Engine Oils

[swift]

Is the grade of mineral oil and synthetic oil is same?

Say, if manufacturer suggests 10W30 oil, can we use the same grade of synthetic oil?

And what is the oil change interval for synthetic oil?

[lolzz]

Hi guys.
Need little help.
Bike fazer done 10k KM's needs FS oil for it.I guess its 20w40.
Some friends suggested to get shell,motul.
Please let me know if anyone is using any specific or any other option best for the bike.

[nagthemissile]

Is the grade of mineral oil and synthetic oil is same?

Say, if manufacturer suggests 10W30 oil, can we use the same grade of synthetic oil?

And what is the oil change interval for synthetic oil?

In case of your example 10w30, it exists in both min and synthy.and you can use it.But in other cases like 20w40 and 20w50 minerals, the synthy version for both may be xxW40/50..here xx=0/5/10/15/20 and it/choice depends on environment you are living.In India most synthy versions have xx=10/15.(Ex xxw50-5100 4T 15W50,300 V Factory Line 4T 15W50 and xxw40--Advance Ultra,ELF MOTO 4 XT Tech and Motul 300V 4T 10w40 ,all 10w40

oil change interval for synthetic oil,depends on style of your riding,if you are on ripping side then expect to be in short period,but on mixed condition it will last at least 4000km-5000km

[nagthemissile]

Hi guys.
Need little help.
Bike fazer done 10k KM's needs FS oil for it.I guess its 20w40.
Some friends suggested to get shell,motul.
Please let me know if anyone is using any specific or any other option best for the bike.

first preference is always motul.A new entrant from elf "ELF MOTO 4 XT Tech"is also having good reviews in xbhp.

[bobysaxena]

10w30 is said to be good from -20C to 30C & 20w40 from -10 to 45C+ . The operating temp range for 10w30 overlaps a lot with 20w40 , the trick is to stay at the middle of your oil's range and avoid the extreme ends , for prolonged use .
Owner's manuals assume "normal service" which is the equivalent of riding pleasantly along at 40kmph in 20C clean environment clean fuel and no traffic in japan . In real life use in here , max you can do with sedate riding is 3000Kms(cut it to half the recommendation) or four-five months(recommendation is six) .. whichever comes earlier . With "severe-service" kinda use (like I described my riding a few posts ago) drain at 2000(or in 3 months) . You need not remember all this however ... your engine will tell you when it's time for fresh oil .

Pinaki,
Wishing you a happy "Bijoya Dashami". I had changed my engine oil of my Splendor NXG after a run of 1500 km on Motul mineral 20 w 40, I could have easily extended upto 2000 km but since it is a new engine i took the decison to change the same a bit early again with Motul mineral 20 w 40.After draining of my previous engine oil I found some traces of metal, it means that the engine is still in the setup stage. The odo reading till date is 3800 km. My next engine oil change schedule is on 5000 km odo reading. At calcutta is it necessary to revert back to 10 w 30 grade engine oil for winter or stick with 20 w 40 grade engine oil. Pls advice.

[anindyameister]

Heloo all,

I started riding my Thunderbird about a month ago, and have made the odo read 900 KM till now. The manual says that the recommended oil is Motul 3000 4T Plus in 15w50 Grade, but the Motul website states that 3000 4T Plus is available only in 10w30 and 20w40. As the enfield UCE engines get pretty hot after moderate running, will it be ok if I put 3000 4T Plus 20w50 in during my second service ? Personally I have no engine related issues except for the hard gearshift. Do you guys think 3000 4T plus will improve shifting ? Also another thing, my understanding is that one should switch to full synthetic like the Motul 300v after about 10k KMs. But in another forum some expert was saying that if one wants to switch to full synth, then it should be done early, just after finishing the running in because later the superior lubricating properties of full synth oils might clean out the small amounts of sludge or wax which were maintaining the seals throughout the engine and this might lead to oil leaks. I know it is a long shot for a bike with only 900 odo reading, but when should be the optimal time for switching my birdy to full synth oil ? My preferred lube will be Motul 300V Factory line which allegedly is the best and costliest lube.

[sandeepcf]

Heloo all,
because later the superior lubricating properties of full synth oils might clean out the small amounts of sludge or wax which were maintaining the seals throughout the engine and this might lead to oil leaks..

My experience, I used Castrol Power 1 Racing 4T on my 26k old Unicorn for 8k kms and faced absolutely no problems, the next oil was Motul300v and after using it for around 2.5k kms oil started leaking from clutch part.
Motul 300v is caustic in my lingo. drained off the oil and changed to shell synthetic.
Can't comment on oil for your ride. Absolutely no knowledge

[sandeepcf]

first preference is always motul.A new entrant from elf "ELF MOTO 4 XT Tech"is also having good reviews in xbhp.

Used Motul 300v and ELF MOTO 4 XT in FAZER and I find ELF to be slightly better than Motul300v in terms of smoothness and pickup.

