What oil do you use? [Archive]

400exc

02-06-2006, 04:03 PM

i run honda oil (gn4) 10w-40. it this good oil?
that is what i use in the summer, and yea its good oil, but likes to burn once and a while at high speeds.

I use john deere tractor oil!!!!!! works great, and it solves the burning problem the the honda oil did in the summer.

Hondacrf15

02-06-2006, 04:21 PM

Kendel GT-1 is what we used in a built 426ex. worked great in the motor and the clutch. This was recommended by one of the better motor builders to me. Ran 40 weight.

NacsMXer

02-06-2006, 06:14 PM

Originally posted by underpowered
rotella T, Heavy duty. 15w-40 is all i run in my 400.

Yeah it's 5w-40 not 15w-40 Rotella T synthetic, but yeah, that's all I run now in my race motor. I'm pretty sure the semi-synthetic is the one that is 15w40.

NacsMXer

02-06-2006, 06:15 PM

Originally posted by exrider008
i run honda oil (gn4) 10w-40. it this good oil?

Yes it is good oil, but synthetics will always be better than regular petroleum oils..;) You won't have a problem if you change the oil often, but I want all the protection I can possibly get for my motor.

mrnate400ex

02-06-2006, 06:20 PM

Amsoil 20-50, works great.

exrider008

02-06-2006, 06:21 PM

Originally posted by NacsMXer
Yes it is good oil, but synthetics will always be better than regular petroleum oils..;) You won't have a problem if you change the oil often, but I want all the protection I can possibly get for my motor.

what oil should i use

NacsMXer

02-06-2006, 06:28 PM

Originally posted by exrider008
what oil should i use

I used to run Mobil 1 red cap full synthetic, but it was discontinued. I run Shell Rotella T 5w40 full synthetic now. Excellent heavy duty synthetic that is safe for our quad engines. I even run it in my truck. It's not all that expensive either, you can buy it in a 1 gallon jug at Walmart for $12.00, it's in a dark blue jug. That price is really good if you think about it, 3 bucks a quart, can't beat that :)

exrider008

02-06-2006, 06:31 PM

Originally posted by NacsMXer
I used to run Mobil 1 red cap full synthetic, but it was discontinued. I run Shell Rotella T 5w40 full synthetic now. Excellent heavy duty synthetic that is safe for our quad engines. It's not all that expensive either, you can buy it in a 1 gallon jug at Walmart for $12.00, it's in a dark blue jug. That price is really good if you think about it, 3 bucks a quart, can't beat that :)

so do u think that is better than what im using

NacsMXer

02-06-2006, 06:34 PM

Originally posted by exrider008
so do u think that is better than what im using

Of course it's better by about 10x! You're using Honda GN4 oil which is petroleum-based. Synthetic oils are far superior in terms of film strength, keeping the motor cleaner, and resisting oil break-down over time better. Not to mention paying an arm and a leg at the dealer when you can buy a far superior oil for much cheaper.

Don't get me wrong GN4 ordinary petroleum or HP4 semi-synthetic are definitely good oils, but you can be running better for less $$$. I used to run HP4 gold, but I got real tired of paying 8 bucks a quart for it at the dealer. Full synthetic is where it's at if you want real high performance protection.

exrider008

02-06-2006, 06:40 PM

Originally posted by NacsMXer
Of course it's better by about 10x! You're using Honda GN4 oil which is petroleum-based. Synthetic oils are far superior in terms of film strength, keeping the motor cleaner, and resisting oil break-down over time better. Not to mention paying an arm and a leg at the dealer when you can buy a far superior oil for much cheaper.

Don't get me wrong GN4 ordinary petroleum or HP4 semi-synthetic are definitely good oils, but you can be running better for less $$$. I used to run HP4 gold, but I got real tired of paying 8 bucks a quart for it at the dealer. Full synthetic is where it's at if you want real high performance protection.

ok thanks alot man i am defenetly going to try the synthetic

Quadboy350

02-06-2006, 06:47 PM

SPECTRO-4 its good quality oil good price and ive had good luck with it and so have all my buddies.

