Recently purchased a 2001 250 2x4. The bike has the 10 hours required by the manufaturer to break in the new engine and trans. I am considering using synthetic oil in the machine and want to get your opinions. I use synthetic in every other engine I own with great results. Thanks

 

Some guys have really good results with the semi synthetic oils like Quaker State 4X4. Mobile 1 has a full synthetic for motorcycles. Expensive though. I still use regular oil for the engine but synthetic for the diffs. No problems yet. I do believe I will try the semi synthetic next oil change.

 

First I would put a few more miles on it, atleast the next oil change before going to synthetic. All the machinists that I talk to recommend having the engine broke in with reg. oil before using syn. In the link below is some information on oils. The only thing I've found that is worth mentioning is not to use energy conserving synthetic type oils on a wet clutch system.I went to the auto parts store and looked at the Quacker State 4x4 (some have recommended this brand) brand and they were of this type, but yet on their website it says only the 10w-30 is energy conserving.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img] Anyhow my dealer also recommended synthetic oil,(amsoil) for my 500 manual. Let me try this link stuff.OIL

 

Thanks for the article---It really opened my mind on the oil question. The one problem I have is your statement about "energy conserving" on a wet clutch system. I looked and all "Automotive" specific oils and it seems they have the energy conserving or energy conserving II spec. on the label. I will have to use a ATV or Motorcycle specific oil to avoid it. Call me an Idiot, but do I have a wet clutch on my cat?

 

i put it in mine and it still runs like a scalded dog.

texascat

 

dont use all syn. because its so slick it wont lube the gaskets uses a semi syn and youll be portected both ways i have done tests on different oils in a collage class and learned that its your choice on brand but do the semi.

 

TxCat, since you have a auto you don't have any internal clutches "I think" in your oil and this oil conflict should not apply to you.250Cat when you pick up a can of oil usually on the back side is a round symbol giving you the SAE rating of the oil, (i.e., sg, sf, cf,,,) underneath this at 6'oclock inside the circle it will say if it is energy conserving or not. When referring to a wet clutch this means that the clutches are partly submersed in a bath of oil, just like the clutches in an automatic transmission in an automobile. I can't remember for sure but I think it said that the energy conserving oils were the 5w-30 and the 10w-30, did not apply to the 10w-40 or the 20w-50. The Quacker State 4x4 oil is a synthetic blend like Bossarcher refers to, but when I looked at it in the store it was energy conserving, but on their website it said only the 10w-30 was energy conservative. I'm not sure which is correct or if these types of oils have changed since the information that I found on the web has changed.(Outdated) If you can understand all of this great, if not feel free to ask more! Like they always told me the only dumb question is the one not asked.

 

250cat,

Yes you do have a wet clutch. The motor oil is also the tranny oil. To answer your question about the energy conserving oils it goes like this. Stay away from the 5w-20, 5w-30, and 10w-30 oils. Those are energy conserving oils. The 10w-40, 15w-40, and 20w-50 are generally not considered energy conserving due to their thickness and "lack" of flowability compared to those others. Manufacturers want you to use the thinner oils to improve gas milage. My 5.9L V-8 in my Dakota R/T calls for 5w-30 oil. They must be crazy if they think I'm going to run that thin of an oil in my performance engine towing my two cats and in the 100+ temps down here. I'll sacrifice the extra MPG. The thicker oils will require more power to pump them through the engine but offer a greater deal of load carring ability in critical area when they heat up like in bearing and piston walls. Add high shear rates in the tranny, high loads, and elevated temps and you can see why you should use the 10w-40 or thicker oil. Stay with the conventional oil for one more oil change then swith to the semi synthetic blends in 10w-40 weight for good protection. Hope this helps some. Motor oil and engines is a very detailed business. I could write a thesis paper on it if I was a chemistry major in college a few years ago.

 

To Cummins; I believe the 500 autos do have a wet clutch to drive the variable clutches, thats what make this auto system better than Polaris's slip the belt system!

 

Thanks sxr6,[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img] we had talked about this on another post and I thought that it was said that there was none. But thinking about it, if my memory serves me right from when I looked at these things. The belt doesn't come to a stop like the Polaris (not creating a hot spot on the belt). Reckon a little common sense would say there is a clutch some where, since the belt doesn't slip. I'm sure someone out there can confirm this. Does the auto's have internal or wet clutch's.