doing my firt oil change on my klx and there is spring under the filter
how the heck do i get the spring back in?
get skinnier fingers?
any help would be appreciated

 

Hehe, that's a nice little "feature" that Kawasaki threw our way. The incredible filter spring puzzle. There are a few solutions. They are, in no particular order:

Option #1. Lay the bike onit's leftside. Place the spring, filter and coverinto position. Insert & tighten filter cover bolts. Wipe up gas from the ground or just allow to evaporate.
Option #2. Leave the bike upright. Load the filter and spring onto the cover. It all holds together pretty well. Apply a little grease (I use molyB) to the end of the spring. Insert the whole deal into the cavity. Insert & tighten filter cover bolts.
Option #3. Same as #2 but skip the grease and thread a piece of floss or something through the spring to hold it again the filter. Push the whole thing into the cavity & then pull the string out. Insert the whole deal into the cavity. Insert & tighten filter cover bolts.

There are some that have even had success skipping the grease or string and just quickly pushing the spring/filter/cover assembly in. I'm not that fast, and I would always wonder if the spring was seated properly.

Good luck and welcome.

 

The grease method is cake walk. Sure fire! Just a dab will do. Don't do what my local Kawa dealer did to mine, the put so much grease onthe spring when I changed the oil filter half the filter hole was closed. Go team. Any way had to let that out. GREASE METHOD #1

 

that's not a stupid question!!most of us ran into that problem.

 

I dabbed the end of the spring in the grease, then stuck the spring into the engine. That doesn't take a lot of grease, and keeps the grease away from blocking the little hole in the filter.

 

Did mine tonight. Just a tiny dab was sufficient. On my Hondas I had with this setup (XR650L & 300EX) that internal structure was enough to support the spring. Step up Kawie!

 

wow....you guys are killin me..........I always just held the filter firm in the cover and then held it on an angle and then slid the works into the housing.....never had an issue...Kawi or Honda..they are the same......no grease...It does not belong inside the cover of the motor,Have patience and don't be rammin' stuff around and you should have no issue.

 

I tiny dab of moly B never hurt anything. That's why they call it 'assembly grease.'

 

just lay the bike down and not have to worry about grease inside the motor at all... what does laying it down hurt? nothing... most of us lay it down on accident anyway.....lol

 

I let the bike have a nap while im putting the oil filter back in.

The spring will sit up by itself that way.

Just put some old blankes under it so its comfy.