Yellow01'400EX

02-07-2006, 06:14 AM

So a synthetic oil in a stock 01' 400EX won't cause clutch slipping problems right?

Thnaks for the information.

Rico

02-07-2006, 06:26 AM

Originally posted by Yellow01'400EX
So a synthetic oil in a stock 01' 400EX won't cause clutch slipping problems right?

Thnaks for the information.

NO

I run Amsoil and love it.

Synthetics are where it's at.

NCexRider

02-07-2006, 06:44 AM

Amsoil is good oil. check out primesynthetics.com. i personally run the Honda GN4, my dealership told me to in order to keep my warranty valid. I trust Honda oil in my Honda machine.

blakefoote

02-07-2006, 06:56 AM

Originally posted by Yellow01'400EX
I'm buying a 2001 400EX this weekend and I'm taking out for a couple hours after I pick it up. I want to do an oild change at the track and I was wondering what kind of oil you guys use.

Thanks for the help.

Klotz 10w-40

blakefoote

02-07-2006, 06:57 AM

Originally posted by exrider008
i run honda oil (gn4) 10w-40. it this good oil?

yeah thats ok...thats what i use to run...:ermm:

Rico

02-07-2006, 07:05 AM

Originally posted by NCexRider
my dealership told me to in order to keep my warranty valid.

That is total BS. They have no ground to stand on with that claim. They tell you that so you come in and buy their ****ty over priced oil and make money off of it.

You don't have to run their oil. How the hell do they know what oil you put in your quad??? They can't analize it and state that it's Honda oil if you had a problem.. Don't believe their BS dude.

I wouldn't run that Honda GN4 petroleum based crap if they gave me a 55 gallon drum.

Franky G

02-07-2006, 07:42 AM

I run Belray 10w30

94F450SD

02-07-2006, 09:10 AM

for theguys running the rotella t oils.are you using the diesel oil?or do they make a gasser oil that i dont know about?i was always told not to run the diesel oil in a gasser.but rotella t 15w40 in both my trucks,its the only oil ill use in a diesel.i wouldnt run a synthetic if you payed me.a friend of mine has an international and a chevy car carriers that will leak out of every seal and gasket if he uses synthetic,put straight rotella 15w40 dino oil in them and no more leaks.

Rico

02-07-2006, 10:32 AM

Originally posted by 94F450SD
wouldnt run a synthetic if you payed me.a friend of mine has an international and a chevy car carriers that will leak out of every seal and gasket if he uses synthetic,put straight rotella 15w40 dino oil in them and no more leaks.

Did the leaking start after he ran dino oil in the motor for X amount of miles then switch over??? My guess is it did and it's not because of the synthetic oil is bad it's because the detergents in it and additives removed all the sludge that was caused from the petroleum oil and now the GOOD oil is leaking thru the bad seals and gaskets.

If he runs a higher viscocity oil and gives it time the leaking will stop, or he can go with the autoRX and hope for the best. This problem is NOT because of synthetic oil...

I"ve been running synthetic for 10 years now in all my vehicles and never once had an oil leak. Sounds like he's got a couple POS's that has nothing to do with synthetic. Why would you choose an oil that is outdated compared to synthetic. There is NOTHING but positives when it comes to synthetic over dino oil.

I"m sure everyone's daddy and grandpappy would say different but it's not the 70's anymore it's 2006 and why do ALL top sportscars come from the factory with synthetic????

Next question??

NCexRider

02-07-2006, 01:32 PM

Originally posted by Rico
That is total BS. They have no ground to stand on with that claim. They tell you that so you come in and buy their ****ty over priced oil and make money off of it.

You don't have to run their oil. How the hell do they know what oil you put in your quad??? They can't analize it and state that it's Honda oil if you had a problem.. Don't believe their BS dude.

