My manual says that you should always clean the o-ring type chain with kerosine prior to lubrication. Under the tech-tips section of this web site, it said that you never need to, and should never, clean o-ring chains - - just lube them. Any thoughts?

 

Yes, there seems to be a lot of contradictory advice in that regard. Kerosene, being a petroleum by-product, is not recommended by some as we all know what petroleum does to rubber. I wonder whether the advice given in manuals was written prior to the wide spread use of o-ring chains? Technically, the o-rings prevent any lubricant from reaching the rollers anyway and these rollers were lubricated prior to installing the o-rings by the manufacturer. So the only benefit derived from after market lubing is to prevent corrosion of the side plates. If my chain becomes excessively dirty to the point where normal washing of the quad won't clean it, I'd suppose removing it & soaking it in some detergent & scrubbing with a brush would be an option. It would have to dry completely prior to any lubing so as not to seal in moisture.

 

I would not clean a o-ring chain with kerosene or any thing that will disove grease. You can wipe it down with a rag soaked in gas or kerosene, but that would be the most. The last thing that you want to do is soak the chain in a parts washer, gas, or ?. The reason is that the gas or ? will get past the o-rings and cut the grease that is sealed in the chain. You can do this on a non o-ring chain. I don't even like taking a wire brush to the chain, because I am scared that I will tear up the o-rings.
Like the other person said, when you lube and o-ring chain you do 2 things. One Stop the chain from rusting and keep the o-ring lubed(soft). So that they don't dry up and crack and then let dirt inside the rollers. Because of this I use WD-40 on my chains. I have been doing this for over 10 years and I can get over a full year of wear out of our chains. This is racing 15-20 hare scrambles plus play riding during that time. Some of you might not belive this, but think about what you are lubing when you lube the chain. Only the outside plates. If you get anything on the rollers inside the chain is no good.