[anindyameister]

My experience, I used Castrol Power 1 Racing 4T on my 26k old Unicorn for 8k kms and faced absolutely no problems, the next oil was Motul300v and after using it for around 2.5k kms oil started leaking from clutch part.
Motul 300v is caustic in my lingo. drained off the oil and changed to shell synthetic.
Can't comment on oil for your ride. Absolutely no knowledge

You changed to Motul after 26k(Some Oil)+8k(Castrol)=34k KMS. Maybe what I mentioned exactly happened to you. Motul 300V is of full ester based oil and likely has some detergent additives. After these many miles, your engine's moving parts got ground and polished up good, and the microscopic clearences were being maintained by your existing oil. Basically your engine got habituated to your existing oil, Then when Mr. Motul came in, he might have penetrated every part of your engine with his consistent viscosity and over time (2500 KM) washed away the seals with his detergent additives. This is when the oil started leaking. This is the exact scenario I want to avoid. If I put in Motul 300V before the engine parts gets too much polished and there is increase in clearence, I might co-exist peacefully with mr. Motul. Now this is my theory and I need feedback from you guys to back it up or discard it.

[Pinaki]

Hi guys.
Need little help.
Bike fazer done 10k KM's needs FS oil for it.I guess its 20w40.
Some friends suggested to get shell,motul.
Please let me know if anyone is using any specific or any other option best for the bike.

DO NOT guess your engine oil . Confirm the correct grade requirement from your owner's manual , as per your ambient temperatures and riding requirements .
There is however no fully-synthetic motor oil available in 20w40 grade in India . The closest match for that grade in FS would be an 15w40 . If you ride long and hard 15w50 would fit your bill (both is available in FS) . My advice - If 20w40 is your requirement , do not go to 10w40 etc just to get synthetic .. better stick to 20w40 yamalube SL/SG , motul , gulf , elf etc mineral oils with quick changes @ 1500-2000 kms .

Pinaki,
Wishing you a happy "Bijoya Dashami". I had changed my engine oil of my Splendor NXG after a run of 1500 km on Motul mineral 20 w 40, I could have easily extended upto 2000 km but since it is a new engine i took the decison to change the same a bit early again with Motul mineral 20 w 40.After draining of my previous engine oil I found some traces of metal, it means that the engine is still in the setup stage. The odo reading till date is 3800 km. My next engine oil change schedule is on 5000 km odo reading. At calcutta is it necessary to revert back to 10 w 30 grade engine oil for winter or stick with 20 w 40 grade engine oil. Pls advice.

not much else after that

Heloo all,
I started riding my Thunderbird about a month ago, and have made the odo read 900 KM till now. The manual says that the recommended oil is Motul 3000 4T Plus in 15w50 Grade, but the Motul website states that 3000 4T Plus is available only in 10w30 and 20w40. As the enfield UCE engines get pretty hot after moderate running, will it be ok if I put 3000 4T Plus 20w50 in during my second service ? Personally I have no engine related issues except for the hard gearshift. Do you guys think 3000 4T plus will improve shifting ? Also another thing, my understanding is that one should switch to full synthetic like the Motul 300v after about 10k KMs. But in another forum some expert was saying that if one wants to switch to full synth, then it should be done early, just after finishing the running in because later the superior lubricating properties of full synth oils might clean out the small amounts of sludge or wax which were maintaining the seals throughout the engine and this might lead to oil leaks. I know it is a long shot for a bike with only 900 odo reading, but when should be the optimal time for switching my birdy to full synth oil ? My preferred lube will be Motul 300V Factory line which allegedly is the best and costliest lube.

Motul 3000 4T plus 15w50 (your recommended grade) is very much available (saw with my own two eyes at my shop the other day) , so just stick to that(mineral oil) until your engine is fully settled ( say 7k to 10k kms) , with quick changes at every 1500-2000kms . Motul 3000 4T plus mineral oil is available in 3 useful grades, 10w30 / 20w40 / 15w50 only (i.e no 20w50) . Motul's website is new and sketchy yet , but the oils are good enough . Hard gearshift (& heat) is because of new engine ..normal.. it'll take 5000kms (atleast) & correct clutch adjustment & a clean well-oiled chain to get smooth . No problem .
Yes , you are correct that some fully synthetic double-ester type oils cleans out the engine so well that the old waxy deposits that sticks to the seal gaps, gets removed, and can leak oil in some bike's engines .. in some(very few) cases . But I consider it poor engineering in the first place, to depend on waxy dirt to maintain oil-seals & gaskets tight ; and not a fault of the oil itself . Good cleaning of sludge/deposits is very much a desirable property of a bike engine oil IMHO .