I wouldn't run that Honda GN4 petroleum based crap if they gave me a 55 gallon drum.

True, but if something goes wrong, the dealership told me that I need to havie reciepts showing that I changed the oil using Honda oil at regular intervals. I agree that it's total BS, but I'd hate for them not to perform a warranty repair for me & say "we told you so."

Rico, what type of Amsoil do you recommend for a stock 400EX motor?

Rico

02-07-2006, 02:46 PM

Originally posted by NCexRider
True, but if something goes wrong, the dealership told me that I need to havie reciepts showing that I changed the oil using Honda oil at regular intervals. I agree that it's total BS, but I'd hate for them not to perform a warranty repair for me & say "we told you so."

Rico, what type of Amsoil do you recommend for a stock 400EX motor?

Do you have an extended warranty??? That stealership is Lying to you. Total BS man.:rolleyes:

0w-40 or 10w-40 in the colder months and defintly 20w-50 in the warmer months.

NacsMXer

02-07-2006, 03:37 PM

Originally posted by 94F450SD
for theguys running the rotella t oils.are you using the diesel oil?or do they make a gasser oil that i dont know about?i was always told not to run the diesel oil in a gasser.but rotella t 15w40 in both my trucks,its the only oil ill use in a diesel.i wouldnt run a synthetic if you payed me.a friend of mine has an international and a chevy car carriers that will leak out of every seal and gasket if he uses synthetic,put straight rotella 15w40 dino oil in them and no more leaks.

The Shell Rotella T (full synthetic) 5w40 is safe for both diesel and gasoline engines, says so on the bottle and their website. This stuff is right on par with Mobil 1. Your buddy's rides leak when using synthetic because it contains more detergents that clean up the motor. More than likely, his seals were already shot. Sludge gets built up on them and then the seals become "fixed". Well, what happens when you put synthetic in there, is it cleans all that sludge out. This is a common misconception that synthetics are the direct cause of this. There is no way that a synthetic oil will cause a seal to fail as a direct result of using it..

NacsMXer

02-07-2006, 03:44 PM

Originally posted by Yellow01'400EX
So a synthetic oil in a stock 01' 400EX won't cause clutch slipping problems right?

Thnaks for the information.

That very well depends on the synthetic. There are synthetics that are not safe for wet clutch systems since they were intended to be used in automobiles.

You have to be very careful to pick a synthetic that does not contain moly or friction modifiers. If you are not sure, you should only run a synthetic that was intended for motorcycle use. Mobil 1 red cap used to be the one that everyone used until they discontinued it. Now, you can only run Mobil 1 MX4T in motorcycle engines, nothing else is safe. This is why a lot of us are using Shell Rotella oils, since they are safe and are a heavy duty high quality synthetic.

You are very limited on what you can run if you're using auto synthetics.

94F450SD

02-07-2006, 07:04 PM

the international has had synthetic in from the factory.i put dino oil in on the last oil change and it stopped leaking.preach synthetic to me all you wish but i still wont run it.its man made oil and man has been known to seriously screw things up.

rohlik125

02-07-2006, 07:23 PM

So if a guy changes from gn4 to fully synthetic oil such as amsoil, what steps do you need to take in this process? Is there any special way of draining or flushing the engine of the regular oil? I was thinking of changing to Synthetic this summer and was not sure, thanks.

Aaron.

troutman561

02-07-2006, 08:42 PM

im using yamalube once i get my oil tank fixed, couldnt get the honda stuff, but oh well i think it should be fine and i got it for a good deal.. altho it might blow up now cause its yamaha stuff in a honda

hondajoe05

02-07-2006, 09:42 PM

Originally posted by NacsMXer
That very well depends on the synthetic. There are synthetics that are not safe for wet clutch systems since they were intended to be used in automobiles.

