| Author | Message | ||
     Back_woods_bueller |
i checked my oil while the engine was hot and found it was way low (barley touching the stick) i stopped at advance after calling bumpas service tech and put in vavlaline 20/50 wet clutch oil did i mess up by putting this in here or should i be good to go thanx? | ||
| Packdog |
If that is what the service tech said to put in, then I think you should be good to go. The owners manual says to immediately change the oil and filter back to H-D stuff as soon as possible. I think that since the break-in oil is only in there for 1,000 miles that you should be fine. How many more miles until the 1K service? | ||
| Back_woods_bueller |
i now have 720 miles on it | ||
| Thunderbox |
I wouldn't go to court and testify to it but I don't believe there is anything called break in oil. I have been a mechanic for coming 0n 35 years and although I have heard people talk about it I have yet to read about any special oil for break in purpose. I know it is not true of any GM product world wide, any Ford product domestic or any Chrysler domestic. They all get their oil for factory fill from the same source I know the brand and company they get it from. It is not different than any oil you can buy except it's probably one of the best there is. | ||
| Back_woods_bueller |
would you go back to Hd oil or swap it to amsoil syn i use amsoil in my race car that runs a yamaha 1300 engine and had no problems with it what do you think? | ||
| Packdog |
Good point Thunderbox - I assumed that break in oil just meant the oil in the bike during break in, before the first oil change. If I am not mistaken I think that the Buells come from the factory with Syn3 in the crankcase. Back_woods, I just noticed that you also posted about having some other hiccups with your bike. If you are not planning on doing the first service yourself, you need to mention both the oil use and the stumbling when you take it in. In a very, very unlikely scenario they could be related - you could have that one in a bazillion bike that happens to let a lot of oil blow by during break in and that oil could be fouling the plugs. You definitely want to have the service tech check to see if that is what is happening. It would be very unlikely, but just on the off chance that it is happening, it is better to catch it early. | ||
| Packdog |
After the break in I ran my bike with H-D syn3 and formula+ until the 5K service. Then I went to amsoil. There has been some speculation by some BadWeb posters that using anything other than Syn3 and Formula+ may be part of the problem with the failing stators in the charging system. I haven't read much about it lately, but o simplify everything I have read about that situation, basically it seems that there has not been a reported stator failure while using H-D oil. The failures have all happened to people using other brands of oil. | ||
| Fubar |
Um... Silly question. How would oil selection affect a stator? | ||
| Packdog |
Fubar - apparently the stator is immersed in the oil on the Buell motor. Beyond that I have no idea. | ||
| Back_woods_bueller |
so if the oil is syn that came from factory and i put reg oil in it it can mess it up right | ||
| Darthane |
...it's not 'anything' other than Syn3 or Formula, it's oils that contain sulfides (usually heavyweight gear oils like the Mobil 1 Synth 75W90). The sulfides can oxidize yellow metals (such as copper, of which your stator is made). Now, Blake will be quick to point out that our stators are sealed (supposedly) and there is no way that the oil could directly contact the copper, but I find that to be a specious argument as there are plenty of things that could happen to nick the coating or otherwise deteriorate it to the point that bare copper is exposed. I had to replace the stator in my XB9R last year - the wires that run from the stator to the voltage regulator were corroded in half. There was no evidence of external forces at play like rubbed insulation, etc. My personal opinion is that where those wires connect to the stator windings was exposed and over time the sulfides in the Mobil 1 gear oil I was using accelerated the corrosion of those wires until they ate completely through and failed - and as a result I now use Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W50 (which doesn't contain sulfides) in the primary as well as the case. | ||
| Darthane |
You don't want to mix types of oil, Backwoods, so verify what it came with and add the same type. Furthermore, you should likely avoid mixing brands if possible, sometimes the additives between them can react unfavorably with one another. Remember, oil is cheap insurance. even at $40 a change, it's cheaper and less hassle than rebuilding an engine.  | ||
| Back_woods_bueller |
i just got off the phone with steve at bumpas harley he said the come with regular oil and not syn thank god lol i thought i just messed up bad | ||
| Darthane |
Heh...it's not like your motor would blow up if you mixed the two. We're talking largely long-term (and only POTENTIAL) effects, here. | ||
| Back_woods_bueller |
thanks for all the info and help i look forward to the buell buckle bike show tomarrow have a great and safe day | ||
| Packdog |
Darthane - Thanks for clarifying. Do you know if there an easy way to determine what the level of sulfides are in a given brand/flavor of oil? | ||
| Etennuly |
They come with the dino oils in them. In the future if you cannot find the HD or V twin oil you need, the service manual recommends using diesel oil. It matches the HD oil pretty closely for oil specifications. I haven't heard much on the topic yet, but are the '08 Ulys running the same oil level as the '06/'07 bikes? It is a dry sump system and the oil is in the tank in the swing arm. If the oil level is a little low in the tank it is not like the engine will be out of oil. We have found with the earlier Ulys that keeping the oil level at the top of the XXXX's will result in a large amount of it being pumped into the air box through the breather hoses. Mine is an '06 with 26,500 miles on it. I maintain mine between the middle X and the bottom of the stick, using dino oil and changing at 3000 mile intervals. I buy three quarts of oil to change it. I put in the required two and a half, using up the other half quart over the three thousand mile period topping it to the half way mark. | ||
