Just curious what oils you guys that have Rincons use. I know about the "energy conserving" oils that cant be used with a wet clutch but im talking about ones we already know will work. I sunk mine and used Marvel Mystery Oil to flush the system and decided to switch from GN4 to synthetic.

Many use Rotella T6 5W-40 synthetic and of course the Amsoil brand. I live in Georgia so i dont plan to use the 0W-40 that you northern guys use so im looking to stay with 10W-40, although the OT performance is supposed to be the same. Some have said the less viscosity additives, the better so i even considered SAE30 since mine stays in the basement where its about 60 degrees year round (plus or minus a few degrees). I decided to try Amsoil but the shop only had 20W-50 so i bought it. It gets so hot in the summer that i dont see it being too heavy although many frown upon 50 weight in the Rincon but i used it in dino oil befor and didnt notice negative effects. The Rincon has the torque converter so weight choice may be more important than a regular manual clutch or belt drive, idk.

My price for Amsoil here locally is so high that i just dont know if i want to continue using it or stick with Rotella T6 synthetic. I will probably end up with one of the two. I prefer one oil year round and for my location, i feel 10W-40 of which ever brand would fit the bill. What do you all like in yours?

 

Stick with a 30 weight on any Honda with the Hondamatic tranny.
9 out of 10 that come in with shifting problems are fixed with a simple oil change with 30 weight...only because someone had put in too heavy of an oil.
Alot of owners try switching to the 50 weight when they have racked up alot of miles to compensate for increased tolerances in the drivetrain,...but a Hondamatic is one that doesn't receive that idea well due to the way the transmission works. Instead they get a transmission that has a delay between shifts and a bog at the end of each shift. It's all due to excessively heavy oil.
Honda has sent several bulletins to it's dealer's parts departments over the past few years on this issue to prevent owners from purchasing oil that gives them problems.
Since the problem was discovered we have ran the GN4 10W30 in them year round and have experienced no Hondamatic problems (due to oil) since.
The Rubicon, more than any other, is guity of this. But even though the Rincon tranny is different, it still has the same ill effects with thick oil.
I will also say that not everyone has these problems as I do know of some riders who were running 20W50 prior to the problems Honda discovered and are STILL running 20W50 with no problems. But these also aren't typically the guys who are riding with 27s and lift kits,..so abuse and strain on the tranny likely plays a big part in this as well.

 

if the rincon uses engine oil in the automotive style auto trans then your thickest oil you can run is 10w40 and I would reccomend 10w30 as ATF is pretty much a 5W oil

 

Thanks guys. Guess i have to switch the 20w50 i have on the shelf. All the guys at rinconriders.com are still using the 40 weight oil. Is that bulletin from Honda somthing that has just been released?

 

I got the first notice from AHMC Chemicals Division on the Hondamatics and 10W30GN4 oil around the summer of 2006. Have gotten a few more since that time,..all just copies of the first...I guess to alert new dealership employees...but it's the same notice. So no,..this is nothing new at all.
Honda has a newsletter they send to their dealership's service managers called "The Wrench". I know the Hondamatic oil issue has been discussed in that publication at least once as well.

 

Ok, thanks for the info.

 

I've been running HP4 (non-molly) in mine since after break-in with no problems.

 

HP4 is Honda brand synthetic right?

Rotella supposidly improved their 5w40 synthetic and the "6" was added to its title. I may stick with that since it already had the reputation to be a legitimately quality product and with a good price. It gets so hot in the summer here (90-100 degrees) that i feel 40 is fine.

I looked last night and the manual did initally recommend a 30 weight oil, either 5w or 10w, cant remember. then it went on to approve a few 40 weights, according to climate but no 20w50 at all. I guess since the 40 weights were used all those years in the manual trannys, its habit to not consider a 30 weight as much.