How to check gearbox oil level v7? Screaming banshee sound!

[sign216]

And for what it's worth, I wrote a tutorial on changing the transmission oil.  Click on each photo for the text.
Next time you can do it yourself.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sign216/sets/72157626993357143/

[rodekyll]

Someone had an alternate explanation that bears a lookinto.  The throw out bearing.  If it hasn't any slack it will squeal like a little piggy as it fails.

[slowmover]

I would like to thank sign216 again for his tutorial. I saved it some time back and always go to it when changing fluids.Its guys like him that make this forum invaluable.

[oldbike54]

Thanks for that, very well done and easy to follow. Damn near idiot proof. Even I can follow that.


Maybe there should be a thread with a collection of posts like this put into a folder for new owners of V7's. When a new guy pops up send him to that folder which would give him all the basics so that stuff like this transmission deal don't happen.

The owner manual for these bikes just flat out lacks basic information that you need. The one they gave me is about as thick as a small bible with multi languages on alternating pages.

Lot of new people are going to be popping up on here with these V7.s once the V7 II hits the market.




Better to be prepared for the onslaught and have some easy way to deal with it or this forum will be going over the same material over and over again.

 There is a feature on WG , the filing cabinet . It is underutilized , but it is in place .

  Dusty

[oldbike54]

The filing cabinet will perform that function .

  Dusty

[jackson]

THIS!

Someone had an alternate explanation that bears a lookinto.  The throw out bearing.  If it hasn't any slack it will squeal like a little piggy as it fails.

[sign216]

I would like to thank sign216 again for his tutorial. I saved it some time back and always go to it when changing fluids.Its guys like him that make this forum invaluable.

Slowmover,

Thanks for the kinds words.  I've got other V7 stuff as well.

And my helpers are easy on the eyes too.

And Guzziv7fan, thanks for your appreciation.

[rastoga]

Update... 

I checked the gearbox oil, thank you all for posting the photos and the advice.  It was bone dry while on the sidestand.  I took documentation photos of the opened filler port and the returned unused oil bottles showing the levels.  I called the dealer and he admitted to not knowing what the capacities were.  He said he called his factory rep and he told him to "just fill it until it comes out."  So it looks like he got about 450ml into the gearbox instead of 1L.  I guess there must have been an air bubble or something in the way when he filled it.  MotoGuzzi roadside assitance is picking up the bike this afternoon and taking it back to the dealer.  Just to clarify, I trailered the bike home after the initial service appointment.

Here is an excerpt from the letter I am sending to the dealer and piaggio customer care:

As we discussed on the phone…

Upon receiving this bike from the initial service performed by your shop, I rode a brief 4 mile ride.  Near the end of the ride a very loud screaming/grinding noise began from the gearbox area.  It did not change with the use of the clutch or shifting of gears.  The noise existed for about 15 seconds, went away, and returned a few seconds later for another 15 seconds.  The bike was immediately put away and not run again.

Several days later I opened the gearbox filler port and did not see any visible oil or any signs of leaks.   I also noted the unused fluid levels in the bottles you returned to me.  As you can see only about 450ml of the gearbox oil was filled.  The owner’s manual states a capacity of 1L, pg 188.  The gearbox is likely less than ½ full.  The motor oil level is normal and I did not check the rear drive level.

I would like you to check all the fluid levels.  I would like you to drain and examine the existing gearbox oil as there may be damaged metal in the oil.  Please perform a flush with fresh oil and refill the gearbox with the appropriate factory specified AGIP or equivalent oil (85W-90).  I have provided the remaining AGIP 85W-90 (550ml) which I obtained from AF1racing.  I understand you will have to obtain or provide at least an additional liter or 2 of the AGIP 85W-90 to perform both a flush and a fill.  Additionally the maintenance indicator must not have been reset at the service appointment, as it is still on. 

My chief concern is damage to the gearbox.  The noise I heard sounded very damaging.  Please evaluate the gearbox for possible damage.  Hopefully the noise will go away with proper flushing and filling of the gearbox, but I am still concerned about premature failure in the future.  Perhaps you and Piaggio/Moto Guzzi can do something to alleviate my concerns about my transmission failing in the future.

[rastoga]

http://youtu.be/JL2Sn8f5MUk
A look inside the gearbox filler port.  Bone dry...

[Kev m]

Thanks for the update - GOOD LUCK!  ;-T

[Vasco DG]

How hard can it be???

[biking sailor]

Rastoga,

Good on you for notifying Corporate.  I do this kind of work almost daily and when customers keep us informed of how our dealers are doing, it does make a big difference.

Our Product Support and Quality departments are pretty good about "believing" customer findings when things go South, and more than once have eaten a claim that should have been the dealer's responsibility.  And dealer training is something we can dictate.

Hope things work out well for you and look forward to hearing the results.   ;-T

[rodekyll]

When I was a mechanic, there was no requirements for any sort of mechanic training, and shops were not regulated.  Fraud was common.  Both problems were addressed somewhat in Washington State back In the '70s.  Laws were passed regarding written estimates and the amount a shop could overrun one without consent from the customer.  Also, because shops were claiming to replace parts that they didn't, a requirement was made that all used parts be returned to the customer.  I still hold to those rules even though I'm in another state and run a different kind of shop.

The mechanic's qualifications were handled differently.  In the mid 70s a national organization was formed called the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (NIASE).  It has since been renamed "Automotive Service Excellence (ASE).  There job was to test the competency of mechanics.  They didn't want to blow out good wrenches because of no formal training, so they used the community college system to run ramp-up classes to sort out what a guy did and didn't know, what he thought he knew but didn't, and what he might know but didn't know the vocabulary to express.  The classes ended with practice tests.  Once confident with the class material we'd sit for one or more of the 8 NIASE certifications. 

When I was working for Datsun, in addition to the ongoing factory training, the shop sent me to NIASE class (voluntary but had a pay raise attached) I passed Tune up, Emissions, Brakes, Engine Mechanical, Electrical, and manual transmissions.  I did not sit for automatic transmissions, air conditioning, and one other that I forget.

The idea was that shops set themselves apart from the herd by hiring NIASE-certified wrenches.  It was voluntary, but the sign in the window advertising competent help went a long way toward attracting business.  Some localities have made such certs a requirement, and many shops and dealers also won't hire uncertified help.  But there is no uniform code of competency for the industry.


Guzzi-specific -- back when anyone with a pulse and thick wallet could get a dealership, one opened on Martin Way in Olympia, WA.  The 'shop area' was also the showroom and parts counter.  There were no parts on hand that I could see.  I asked the guy at the counter for a Convert sump gasket.  He said he either needed the part# or the year and model of the Convert, on account of they're all different.  He absolutely assured me that a sump gasket from the wrong year Convert would cause catastrophic engine failure.  I didn't ask his opinion on motor oil.

[Dofin]

New owner of a gently used 2015 V7 Stone.  Thank you Sign216 for posting the tutorial on the tranny oil change!  Very helpful.

[HardAspie]

Yep.  It confused me when I got my V7C.

Correct if confusing terminology: Primary transmission, secondary transmission.

[Muzz]

In your video Rastoga I thought I saw for a very brief moment the reflection of the light on the oil; it was WAY down if that is correct.

All the best for the outcome.