You have to be very careful to pick a synthetic that does not contain moly or friction modifiers. If you are not sure, you should only run a synthetic that was intended for motorcycle use. Mobil 1 red cap used to be the one that everyone used until they discontinued it. Now, you can only run Mobil 1 MX4T in motorcycle engines, nothing else is safe. This is why a lot of us are using Shell Rotella oils, since they are safe and are a heavy duty high quality synthetic.

You are very limited on what you can run if you're using auto synthetics.

thanks for the info man i new my clutch was slippin and didn't know why could this cause peices of clutch plates to get all in the oil too? cuz i have metal flakes all in my oil from i don't know what and yes i have stopped running it... till i figure out the problem
:(

and i want to run amsoil? correct

NacsMXer

02-08-2006, 05:23 AM

Originally posted by 94F450SD
the international has had synthetic in from the factory.i put dino oil in on the last oil change and it stopped leaking.preach synthetic to me all you wish but i still wont run it.its man made oil and man has been known to seriously screw things up.

To each his own..the only time I run dino oil is during break-in to let everything seat properly. Synthetic is so slippery, that it won't let that happen. After that, it's all syn for this motor :o I will only run synthetics in things that are worth running them in and need the most protection possible.

Think what you want, but VOA tests prove that synthetics ARE superior to regular petroleum oil. I don't understand your logic about not trusting "man". Man made your truck, your quad, and even tampered with your dino oil so it could be safe to use in a motor. It's not like it's straight out of the earth. I wouldn't base such a judgement on one bad experience. Go yell at International for making bad seals when they themselves, as you admit, send those trucks off with synthetic from the factory..

Rico

02-08-2006, 05:34 AM

Rico

02-08-2006, 05:36 AM

Originally posted by rohlik125
So if a guy changes from gn4 to fully synthetic oil such as amsoil, what steps do you need to take in this process? Is there any special way of draining or flushing the engine of the regular oil? I was thinking of changing to Synthetic this summer and was not sure, thanks.

Aaron.

YOu really won't have to do anything. It wouldn't hurt to dump in 2 quarts of 5w-30 and let it cycle thru the motor for about 5 minutes or so then drain it with a new filter, chit can the filter after this. IT's thin and would almost be like an engine flush. Any brand 5w-30 would work.

I recommend a 20w-50 wieght for summer riding.

Rico

02-08-2006, 05:46 AM

Originally posted by NacsMXer
That very well depends on the synthetic. There are synthetics that are not safe for wet clutch systems since they were intended to be used in automobiles.

You have to be very careful to pick a synthetic that does not contain moly or friction modifiers. If you are not sure, you should only run a synthetic that was intended for motorcycle use. Mobil 1 red cap used to be the one that everyone used until they discontinued it. Now, you can only run Mobil 1 MX4T in motorcycle engines, nothing else is safe. This is why a lot of us are using Shell Rotella oils, since they are safe and are a heavy duty high quality synthetic.

You are very limited on what you can run if you're using auto synthetics.

I see you have an 8 plate kit with HD springs. I do too. I ran the new advanced formula mobil 1 with the gold cap and friction modifers in my 400ex for about 8 months with no problems. The HD springs will keep the clutch from slipping. Stock springs I wouldnt' recommend it, but anyone running HD clutch springs can run any oil with friction modifiers and not have problems.

Non of Amsoils motorcycle/ATV formulated oils have friction modifiers, and out of the 4 types of amsoil oils only 1 of them cost the same as the MX4t, the rest are cheaper.

94F450SD

02-08-2006, 06:19 AM

Originally posted by NacsMXer

I don't understand your logic about not trusting "man". Man made your truck, your quad, and even tampered with your dino oil so it could be safe to use in a motor.

thats why my quad hasa recall for a reverse problem,my pickup has plenty of recalls for brake problems and a few other things cuz "man"screwed it up.

i hope im not driving in 20years cuz then ill be 50 and slow.

NCexRider

02-08-2006, 06:35 AM

Originally posted by Rico
Do you have an extended warranty??? That stealership is Lying to you. Total BS man.:rolleyes:

0w-40 or 10w-40 in the colder months and defintly 20w-50 in the warmer months.

