Ran my bike with no oil in crankcase? But dipstick says I have oil?

[tank3d]

2003 WR450F

Just got the bike back from the Yamaha Dealer. The fixed my jetting issue and installed an adjustable air screw. They told me the bike was basically overflowing with oil, so they drained it and put in fresh oil.

Today I went riding. It started right up. I rode it down to the trail. The exhaust was popping on deceleration. Then the bike died. I tried to restart, it stared and them died. repeat twice. I checked the oil filler cap on the crank case, and there is NO OIL.

When I get the bike home, I double check the crankcase with my flashlight, and yep, it's still empty. I check the Oil Tank Plug (the one in the frame with the dipstick) and it shows fresh oil at a proper level.

I am new to this bike and have not changed the oil before. Can someone explain to me if the bike has the appropriate amount of oil?

Also, if this is an oil issue, how screwed is the engine?

Thanks,

Aaron

Edited September 9, 2012 by tank3d

[Dougie64]

Perfectly normal, it's what is known as a dry sump, if you're getting oil back into the frame then the oil pump/s (one feed one scavenge) are doing there job.

More info, http://www.thumperta...50f-oil-change/

http://www.thumperta...38#entry4319538

http://www.thumperta...06#entry2491706

Edited September 10, 2012 by Dougie64

[tank3d]

Thank you. that makes me feel better. I wonder what the issue was? The Choke lever appears to be bent...it still seams operational. Would that cause any issues?

[MANIAC998]

Possibly. With it being bent, it could be hanging open slightly, causing issues. You've got to get a manual for your machine. This will help tremendously.

Maniac

[g17jimmy]

I have the PDF for the '03. It's ~34MB I'll have to figure out how to get it to you, if you still need it.

Edited September 12, 2012 by g17jimmy

[g17jimmy]

Nevermind- I found it here (from the FAQ) -- http://bit.ly/OIlKJU (the url from the site kept getting truncated so I put it in bit.ly)

Edited September 13, 2012 by g17jimmy

[e36graduate]

you probably played with the adjustable air screw (i probably would too) and now the air/fuel ratio is not correct for your altitude and temperature........you messed with it didn't you!!!!