[anindyameister]

Motul 3000 4T plus 15w50 (your recommended grade) is very much available (saw with my own two eyes at my shop the other day) , so just stick to that(mineral oil) until your engine is fully settled ( say 7k to 10k kms) , with quick changes at every 1500-2000kms . Motul 3000 4T plus mineral oil is available in 3 useful grades, 10w30 / 20w40 / 15w50 only (i.e no 20w50) . Motul's website is new and sketchy yet , but the oils are good enough . Hard gearshift (& heat) is because of new engine ..normal.. it'll take 5000kms (atleast) & correct clutch adjustment & a clean well-oiled chain to get smooth . No problem .
Yes , you are correct that some fully synthetic double-ester type oils cleans out the engine so well that the old waxy deposits that sticks to the seal gaps, gets removed, and can leak oil in some bike's engines .. in some(very few) cases . But I consider it poor engineering in the first place, to depend on waxy dirt to maintain oil-seals & gaskets tight ; and not a fault of the oil itself . Good cleaning of sludge/deposits is very much a desirable property of a bike engine oil IMHO .

Osonkho Dhonnobad. So I guess I'll have to hunt for 3000 4T Plus 15w50 down here in Hyderabad. Another thread in this forum which lists motul distributors lists about three places in Hyderabad, mainly near Ramkoti and Santoshnagar where people bought Factory Line 300V. Can any users from HYD help me out on where can I get 2.5 litres of Motul 3000 4T plus in 15w50 grade ?

Yes , you are correct that some fully synthetic double-ester type oils cleans out the engine so well that the old waxy deposits that sticks to the seal gaps, gets removed, and can leak oil in some bike's engines ..

I want to avoid this exact scenario, cause lets say after munching enough miles, I put in synth oil, and after sometime it starts leaking. Then I can't even do anything other than switching back to mineral and dream about how smooth the engine could have been if I ran with synthetic. I want to prepare for this, and I think that if I switch to double ester full synth oil a little earlier ( Let's say 5000 Kms) the engine parts wont get fully polished and clearence will not be as much to let the oil leak. Then gradually the engine will be shaped with respect to the new oil properties. The keys of my strategy are 1. Changeover to synthetic at the exact moment when the engine is not too loose, not too tight and 2. Choosing the best synthetic oil out there, as this oil will shape the engine for the rest of its lifetime. Please pardon me if I am being a bit too paranoid. This is my first bike and I want to keep her running for as long as I can. I saw my dad's first model tvs victor become absolute junk within 10 year. I don't want the same thing to happen to my birdy.

[anindyameister]

Pinaki,
Wishing you a happy "Bijoya Dashami". I had changed my engine oil of my Splendor NXG after a run of 1500 km on Motul mineral 20 w 40, I could have easily extended upto 2000 km but since it is a new engine i took the decison to change the same a bit early again with Motul mineral 20 w 40.After draining of my previous engine oil I found some traces of metal, it means that the engine is still in the setup stage. The odo reading till date is 3800 km. My next engine oil change schedule is on 5000 km odo reading. At calcutta is it necessary to revert back to 10 w 30 grade engine oil for winter or stick with 20 w 40 grade engine oil. Pls advice.

Can you please provide your feedback on Motul 3000 4T Plus ? It comes as recommended lube for the enfields and I want to switch to this oil. Did you find any advantages over other mineral oils ?

[anindyameister]

Boric Powder

Guys I keep seeing posts on different threads about how adding a few grams of boric powder to engine oil increases the engine smoothness. Generally some users say that it has done wonders to their vehicle and we see jargon like "nano particles of boron, which is also the key component of boron carbide smoothens out the irregularities in the engine part surface" whereas others advise to stay away from this treatment. So as an average enthusiast biker, I want to know what is the real deal here. Has the truth really been in front of our blind eyes that the addition of minute quantities of dirt cheap boric acid into the engine oil can give our engine magical lubricating properties,( which obviously the oil companies don't know of ) or the entire thing is a hoax and people who went ahead with the treatment are just suffering from placebo effect ??

[sandeepcf]

Guys I keep seeing posts on different threads about how adding a few grams of boric powder to engine oil increases the engine smoothness. Generally some users say that it has done wonders to their vehicle and we see jargon like "nano particles of boron, which is also the key component of boron carbide smoothens out the irregularities in the engine part surface" whereas others advise to stay away from this treatment. So as an average enthusiast biker, I want to know what is the real deal here. Has the truth really been in front of our blind eyes that the addition of minute quantities of dirt cheap boric acid into the engine oil can give our engine magical lubricating properties,( which obviously the oil companies don't know of ) or the entire thing is a hoax and people who went ahead with the treatment are just suffering from placebo effect ??

Tried it in 2 bikes, no noticeable results but both Honda and HeroHonda service center mechanics said they had a hell lot of time wasted for cleaning the internals and advised me not to do it again. when they opened Unicorn for clutch plate replacement, there was boric powder paste eveywhere. Also the same case for HH Ambition.

[bobysaxena]

Can you please provide your feedback on Motul 3000 4T Plus ? It comes as recommended lube for the enfields and I want to switch to this oil. Did you find any advantages over other mineral oils ?

Hey Bro,
I had changed from Hero Honda recommended 10w 30 engine oil to Motul 3000 4t plus on recommendation from Pinaki and got excellent results, the engine is running smooth and soundless.If possible pls refer to Pinakis reply in page no 420 you will get a much better clarification.
Thanks and.
Boby.