Even though it might be a little soon, I wanted to flush it out and put in a fresh batch of oil. The process went pretty smooth. My only real sticking point was the spring. Of course I'm sure this has been talked to death. I followed the instructions and put a little grease on the oil filter so the spring would stay in place when putting it in. I used white-grease since that's all I have, I hope that's ok. One question I have is why the spring doesn't set in there better. There are those four middle pieces in-between the spring, why didn't Kawasaki bring them in so it holds the spring?

Anyway, when I got the filter from the dealer he said I also needed the O-ring around the cover and the washer around the drain plug. I bought them since it was my first time and wasn't sure, but really do I need to replace those? I replaced the O-ring even though it looked fine but kept the same washer on.

Also, it says to torque the drain plug 11 ft-lb. I don't have a torque wrench so I just made it tight but didn't bare down. No drips after a few hours so hopefully it'll be fine.

Overall a pretty easy process. I'll take it in for the 600 mile service though since they go over the whole bike.

 

Why replace them if they are not bad. I've still got the original one's on my 1987 kawasaki mojave 250 4-wheeler with no leaks at all. The oil get's changed once a year on it. It's not a bad idea to have them on hand in case you do need them when your changing the oil and filter. Nothing's worse then doing a job and then needing something else. I'm sure we have all been there. Just my $.02.

 

That's the problem, the dealer sold me additional parts I didn't need other then the oil filter. But you did answer my question, I don't need to replace them every time I change the oil.

 

No you do not need to replace them every time, however you should inspect them every time and check for any cracks or anything out of the ordinary.

 

Never hurts to have spares on hand. No idea how long my bike would be down if I needed the oil filter cover o-ring, no dealer for many miles.

 

If you bend the spring a little bit it will sit down in where it belongs and wont fall out.

Ive never replaced the drain plug washer or oil filter cover o ring... I would say not needed.

 

That tells you to stay away from that dealer at least.

 

As mentioned, it is nice to keep a few things on hand. The issue that I have had, is that after 5 or more yrs, I tend to forget where the spare parts were. lol Not like having a spare frame or swingarm on the wall, a case of filters and oil, these small parts tend to get mis-placed over time. I am kinda with what redpillar mentioned. Take the info from your local dealer with a grain of salt from now on.

 

I lay my bike down on its side to replace the fliter the spring stays in place.

I might try to bend the spring ( never thought to do that myself ) the next time change to filter,

 

I would agree. Some dealers are really good and only sell you what you need. Other dealers who may have slow sales will try to push parts that are not needed just to make a buck or two. It is also up to the individual to know what he or she really needs. I've told many dealers in my time that I didn't need the extra parts they were trying to sell me and they knew what they were trying to do.