How long can engine oil really last?

[IvikaRazI]

Anyway always talk about Engine Oil, how about Oil Filter? To me as long as the Oil Filter is doing its job, The Oil should be clean enough for the engine usage. Imagine metal fragments in the EO rubbing agaiinst your engine.

 

Those bike without oil filter, no filtration so no choice need to change more often.

 

Yes the engine will run even how long and old the oil is being used. I had a friend that change his EO for his X1 for 2 years, damned black. The bike still moves. hahahah

 

If about grade, a Honda Cub can even run on cooking oil, so think about it. hahhaha.

 

It won't affect the bike in the short run, will of coz do damage in the long run.

 

To end off, changing of EO depends on how deep your pocket is. I wonder how frequent does MotoGP bikes change EO?

[compfused]

Reason for the thread stems from the fact as to why when running in, mineral oil was used for 2000km.

But yet the same oil is said to be so poor that it should be changed in 1000km by some.

 

And given the replies thus far, everyone of us have different ideas. haha...

 

I used to change the EO when i was riding my 2B, cos it is cheap and fresh oil always feels much better.

But now per oil change is like 3 bottles. Way too hardcore to change every month!!! haha...

 

Very interested to see what u guys got.

My guess is..Durin runnin in it can be used for 2000km coz durin that period you don't rev it up high and always travel at a certain speed limit..But when the period of runnin in is over you tend to rev to higher rpms as if you're in motogp..Which cuts down the "life" of the EO faster..

 

Anyway always talk about Engine Oil, how about Oil Filter? To me as long as the Oil Filter is doing its job, The Oil should be clean enough for the engine usage. Imagine metal fragments in the EO rubbing agaiinst your engine.

 

Those bike without oil filter, no filtration so no choice need to change more often.

 

Yes the engine will run even how long and old the oil is being used. I had a friend that change his EO for his X1 for 2 years, damned black. The bike still moves. hahahah

 

If about grade, a Honda Cub can even run on cooking oil, so think about it. hahhaha.

 

It won't affect the bike in the short run, will of coz do damage in the long run.

 

To end off, changing of EO depends on how deep your pocket is. I wonder how frequent does MotoGP bikes change EO?

Motogp changes oil after every race I assume..I could be wrong tho..

[i2soul]

Motogp changes oil after every race I assume..I could be wrong tho..

 

YEA u are right motor gp once in 1 race. The engine oil doesnt seem like anything but it does affect the performance of bike a lot lo. If your bike is modded you got to change engine oil more offten

[Raptor]

Bikes are mostly wet clutch whereas most cars are dry clutch... unless you riding some Ducatis or NSR250.

 

Wet clutch means the clutch plates are lubricated by the engine oil which also means that the heat generated and the wear and tear of the clutch plates is passed on to the oil.

 

In short... the oil in a bike breaks down faster than the oil in a car.

 

And its not the distance travelled that determines the frequency of the oil change... its the amount of abuse the engine is getting.

 

What the manufacturer recommends is only a guide. A guide is a guide only.

 

The biggest enemy of oil is heat. Heat breaks down the oil.

 

1000 km of city riding with all its stop and go and gear shifting does more heat damage to the oil than 1000 km of highway cruising where the engine does not over heat at all.

 

When the radiator fan comes on... the engine is in the overheat zone and the oil is breaking down already.

 

And synthetic oil is meant for operations at maximum engine output. Thats why they come out with it... to operate in the redline zone of those high performance machines. If you don't do your gearshifts at the redline all the time... you really don't need fully synthetic oil.

 

Just sharing my thoughts, you guys decide on the frequency of oil change and type of oil you want to use. Its your money and your bike. Cheers.

[WildCard]

Anyway always talk about Engine Oil, how about Oil Filter? To me as long as the Oil Filter is doing its job, The Oil should be clean enough for the engine usage. Imagine metal fragments in the EO rubbing agaiinst your engine.

 

Those bike without oil filter, no filtration so no choice need to change more often.

 

Yes the engine will run even how long and old the oil is being used. I had a friend that change his EO for his X1 for 2 years, damned black. The bike still moves. hahahah

 

If about grade, a Honda Cub can even run on cooking oil, so think about it. hahhaha.

 

It won't affect the bike in the short run, will of coz do damage in the long run.

