WHAT KIND OF OIL FOR MY 2003 RANCHER 350?
#1
06-25-2004, 04:08 PM
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#2
06-25-2004, 05:03 PM
Red Rider
Honda, accept nothing less!
Honda, accept nothing less!
WHAT KIND OF OIL FOR MY 2003 RANCHER 350?
I use Honda GN4. It is good oil, not all that expensive, and what your owners manual recommends. Note that Honda does not recommend synthetics for their autoclutch bikes.
If you do a search, you will find that there are more different opinions on oil, than on any other subject! It is hilarious that somebody will spend $10,000 on a bike, then try to save $1.50 when they buy oil.
Great reading!
http://www.thumperfaq.com/oil.htm
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Oils1.html#Oil
If you do a search, you will find that there are more different opinions on oil, than on any other subject! It is hilarious that somebody will spend $10,000 on a bike, then try to save $1.50 when they buy oil.
Great reading!
http://www.thumperfaq.com/oil.htm
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Oils1.html#Oil
#3
06-25-2004, 05:15 PM
WHAT KIND OF OIL FOR MY 2003 RANCHER 350?
You will want to use Honda GN4 oil. It was designed to lube engine and clutch. Costs more but worth it. Regular oil won't work. There are other brands as well, pick up a dirt-wheels magazine and thumb through it, or log on to rockymountainatv.com or denniskirk.com to search. They will also carry your oil filter. Easiest thing to do is go to the dealer. They will have both. When taking off the oil filter cover plate, pay attention to the way the filter comes out and where the spring seats. Also make sure you put the new filter back in the correct way, there should be lettering on good filters that say "this side towards spring". Finally, when tightening down the three screws, tighten each screw evenly, until you start feeling resistance. Then, only tighten the screws with 7 pounds of pressure (too bad micrometers are so expensive), or you will damage the O-ring and/or filter. If you can't get a micrometer, just tighten until snug. Don't crank on it. There are several different brands of oil filters out there, and they are relatively cheap. Get a bunch of them. Also take care in the amount of oil you put back in the motor....DO NOT OVERFILL!
Changing the oil is pretty easy to do, I would recommend doing it as often as possible (every 20 hours of riding), to keep that motor ticking for a long time. And please dispose of your old oil the right way, don't dump it on the ground somewhere. I quart of oil can contaminate millions of gallons of water. Yuck!
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Changing the oil is pretty easy to do, I would recommend doing it as often as possible (every 20 hours of riding), to keep that motor ticking for a long time. And please dispose of your old oil the right way, don't dump it on the ground somewhere. I quart of oil can contaminate millions of gallons of water. Yuck!
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]
#4
06-25-2004, 07:37 PM
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#5
06-25-2004, 10:24 PM
WHAT KIND OF OIL FOR MY 2003 RANCHER 350?
molika, i think your talking about a torque wrench, not a micrometer, micrometer, measure in great detail the length or thickness of something, on the other hand, u are completely correct, oil i use is valvoline 4 stroke motor cycle oil, has that jaso ma rating which is suppose to be real good, only 2.99 and im a cheap bastar*, takes a bit over 2 quarts, and there are 2 lines keep it between them
#6
06-26-2004, 12:07 AM
Red Rider
Honda, accept nothing less!
Honda, accept nothing less!
#7
06-26-2004, 09:32 AM
WHAT KIND OF OIL FOR MY 2003 RANCHER 350?
Ya you need to refer to an owner's manual. The Rancher is a dry sump engine, like the 400ex and Rubicon, except the oil tank is inside the cases. There is a special procedure for checking and filling oil. Oil level is especially important on these type oil systems. I would pay the extra and buy the OE filter. I won't say they're all bad, but there are some real low quality aftermarket filters out there. If you haven't made a study of it, and researched like some on here, your always safe using OE filters and oil, and following the correct procedure for filling. Oh yeah, replace the aluminum crush washer on your drain plug too. It will not only seal, but will protect the threads in the cases from over torqueing. If you strip the threads in a Rancher, they can't be repaired with a heli-coil, like normal case threads.
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#8
06-28-2004, 02:07 PM
WHAT KIND OF OIL FOR MY 2003 RANCHER 350?
Originally posted by: LittleBill
molika, i think your talking about a torque wrench, not a micrometer, micrometer, measure in great detail the length or thickness of something, on the other hand, u are completely correct, oil i use is valvoline 4 stroke motor cycle oil, has that jaso ma rating which is suppose to be real good, only 2.99 and im a cheap bastar*, takes a bit over 2 quarts, and there are 2 lines keep it between them
molika, i think your talking about a torque wrench, not a micrometer, micrometer, measure in great detail the length or thickness of something, on the other hand, u are completely correct, oil i use is valvoline 4 stroke motor cycle oil, has that jaso ma rating which is suppose to be real good, only 2.99 and im a cheap bastar*, takes a bit over 2 quarts, and there are 2 lines keep it between them
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img]
Not a mircometer...torque wrench is correct. Speaking of them, I notice the wrenches made for 10 pounds and under cost about four times as much as a regular torque wrench. Boooo!
#10
06-28-2004, 10:30 PM
