I would like to know how often (hours or miles) high mileage quad owners change engine oil. I am most interested to hear from owners of air cooled quads. Please, I do not want to start a debate about brands, synthetic, conventional, etc.


Thanks, Ocean

 

Depends entirely on the machine and riding conditions. Most everything we ride is extremely dusty.

On the 450R, <5 hrs is what I shoot for. I'll go to 10 if I am on an all day ride or long weekend camping trip, but that is my absolute maximum.

Why so often? The new generation of engines with little slipper pistons and fewer rings, tolerate a lot of compression blow-by. That means that fuel is rapidly contaminating the oil and diluting it down. You start out with 10W40 oil, and end up with 0W20...which isn't going to cut it! A good read on the subject: http://www.belray.com/scripts/...1d7-b921-64a4cf6d0144


The 400EX has a well sealed skirted piston, so I go 10-20 hours with it.

All the other quads (Ranchers, 250s, and 90), I'm not so particular about, and I'll go something like 20-40 hours on those.

Remember, on everything except a Honda 450R, your oil is doing double duty! It is not only lubing the engine, but it is also getting thrashed in a transmission. So, best not to think like you do with a car that will go thousands of miles between oil changes.....

 

Most manuals that I have seen say 100 hours unless you have a 450. The 450's have a thimble for a sump and they sheer the hell out of the oil.
The best advice I can give is follow the manual.
The only sure way to know how well your oil is doing is send it to a lab like Blackstone. They will tell you exactly how well your oil is doing. Other than that, you, I and everybody else is just guessing.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: DoctorturboI and everybody else is just guessing.</end quote></div> Should we not then play it safe and err on the side of changing it to often, rather than to seldom???? High quality oil and frequent oil changes, is just cheap insurance!

Any manufacturer has a vested interest in presenting its machine as being "low maintenance"! Those maintenance intrevals in the owner's manuals are based on ideal conditions (like no dust) that do not actually exist anywhere in the real world!

The oil in any one of my machines would be black as chocolate and toast in 100 hours!!! If one manufacturer put an honest 20 hour interval in the owner's manual, they would get all kinds of flack for being "high maintenance", when every other manufacturer is lying and saying 100 hours.

 

I only have air cooled motors, and just about every brand...once a year is more than enough for me. In some cases, the motors have less than 5 hours on them, but the oil has been in there a year. And in other cases, they have 40 or more hours on them.
I would say, if they ever got swamped, or if it were very dusty ( to the point, that the rider needs a dust mask), then i wouldnt hesitate to do it sooner.
The type of oil is important..it worse to do a couple of oil changes a year, and have clean incorrect oil in there. No car oils, it must be for wet clutch motors.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Should we not then play it safe and err on the side of changing it to often, rather than to seldom???? </end quote></div>
I don't know? I've never changed my oil too late.............ever. Like hondabuster, once a year is good enough for me. I might go more if the oil is good. hondabuster makes a very good point. Even if you run $100 a quart oil in your engine, if you swamp it, that expensive oil is junk. (I personally don't use my quad as a boat.) (LOL, I have a boat for that)
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>The oil in any one of my machines would be black as chocolate and toast in 100 hours!!! </end quote></div>
Maybe you should try a different oil? I have been thinking about sending my oil off to the lab after 100 hours in my KFX and let them tell me how good my oil is. I can guarantee you that if I did, it would not come back as "trashed" as you say your oil is. If you think oil is "trashed" because it's black, your ignorant of the facts. I have a sample for my diesel truck that I need to send off today. Changed it at 9,900 miles. This is for a base sample to see how good GM did their homework on their OLMS. Bet it will come back with plenty of life in it. And it's black, black black.
If I changed my oil by it's color I would have to change one of my engines in about 5 minutes!!!!! LOL. I would never get to drive my car!!!
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>If one manufacturer put an honest 20 hour interval in the owner's manual, they would get all kinds of flack for being "high maintenance", when every other manufacturer is lying and saying 100 hours. </end quote></div>
I find it really courious that you recomend using the op manual to the "T" on everything, EXCEPT when it comes to oil. Then, in your eyes, the manufacture knows very little.
Strange indeed???[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

Let me end this by saying if you think your safer by changing your oil every 8 to 10 hours, you have the $$$$'s and time to do it, knock yourself out. I for one, don't, and prefer to go by the op manual or have a lab tell me when my oil is "trash".[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

This is precisely why I never ever buy any vehicle used....because you don't have any idea how well or poorly the previous owner cared for it!!!

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>This is precisely why I never ever buy any vehicle used....because you don't have any idea how well or poorly the previous owner cared for it!!! </end quote></div>
Not quite sure what that means?[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]
All three of my quads compression test and leakdown the same as when I bought them new. My early 70's toilet seat 90 that I sold years ago still runs great with a new owner. My early 80's lawn mower still runs grat and starts on the first pull.

My daily drivers have over 250 thousand on them and run like a top and can still pass smog with no expences. The problem is getting body and interior parts for 20+ year old cars. The engine is the last thing I have to worry about!!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

Just crew chief'ed a car to a championship and we all know you can't do that with blown up engines. (Actually we did blow up an engine at the end of the year do to an oil related failure; not oil caused problem. The ironic part is, this was an engine we run synethic in) Don't anybody jump to conclussions. The synethic oil did not blow up this engine.........but the big buck good stuff did not save it either.

Like I said above: If you think your safer by changing your oil every 8 to 10 hours, you have the $$$$'s and time to do it, knock yourself out. I for one, don't, and prefer to go by the op manual or have a lab tell me when my oil is "trash".

 

To make it simple change your ATV oil the same time you change your auto or truck.......ever 3 months no-matter how many hours or miles you have on it 0 to 100 hours.
Recon is right.......oil is the cheapest maintance you can do.......get off the couch and change the oil.......gets you out of house when momma whats to vacum. (HA!)

 

Better hope that the next time you ride a commercial jet, that the guys who serviced it are **** retentive about maintenance, and not a bunch of slackers!