 

To end off, changing of EO depends on how deep your pocket is. I wonder how frequent does MotoGP bikes change EO?

 

Problem is, oil filters, once enough pores are clogged (from dirt and metal fragments caught) and causing pressure to buildup, the filter has a bypass valve that will open up to allow EO to flow through regardless and prevent oil starvation in the engine.

The downside is, all that metal fragments and dirt now have a free ticket back into the engine.

So thus the importance of a good oil filter and regular replacements as well.

I prefer to stick to stock and just change it regularly along each EO change as opposed to alternate EO changes.

 

MotoGP bikes, like F1 cars and most factory racing vehicles, literally gets their engine stripped and overhauled almost after every race. Not only EO gets changed. A number of parts gets changed as well.

Their single race budget is beyond our grasp for the next 10 years....

[theblackmamba]

motogp their one race spares can maintain our class 2 sports road going bike for 6 years

[nuad]

actually a mechanic told me that when draining old oil, if its black. It does not mean that the oil has reached the end of its life or its lousy oil.

 

in fact the oil is good and it does it's job well, worry more if ur oil isnt black

 

See alot of people exclaim "the oil is completely black!", i believe motordiams use that as "evidence" as a way to convince you "wah, your oil cannot make it already" , when no, not necessarily so.

 

haha when the mech told me this as he was changing my oil, i was like -.-.

[inobody]

Follow manufacture recommendation is advisable, i did an experiment 2 years for an oil change using Mobile One Gold get satisfactory results. Important ...Oil....don't start yr bike without it.

[Terrible One]

Bikes are mostly wet clutch whereas most cars are dry clutch... unless you riding some Ducatis or NSR250.

 

Wet clutch means the clutch plates are lubricated by the engine oil which also means that the heat generated and the wear and tear of the clutch plates is passed on to the oil.

 

In short... the oil in a bike breaks down faster than the oil in a car.

 

And its not the distance travelled that determines the frequency of the oil change... its the amount of abuse the engine is getting.

 

What the manufacturer recommends is only a guide. A guide is a guide only.

 

The biggest enemy of oil is heat. Heat breaks down the oil.

 

1000 km of city riding with all its stop and go and gear shifting does more heat damage to the oil than 1000 km of highway cruising where the engine does not over heat at all.

 

When the radiator fan comes on... the engine is in the overheat zone and the oil is breaking down already.

 

And synthetic oil is meant for operations at maximum engine output. Thats why they come out with it... to operate in the redline zone of those high performance machines. If you don't do your gearshifts at the redline all the time... you really don't need fully synthetic oil.

 

Just sharing my thoughts, you guys decide on the frequency of oil change and type of oil you want to use. Its your money and your bike. Cheers.

 

And to top that,bikes generally are higher revving den cars.. So it breaks down the oil faster.. For cars if u cruise at 2.5k rpm it'll be around 100km/h.. If u ride ur bike at 2.5k rpm,u will feel the world flying past u.. Also one of the thing that makes the oil turn black is carbon,just imagine ur engine running w clutch dust and carbon?

[Snoek]

If you have the money to spare, every 3 mths change also not a problem =)

[Limsteel]

I am surprise people here change oil every month or 1000km... IT IS A TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY, have money carry on, nothing wrong. But It is like you need 7 glasses of water a day, but you gulp down 20 glasses, the 13 glasses just flow out of your body system clean (Crystel Clear). Again nothing wrong at least your body is well hydrated...

 

reference to http://www.ecoadvanced.net/faq.aspx

Engine oil are ideally long chains of HydroCarbon, the longer it is, the more it is able to withstand high heat without evaporating.

 

Engine oil subjected to various forces in the engine, the oil chains get heated, sheered and cut up reducing the ability to withstand high temp.

 

What we are afraid here is engine oil overheat and starts evaporating. Overtime, the viscosity will become thicker and finally resulting in Black Death (Hydrogen in Hydrocarbon breaks off pairing with Oxygen Sulphur forming water / hydrogen sulfide. leaving behind greasy Carbon sludge)

 

Agree with demon on testing viscosity... but how to judge is another Question mark. My SV650 Manual stated an oil change interval of 6000km but as I am using synthetic oil (theoretically should last longer). also need to mention, I rarely stress the bike up (High RPM, Traffic jam - Overheat issue, top speed testing, jack rabbit riding style). So I only Oil Change ~10,000Km.

