A couple of oil questions

[OLD MAN BJ]

Hi guys,
My understanding about viscosity is that any --- to 40 oil is a 40 weight oil when its hot. The lower number is an indication of how easily it flows when cold. Ok, my manual states a 10w-40 but lets face it we are not living in Siberia. Thats why I asked about a 15w-40. With our mild winter climate, would a 15w flow ok at start up? Most of these oils state a lower flow temp of -27 deg C. It will still behave as a 40 when warm. The reason I asked is there is a much better selection of oils available if 15w-40 is ok to use. Including the mixed fleet oils etc.

John

[xwhatsit]

Personally I think you sound a little paranoid but I use diesel oil and change it every 1600kms

In my workshop manual from 1977 or 1979 or whatever it is (for an air-cooled 4V 250 single SOHC, yep, very applicable), it says 10W-40 if temp falls below -5 degrees. Or +5 degrees. Can't remember. Otherwise 15W-40 is fine.

I ran 20W-50 for a while The top-end rattle that appears in traffic in hot weather was quieter!

[AllanB]

Well this thread got me thinking. I called my Honda dealer - apparently GPS has been 10W-40 for some time - Honda warranty books were printed a while back. All good so I've got the specified 10W40 in the Hornet. A quick call to Castrol backs this up. Both also said the earlier mix was 100% sweet.

Back to the original post, I see in the Honda Hornet manual they list a couple of oil viscosity's both start with 10W. I'd stick with that.

Pop onto a American website like 'wrist twisters' and the 919 (AKA Hornet) section finds all sorts of oil being used over there - brands I've never heard of.

My comment regarding getting the oil brand your servicing dealer has is standard - during the warranty period you get a dealer service and they put in what they sell (standard practise). If you use more than one dealer during your warranty period you'll probably end up with a different brand. All should use the correct viscosity.
All will claim the oil they sell is the best stuff ever invented!

[MotoKuzzi]

In the Guzzi I'm using Morris lubricants " Ring Free " 15/40 diesel oil. Buy it in 25l containers for about $180 delivered to my door. Reason I chose it because I get a good 9000km out of it in my diesel Safari before I need to add a litre top up, until I do a change at 10,000km. Any of the other cheap oils like repco diesel etc would only get half that before it breaks down. From what i have seen so far it keeps the engine spotless.

[CookMySock]

All should use the correct viscosity.
All will claim the oil they sell is the best stuff ever invented!

Yes, and yes. Ignore the brand name. Match the SAE spec, Exceed the API spec by whatever you can afford. Don't extend your oil changes. Don't over or under fill. Nothing else matters.

Steve

[AllanB]

I called the Castrol man today with your question - he looked up their spec sheet for your bike - both oil options they list start with a 5 or 10W. He said from a technical point of view the lighter weight cold start is preferable to the higher 15W you asked about.

But then he said, unless you live in Southland it doesn't really get super cold in NZ winters! Which brings us full circle with your first post


oil threads - excellent stuff!

[Flip]

Well here is my 2c worth. The 15w40 number describes the viscosity in comparasion to a straight mineral oil. The 15 at low temperature (0 deg F)as being the same viscosity as a 15 weight mineral oil, the 40 number at high temperature (210 deg F) as being the same as a straight 40 weight oil.
The SG, SH is the performance raiting as set by SAE (society automotive engineers). The higher the 2nd letter the "better" the oil. With the qualifier that some of the modern oils do not work well in vintage motors. eg Mobil 1 has been known to cause HD big V twin big ends to fail as the rollers can skid and cause bearing failure also the new additives can disolve old types of seals.
If you were is central otago well then the oils cold flow performance might be of some interest but its not often minus 18 deg C in Auckland even then the diference between a 10 and 15 weight oil is minimal.
I would rather have nice fresh good quality 15w40 oil in my crank case than old dirty worn out 10w40 oil. Pick an oil that is from a reputable maker that is commonly available as the oil makers do not reccomend mixing brands and types of oils unless it is an emergency.

