| Author | Message | ||
     Javaman21011 |
If my bike sits idle for a while and I barely do 1000/year. Will the oil already in the engine (from the previous change) expire eventually? Should I just replace it every X years regardless of mileage? | ||
| Stevel |
Maybe, is the correct answer. It depends on the amount of condensation that has occurred over the time period. Is the bike in a humid area? How often does the bike's engine temperature cross the dew point? How much sulfur is in the oil? in other words, how much water has accumulated in the oil? In normal engine operation, the oil gets warm enough to boil off the condensation, but in a storage situation, the water accumulates and combines with residual sulfur creating sulfuric acid. This acid corrodes the oil. This corrosion discolors the oil and changes several characteristics including the oil's surface tension. You do not need a sophisticated oil analysis to detect this either. You can easily detect the change in surface tension by using a dipstick and looking at the oil level boundary. The acid content can also be easily detected by putting a drop on your tongue. Your tongue is very sensitive and will easily detect the sour taste. You can train your tongue by comparing the taste to a drop of fresh oil. The tongue test can also detect oil that has been overheated. If overheating has occurred, you will detect a burnt taste. I know this sounds gross, but it really works. This was taught to me many, many years ago by an old 1/4 midget race engine builder. | ||
| Javaman21011 |
Hahah, couldn't you just use a pH strip if you're detecting acid? | ||
| Javaman21011 |
Also the bike has mostly been in my garage in the Pacific Northwest, mostly in a insulated garage. I tended to run it once a month to keep the engine from seizing. | ||
| Mnbuell1125cr |
You don't want to just run it once a month in the winter, that will build up condensation. |