 

If you wanna be safe Just follow your bike manual stated oil change interval. Make full use of the Oil! change monthly will only put a smile on the BikeShop owner face

 

As for TS question: how long can engine oil really last?

Follow your bike manual oil change interval, it is the safest.

Edited December 7, 2009 by Limsteel

[KeraKing]

around 3 weeks of daily riding and playing on my nsr250.

two stroke engine oil.

[NightPhantom]

around 3 weeks of daily riding and playing on my nsr250.

two stroke engine oil.

 

ur eo doesnt even lubricate ur piston... why chagne so often?

[Limsteel]

it OK, I use shark fin to gargle my mouth... Abalone to balance my unbalanced table.

[KeraKing]

ur eo doesnt even lubricate ur piston... why chagne so often?

 

because my engine oil lubricate piston then burnt off.

i never change it, i just top up.

why would it be called two stroke engine oil if it didn't lubricate the engine cylinders? :sian:

[NightPhantom]

because my engine oil lubricate piston then burnt off.

i never change it, i just top up.

why would it be called two stroke engine oil if it didn't lubricate the engine cylinders? :sian:

 

engine oil is engine oil... 2T is 2T... i guess u talking abt 2T then. i suppose this thread is talking abt engine oil and not 2T, or did i misunderstood?

[KeraKing]

engine oil is engine oil... 2T is 2T... i guess u talking abt 2T then. i suppose this thread is talking abt engine oil and not 2T, or did i misunderstood?

 

you misunderstood

 

2t=two stroke

4t=four stroke

 

both engine requires engine oil to lubricate the engine

 

2t oil = two stroke engine oil

4t oil = four stroke engine oil

 

i give u simple example, u try go to this link http://www.castrol.com/castrol/genericsection.do?categoryId=8310033&contentId=6030540

 

then you can see what oil companies call them.

[crazydj]

From what i know

 

2 Stroke Bikes

+ Uses Gear Oil to lubricate the gear. Many people refer to this as engine oil or use engine oil instead.

+ Uses 2-Stroke oil which lubricates the piston and other parts, then gets burnt off together with the petrol.

4 Stroke Bikes

+ Uses 4-Stroke oil only to lubricate the pistion and other parts as well as the gears.

[NightPhantom]

From what i know

 

2 Stroke Bikes

+ Uses Gear Oil to lubricate the gear. Many people refer to this as engine oil or use engine oil instead.

+ Uses 2-Stroke oil which lubricates the piston and other parts, then gets burnt off together with the petrol.

4 Stroke Bikes

+ Uses 4-Stroke oil only to lubricate the pistion and other parts as well as the gears.

 

correct and precise. it gets pretty confusing when e thread is abt engine oil and suddenly 2stroke engine oil pops up... i would haf thought e dude is talking abt gear oil....

Edited December 12, 2009 by NightPhantom

[KeraKing]

From what i know

 

2 Stroke Bikes

+ Uses Gear Oil to lubricate the gear. Many people refer to this as engine oil or use engine oil instead.

+ Uses 2-Stroke oil which lubricates the piston and other parts, then gets burnt off together with the petrol.

 

ppl usually put 4t engine oil for 2stroke the gear box.

thats why people here usually call it engine oil, because it is exactly what they put in.

 

if the oil manufacturers themselves refer the oil that used to lubricate the two stroke cylinder and piston as two stroke engine oil,

and you want to say it is not engine oil, but it is 2t,

then you are the ones that cause confusion to yourselves and to others.

[NightPhantom]

okie lar.. theorically speaking u're rite lar...

 

but i'm quite sure that people understand 2t better than 2stroke engine oil. its clearer.

 

at a glance, which u see clearer? "ayah rajah expressway" or "AYE"... get the drift???

 

get back to topic.

[crazydj]

2 stroke oil is still engine oil. Only difference is that it gets burnt and its consumable.

 

Does gear oil dry up and in the gearbox? Or does it just get thick?

 

I know for my bike my 4-cycle engine oil/4-stroke engine oil will evaporate after a few months. EO gets really sludgy and the level will be low. But there are no leaks coming out from my exhaust, no blue smoke or anything.

 

Note that i had to say 4-cycle engine oil/4-stroke engine oil just in case it causes any confusion. *cough*

 

Secondly, how will you damage your bike if you put EO into a 2-stroker gearbox instead of gear oil?

