Just curious what is considered to be a good engine oil for my 2004 Yamaha Big Bear 400 4WD equipped with manual transmission? I am in Florida so ultra cold temps is not a problem. The book says 10-30 in SE - SH grade, non "Energy Conserving", but reccomends Yamalube (of course).

What do you use and why?

Sure wish this thing had a screw on/off filter instead of having to take the filter screen housing apart.

Thanks, Dave
davisalf@aol.com

 

well i have tryed alot of oils and filters......You cant go wrong with yamalube and a k&N oil filter...Yamalube does not break down at high RPMs.....And if you get a K&N oil filter... You just wash them out and reuse them....

 

Believe it or not...Shell Rotella T diesel oil is one of the best you can get. It is rated for wet clutches in Allison transmission and is higher in zinc and phosphrous.....additives that are good for shared sump engines.
I used Honda GN4 oil in my 05 Rancher but will change it to Amsoil synthetic atv oil this week. I am also going to put the Amsoil in my girlfriends Bruin.

Check out the forums at bobistheoilguy.com. Lots of great info there.

There is oil at there that is as good and better than the Yamaha stuff at a lower price. Even the Shell Rotella synthetic is great for bikes and atvs with wet clutches and it's cheaper than the Yamaha oil. My girlfriends Bruin has Castrol GTX 10w-40 in it now.

 

Is the K & N oil filter you speak of just like the factory oil filter in there now? The factory filter is really just a small cartridge with a very fine copper or brass mesh screen in it. It has to be removed, flushed out, blow dried, then re-installed. A spin off cartridge would be much easier and preferred. Does anyone make a spin on/off cartridge adapter for this unit?

Castrol GTX is an "Energy Conserving" type oil and according to the owner manual is not reccomended for my Yam ATV.

I have a gallon of the Honda GN4 oil but it is 10w40. My Yam owner manual reccomends 10w30. Not sure what is the difference. Down here during the summer it gets hot. When riding in the woods at normal/slow speed the engine gets hot and the fan cuts on/off regularly so I would imagine the type and weight of engine oil is critical.

The Yamalube stuff is about $4 a quart here. I thought some of the major brand oils would be as good or better but much cheaper.

Dave
davisalf@aol.com

 

ive heard people using synthetics,and all,,,,,but if they say Yama lube is best for it,they are the ones that built it,so thats what goes in my bike,ive never used anything but Yama Lube in this bike

im getting a second bike in the Spring a Polaris Scrambler,,,if they say their oil is best for it,,,thats whats going in it

 

just one other food for thought,,,,you pay alot of money for these machines,,,,is experimenting with diferant types of oils really worth saving around 3 dollars an oil change?

 

Yamaha does not make their oil as Honda doesn't make their oil. Honda oil is made by Exxon/Mobile and you can researc this at the forum I posted above.

In your case Dave....it won't hurt to use 10w-40 in your machine. As for the GTX...I have a quart here that does nor have "energy conserving" on it anywhere.

If you feel safe putting in the Yamaha stuff then by all means do it.

All I ask is you research this after asking here. There are aton of sites devoted to oil reccomendations for bikes and atv's.

My oldest son put a synthetic oil in the 1975 Honda CB 500 he is restoring after doing research on the subject....like I reccomended to him.

But by all means...you put in the oil that you want.

 

The energy conserving label, means theres moly in the oil. There isnt absolute proof that moly is no good for wet clutches, but theres lots of evidence. This is why its not recommended in your yami. If you used it once in a pinch, because you had nothing else...its posible there would be no problems, but its better to use whats called out.
There are lots of good choices out there, from the autozone 79 cent old car oil(which i use all the time, in both 10w30 and 10w40 grades) Its rated SG and has no moly. Then theres the motorcycle and atv specific oils, like Valolines. And then theres the synthetics, and amsoil is a good one among lots of others.
The big issue is moly, so dont use a car oil, and try for an oil which has the sg rateing, there are additives for meshing gears which sh and later oils dont have.
No sense in spending more than is necessary, spending more doesnt mean better quality...it just means youre supporting more expensive marketing.
Like i say, ive been using the autozone old car oil, and have had no problems or issues. It meets all the requirements from Yamaha, and is the cheapest.

 

I went by the local Yamaha shop last night and picked up some Yam 4 engine oil. Didn't figure I could go wrong with that. The parts guy suggested I replace the oil filter cartridge instead of cleaning and re-using the old one so I did. $28 for it all. Will get it finished tonight and not have to worry about it for a while.

I run thru 8"-12" of mud and water on the weekends. When I get home I take the garden hose to it and flush it all off up under the wheel wells, frame, steering, shaft boots, brakes, engine, everything. Hopefully that flush job is not hurting anything under there.

I don't have a service manual for this bike and am wondering what other routine maintenance should I be doing? I have cleaned the air filter and box and changed the front/rear differential gear oil. I would imagine it is ready for a lube/grease job. Any suggestions??

Thanks for the info.

Dave
davisalf@aol.com