[Quasievil]

Well here is my 2c worth. The 15w40 number describes the viscosity in comparasion to a straight mineral oil. The 15 at low temperature (0 deg F)as being the same viscosity as a 15 weight mineral oil, the 40 number at high temperature (210 deg F) as being the same as a straight 40 weight oil.
The SG, SH is the performance raiting as set by SAE (society automotive engineers). The higher the 2nd letter the "better" the oil. With the qualifier that some of the modern oils do not work well in vintage motors. eg Mobil 1 has been known to cause HD big V twin big ends to fail as the rollers can skid and cause bearing failure also the new additives can disolve old types of seals.
If you were is central otago well then the oils cold flow performance might be of some interest but its not often minus 18 deg C in Auckland even then the diference between a 10 and 15 weight oil is minimal.
I would rather have nice fresh good quality 15w40 oil in my crank case than old dirty worn out 10w40 oil. Pick an oil that is from a reputable maker that is commonly available as the oil makers do not reccomend mixing brands and types of oils unless it is an emergency.

I assume youre talking about Mobil 1 V Twin 20w-50 if so there is no way that the product is responsible for a Big End Failure. However it is typical that an oil gets the blame but in this case I doubt it very much so.
Mobil 1 V Twin is a widely sought after oil around the world and is a success story oil.

[kiwi cowboy]

I assume youre talking about Mobil 1 V Twin 20w-50 if so there is no way that the product is responsible for a Big End Failure. However it is typical that an oil gets the blame but in this case I doubt it very much so.
Mobil 1 V Twin is a widely sought after oil around the world and is a success story oil.

S whot is the diference between mobil2000 10w-40 and this mobil 1 4t 10w-40 as the garage i use say they are the same only the price is diferent

[OLD MAN BJ]

Well guys,
Thanks for all the good replies. Today I had a reply back from Shell regarding their SX4 15w-50 API SJ bike oil. The tech person said it would be fine in my bike anywhere in New Zealand (maybe not central otago in middle of winter, as I have been there). Decided to stay away from the OILPRO oils as they are same price as the big players so you might as well have the real thing.

John

[Motu]

As I mentioned,Oilpro is the real thing.Pennzoil won't discount their premium oil for the trade....but call it another name and they will.It's just a marketing thing....swapping names on products.

The HD roller skid is urban legend....it only happens on oil threads.

[Quasievil]

S whot is the diference between mobil2000 10w-40 and this mobil 1 4t 10w-40 as the garage i use say they are the same only the price is diferent

The 4t is a motorcycle oil and is formulated as such, the Mobil 2000 is a car engine oil and is formulated as such, thats the essential difference.

[dipshit]

I assume youre talking about Mobil 1 V Twin 20w-50 if so there is no way that the product is responsible for a Big End Failure.

A mechanic at work was telling me about a jet boat company in Queenstown losing an engine to big end failure every other week for months on end. They were using Mobil 1. They finally worked out what was going on. Under high temperatures the oil was foaming and when they shut the engine off - the hot oil would just run off all the metal surfaces. When the engine was started up again, there was virtually no oil protection.

They changed to a different oil and the problem stopped.

I was a bit sceptical about his story... but then just the other day i was taking a look at this ( http://www.amsoil.com/lit/g2156.pdf ) and noticed Mobil 1 MX4T was rated as worst at foaming at high temperatures. So perhaps there is something to it.

[Quasievil]

A mechanic at work was telling me about a jet boat company in Queenstown losing an engine to big end failure every other week for months on end. They were using Mobil 1. They finally worked out what was going on. Under high temperatures the oil was foaming and when they shut the engine off - the oil would just run off all the metal surfaces. When the engine was started up again, there was virtually no oil protection.

They changed to a different oil and the problem stopped.

I was a bit sceptical about his story... but then just the other day i was taking a look at this ( http://www.amsoil.com/lit/g2156.pdf ) and noticed Mobil 1 MX4T was rated as worst at foaming at high temperatures. So perhaps there is something to it.

yeah the mechanic knows everything scenario, get it all the time, yet Mobil 1 has been used by HRT for years and is the prefered oil for many leading performance car engines.
Mobil 1 wont foam, it got additives to prevent it, there is more to this story I believe.

[dipshit]

yeah the mechanic knows everything scenario, get it all the time

I know. I don't put too much weight on their particular opinions either.

Mobil 1 wont foam, it got additives to prevent it, there is more to this story I believe.

Yet that page did show a particular Mobil 1 was the worst for foaming. And that company was having the trouble back in the mid to late 80's. The oil has had a few changes since then.