[firefox87]

Secondly, how will you damage your bike if you put EO into a 2-stroker gearbox instead of gear oil?

 

i would like to hear answers about this too as i used engine oil for the gear oil in a 2-stroker. cos i thought that since engine oil in 4-stroke bikes lubricates both engine and gears, it should be able to do the same job on the gears for 2-strokers though my friend told me he use this one type of motul oil cos it's stated "GEAR OIL FOR 2T bikes" or something like that. btw, how long can the gear oil in 2stroke bike last if i travelled less than 500km every few mths on it?

 

interestingly, i change my engine oil every 3300km on an auto bike. cos i ride the bike relek2 and easier to count. at 3300km, change engine oil, at 10000km, change gear oil and spark plug.

 

as for a 2a bike, i'll change the engine oil every 2 mths even though it'll be less than 2000km and since i like to change gear in higher revs on this bike, i feel it's a good decision.

 

but somehow, i always see people not changing their engine oil often on their super4s based on the assumption that they use 4l of engine oil. oh well... this debate can never end. even i myself, use different tactics on maintaining the different bikes. what's more important is how much u love your bike as compared to your money. change too often, people say u very rich ah. but when comes to overhauling, it'll be you paying the damage. so, as long as you understand the basic physics behind the engine oil, there's endless ways of judging the situation. if you like it that way, just stick with it.

 

but someone use to tell me this, racers use racing engine oil(fully synthetic) because they want to squeeze more power from their bike in a race. but they change it after every race. for normal riders to use racing EO, will it be better or worse for the engine? that's another question i'll need some answering. in my opinion, fully synthetic EO is priced at about $10 more per litre and that's not worth it when it feels exactly the same as normal EO after a few days or so.

Edited December 12, 2009 by firefox87

[zyrofillica]

put gear oil in gear box please not engine oil.

 

"Gear Oil and Motor Oil Are Not the Same

Gear oil differs from motor oil. Most people assume that SAE 90 gear oil is much thicker than SAE 40 or 50 grade motor oil. However, they are the same viscosity. The difference is they are calculated by different classifications, SAE gear lube and SAE engine oil. Another main difference is the additives used to produce them.

 

Motor oil has to combat byproduct chemicals from gasoline or diesel ignition and should contain additives such as detergents and dispersants. Since an internal combustion engine has an oil pump and lubricates the bearings with a hydrodynamic film, the need for extreme pressure additives such as those used in gear oils does not exist in engines.

 

Engine oils and gear oils both have anti-wear additives, and they both must lubricate, cool and protect components, but gear oils are placed under extreme amounts of pressure, creating a propensity for boundary lubrication, a condition in which a full fluid lubricating film is not present between two rubbing surfaces. For example, differentials in cars and trucks have a ring and pinion hypoid gear set. A hypoid gear set can experience boundary lubrication, pressures and sliding action that can wipe most of the lubricant off the gears. To combat this extreme environment, extreme pressure additives are incorporated into the oil. Companies like AMSOIL use an extra treatment of extreme pressure additives in its gear oils in order to reduce wear and extend the gear and bearing life.

 

Additional Differences

Because many of the components found in the drivetrain consist of ferrous material, the lubricant is required to prevent rust and possible corrosion to other materials. Rust and corrosion problems are not nearly as prevalent in engines.

 

The many small and intricate components that make up gear sets found in the drivetrain can be quite noisy and may be subjected to shock loading. The viscosity and extreme pressure formulation of gear oil quiets gears and dissipates shock loading.

 

The rotating motion of the gear sets also tends to churn the lubricant, resulting in foaming. If a gear lube foams, the load carrying capacity is significantly reduced because the air suspended within the oil is compressible. For example, when the gear teeth come into contact with each other any trapped air bubbles will compress, therefore reducing the thickness of the separating oil film. In turn, this reduction could lead to direct metal-to-metal contact between gear teeth and result in accelerated wear. The gear oil must have the ability to dissipate this entrapped air, insuring a sufficient lubricating film exists to protect the gears from contact wear." -AMSOIL

[firefox87]

ooops! thanks for the info! so, for a 2 stroke bike, it's gear oil and 2T oil only right? while a 4 stroke bike, it's just engine oil. just to confirm what has been said.