VT250CR - Oil Change and New Spark Plugs
Preparing the EZ-RIDER for its first oil change turned out to be a pretty difficult task.This is because of the following factors:
- I was totally new to this motorcycle
- It didn't come with an owner's manual (Found one! See below)
- It didn't come with a service manual (Found one! Click here)
- It is 22 years old and information about it is starting to disappear.
- It is not a popular displacement (250cc) compared to others (750cc)
- It is relatively rare, having mostly been sold (apparently) in Japan and the UK.
Without an owner's manual, it was nearly impossible to research even the most basic things about the VT250CR, like what parts were needed to perform a service maintenance that included changing the spark plugs and changing the engine oil and oil filter.
Thankfully, I was able to find an online user manual for the VT250C early on in this process. as well as a bunch of online resources that I hope to share in this post.
In the end I was able to answer all of my questions, which were:
- What is the Size and Location of the Oil Drain Plug?
- What is the Size and Location of the Oil Filter Housing?
- What Type of Oil Filter Should I Use?
- What Type of Engine Oil Should I Use?
- How Much Engine Oil Should I Use?
- What Type of Spark Plugs Should I Use?
What is the Size and Location of the Oil Drain Plug?
Part #23, the Oil Drain Plug on the 1997 Honda Magna VT250CR is located, logically enough, on the very bottom of the engine.
It is a 12MM bolt:
Here's the diagram from the Online Owners Manual I found:
What is the Size and Location of the Oil Filter Housing?
Part #11, the Oil Filter Housing is also located on the bottom of the engine, adjacent to the Oil Drain Plug. I modified the above drawing to show where it is:
It is held in place by Part #14, the oil filter bolt (15420-KE8-000). The oil filter bolt is specialized and its head is 12mm in size.
What Oil Filter Should I Use?
Part # 29, The Oil Filter (15410-KEA-305) looks like this:
Here's how it sits in the Oil Filter Assembly:
Wait! What About the O-Rings?
It's important to note that when you change the oil, there are two o-rings that also need to be changed.Part #22, the Large O-Ring (91315-MA6-003) fits inside the lip of Part #11, the Oil Filter Cover (15411-KE8-000).
Part #19, the Small O-Ring (91302-377-000) fits on the Oil Filter Bolt (15420-KE8-000).
Aftermarket VT250CR Oil Filter Kits
There are aftermarket oil filter kits that also come with the O-Rings needed. One I found, the Bikemaster 17-1605, costs about 33% of the Honda kit.
- It can be found on Amazon
- It can be found on eBay
What Type of Engine Oil Should I Use?
According to the online VT250C user manual I found (thank you!) the proper Engine Oil for EZ-Rider, given the fact that the temperature in Hong Kong ranges from about 10C to 40C, is any one of the following:
- 10W40
- 15W40
- 15W50
- 20W40
- 20W50
Why are there so many choices?
Because motor oil is a highly engineered product designed to behave differently when it is hot or cold. There are entire articles devoted to how to choose the right motor oil.
In my case, because the engine rings are almost certainly worn, causing the motorcycle to "burn oil", I will use a thicker oil because it will probably slightly reduce my oil consumption:
Because motor oil is a highly engineered product designed to behave differently when it is hot or cold. There are entire articles devoted to how to choose the right motor oil.
In my case, because the engine rings are almost certainly worn, causing the motorcycle to "burn oil", I will use a thicker oil because it will probably slightly reduce my oil consumption:
Because EZ-Rider is "burning oil", I will probably go with a 20W40 or perhaps even a 20W50.
How Much Engine Oil Should I Use?
According to the online VT250C user manual I found, the proper amount of engine oil to add after an oil and filter change is 2.1 liters
What Type of Spark Plugs Should I Use?
According to the online VT250C user manual I found the right kind of spark plugs for the VT250CR is NGK CR8EH9, which are factory gapped to .9mm:
Here's some more information about the NGK CR8EH-9 plugs:
NGK CR8EH-9 SPARK PLUG.
High quality spare standard spark plug.
Details
- Type: CR8EH-9
- Wrench size:16,0 mm
- Thread diameter:10,0 mm
- Thread Length:12,7 6,3 mm- Spark gap:0,9 mm
- Resistance:interference-free, 5 kOhm
That's it! All my answers found.
I can now buy my parts and service EZ-Rider.
Thanks!
To see how the oil, filter and spark plug change went, visit my YouTube Channel and take a look around. The first spark plug change was a complete FAIL, because I did not have the right size spark plug socket (see above wrench size, mine was 21mm, or way off!)
I have recorded dozens and dozens of videos about rescuing EZ-Rider, a 1997 Honda Magna VT250CR that you might find educational and entertaining.
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