 quarts over the normal 4 so that is a 50% increase. The filter will do its job of filtering crud and the negligible metal bits out of a newish motor. S&S recommends an oil change every 3,000 miles and on a bike with an oil tank of 4 quarts that is probably a good idea. I've had my 2012 M3W hit 5,000 miles before a change (I'm not proud of that. Pure forgetfulness!) and it did quite well. Discarded oil looked good, pressures were fine but I think the biggest hit may have been the increased acidity of the oil.

As for oil loss, I would look at the valve cover gaskets first. I've never had any evidence of oil on the ground but plenty of signs that the valve covers let off some excess pressure.

I might lose a quart between changes. I really don't worry as we have a lot of buffer room.

Just make sure you change out the oil before you store it for winter! Old oil bad. Too acidic! New oil good! Just right!

yes, all good advise. I have ridden MC's for well over 40 years so before winter changes are always a must. Unfortunately the S&S filter is on the wrong side of the system and oil is not filtered as well as a modern engine (even HD). I did add a fan assisted oil cooler as I know v-twins run hot. The M3W jug cooling fan kicks in long before the oil actually gets to the cooler. Once again, not a surprise on a v-twin that the jugs run hot. If it had not come with the factory fan I would have mounted "love jugs"

The factory fan comes on below 10mph once the engine reaches 100 centigrade (so after a couple of minutes from start up).

Before I had the factory fan fitted, my peak engine temp was 409F/209C and triggered the skip fire mode.

After fitting the fan on a long trip in 33C ambient the peak temp was 283F/140C so it's really quite effective.

Chris, you're saying engine temp. You're not referring to the oil, correct? Oil would be fried at 409F.

Is there a head sensor that trips the fan on/off?

Just wondering.

Hi Dan,

The readings are from the ECU and just described as "Engine Temperature".

There must be a sensor in the head(s) as the fan is triggered by the ECU (it needed a reflash as part of the fan upgrade to enable this).

It does show how effective the factory cooling fan can be which I guess is why it became standard from 2014.

I believe the cylinder head temp sensor is the approximately 30mm black "puck" mounted by a single bolt on the right (aka rear) cylinder behind and just below the intake manifold. Appears to only be the one.