| Darthane |
Packdog - I'm not sure about the relative level of sulfides in a given oil, but I know that the Mobil 1 gear oil does state on it that it contains sulfides. You can also find that kind of information (usually) by going to the manufacturer's website and poking around. If an oil states that it's good for wet clutch environments, I'd think chances are pretty good that it doesn't contain sulfides. | ||
| Bigkuri |
Etennuly, 2008's are pretty much the same. Especially with regard to oil level - they seem to like it just above the low mark. Anything over just does not last long in mine. The 2008's take (off the top of my head) 2.5 quarts engine, and 1 quart gear. | ||
| Etennuly |
Yeah, '06's are the same 2.5qts engine oil, 1 qt Formula+ for the trans. Trying to keep it at the top marks leave you wondering, but it will stay for a long time at the lower ones. | ||
| Bobr |
The 2008 oil dipstick specifies the amount to add (metric units). I could't figure out why they had left it out of the owner's manual until I realized it was right there where you need it. | ||
| Teeps |
Another oil thread, I can't resist... My '06 Uly has had: factory fill, Mobil 1 V-Twin 20/50, Valvoline VR1 20/50 and straight 50, Shell Rotella Full Synthetic 5/40, and soon Mobil 1 15w50 Synthetic Motor Oil 15/50, in the engine. Uly don't seem to mind. Gearbox, though has only had H/D Formula +. | ||
| Ulyranger |
Just a shade tree mechanic here but I was always told dino oil is better for break-in to properly allow rings to seat among other things. That you need the right amount of wearing in to ensure longevity, synths being too slippery to allow this to happen correctly. Is this theory in the ballpark? Or just old school cynics not trusting that nu-fangled fancy oil stuff? I've read numerous discussions about this on other forums(not bike), just curious what the Buell contingent thought about it........... BTW, thanks for the tips regarding oil levels on the dip stick. I was initially concerned when checking my new bike to see the level so "low". | ||
| Darthane |
-=shrugs=- A lot of new vehicles come with synth or synth blends right out of the gates. My new Mazda3 came with a blend, for instance. This leads me to believe that it honestly doesn't make much of a difference. Perhaps there's variation in the form of tighter tolerances due to higher compression ratios, etc, that could impact it - dunno. If there was a measureable difference in break-in, you can trust the powertrain units of the various auto manufacturers to have discovered it and acted accordingly. My Firebolt had whatever it came with until 1000mi, then I went straight to synthetic and never looked back. To each his own - oil preference is exactly that - preference. =D | ||
| Towjam |
BTW, thanks for the tips regarding oil levels on the dip stick. I was initially concerned when checking my new bike to see the level so "low". I was told by one of the original XB design team that as long as *any* oil was showing on the dipstick - even if well below the "add" line, you'll be ok. The primary concern would be that you're cutting it close in the event the bike started consuming any oil before you checked it again. I've had 4 XBs and I never had the oil level over the "add" line. | ||
| Towjam |
By the way, I've gotten in the habit of checking the oil immediately after dismounting the bike - while the fan is still running. | ||
| Jphish |
Hmm - mixing oil. I believe that AMS oil claims their oils are compatible with any other oil, also suitable for the purpose. Does "topping off Syn3 with AMS 20/50 MCV create an IED or something ?? | ||
| Jb2607 |
After the initial factory fill, have only used Mobil 1 15-50 synthetic in both engine and transmission. No problems... Actually I would say the shifting is smoother... maybe just my imagination. | ||
| Darthane |
"Does "topping off Syn3 with AMS 20/50 MCV create an IED or something ??" ~~~>Jphish Heh...no, but dripping gasoline all over the engine just might! >.< A friend of mine that I helped get into motorcycling last season bought another friend's old 1996 Katana 600 for his first beater bike, and we had it over to change the oil yesterday. ...get that all done, pull it out into the driveway and start it up to heat the oil and check the level and -=sniff sniff=- "...do you smell gas?" Damned fuel line at the shut-off valve had sheared through, leaving only a thin outer skin intact. It LOOKED fine, but it leaked like a sieve, dripping gas steadily all over the rear of the leftmost cylinder. Oy... | ||
| Signal4 |
Reviving this thread a bit... I checked my oil last night and found it about 3 mm below the add line. I have 800 miles on the bike, and was thinking about how the break in service was coming up, and decided to check it. I had just ridden it for about 30 mins, and I think I gave it a few mins (3?) before I checked it. Today I rode to the dealership to pick up my cargo net. When I got there I hopped off and immediately checked it, it showed no oil at all. I asked the service guy, and he said that I shouldn't worry about it using some oil during break in and that I needed to wait a bit before checking the oil. I rode home (about 10-12 mins) and hopped off and immediately checked it again. No oil. I then waiting about 5-10 mins and just checked it. It comes to about the middle of the second D in ADD on the stick. Okay, so what's the real deal? Is it okay? How long should I wait to check the oil on the bike after I turn it off? Thanks! |