Yes, I do have an extended warranty. So, what "type" of Amsoil do you recommend (not weight)?

Rico

02-08-2006, 08:52 AM

Originally posted by NCexRider
Yes, I do have an extended warranty. So, what "type" of Amsoil do you recommend (not weight)?

The wieghts I listed above are all formulated for motorcycles/ATV's with or without wet clutches. All of amsoil oils are synthetic.

NacsMXer

02-08-2006, 12:04 PM

Originally posted by 94F450SD
thats why my quad hasa recall for a reverse problem,my pickup has plenty of recalls for brake problems and a few other things cuz "man"screwed it up.

i hope im not driving in 20years cuz then ill be 50 and slow.

I'm sorry about your problems but I don't know what else to tell you. Chit happens in life my friend. Regardless of what problems I have encountered, I'm still a "half-full" kind of guy. I agree with you that you should be skeptical of new products and innovations, but synthetics have been around long enough and proven to do what they are advertised to do.

NacsMXer

02-08-2006, 12:09 PM

Originally posted by Rico
I see you have an 8 plate kit with HD springs. I do too. I ran the new advanced formula mobil 1 with the gold cap and friction modifers in my 400ex for about 8 months with no problems. The HD springs will keep the clutch from slipping. Stock springs I wouldnt' recommend it, but anyone running HD clutch springs can run any oil with friction modifiers and not have problems.

Non of Amsoils motorcycle/ATV formulated oils have friction modifiers, and out of the 4 types of amsoil oils only 1 of them cost the same as the MX4t, the rest are cheaper.

Yeah I remember you saying that it was ok to use with HD springs a few months ago. I never tried any of the "car" synthetics in my engine before, but that's good to know that I should be ok as I have the HD springs. The advice I was giving was mainly a general statement so as to not lead people with otherwise stock engines down the wrong path when choosing a synthetic. There's a lot of people out there still who think they can run any oil in their motor.

I've never tried Amsoil products before. I know they make an excellent oil, but the price was the main thing that has always driven me to alternative brands. How much per quart would a good full synthetic in 20w50 be from Amsoil?

Rico

02-08-2006, 01:30 PM

They have 3 different types of 20w-50

The best of the three goes for $9.10 a quart

The stuff I use is $7.45 a quart and has high levels of zinc and phosphorus added to it compared to the 3rd type which is also $7.45 and it's designed more for vehicles.

The 20w50 oil is the most expensive of all oils offered for ATV's and vehicles..

To read up on Amsoil's ATV oils click the link below....:cool:

http://www.amsoil.com/products/atv/index.aspx

hydromatikman

02-08-2006, 04:12 PM

Been using Delo 15w-40 for about 5 years now in my 416ex. Been thinking of trying some synthetic Rotella though, just seems like everyone really like it.

hondajoe05

02-09-2006, 09:14 PM

Originally posted by hondajoe05
thanks for the info man i new my clutch was slippin and didn't know why could this cause peices of clutch plates to get all in the oil too? cuz i have metal flakes all in my oil from i don't know what and yes i have stopped running it... till i figure out the problem
:(

and i want to run amsoil? correct

could of that been the problem?

stalefish_132

02-09-2006, 10:51 PM

stuff i use...it seems to work well and its not cheap $12.00 a liter x2 plus oil filter ($9) and every 3months. no wonder my piggy bank is empty.

Rico

02-10-2006, 06:19 AM

Originally posted by hondajoe05
could of that been the problem?

Odds are the crap in your oil is peices of fiber from your plates because of improper clutch adjustment, which led to premature wear of the plates and slippage.

I"ve been running an 8 plate kit for 2 years and i"m still on the same plates, looked at them about 3 months ago and they look new. That would be because of good oil. I slip the clutch on mine like a mofo and would think they should be wore out but they aren't.