[AFNurse]

Have a buddy that has a soft tail....couldn't find 20w50, so got full synthetic 10w40..... implications? issues? Thanks!

[Tomflhrci98]

I'm not an expert and wouldn't tell such, but I don't think the 10w-40 will hurt the motor. I think it will come down to how it sounds. I personally would want to stay away from the lighter wieghts when the summer comes on.

That's my two cents for what it's worth.

[AFNurse]

he lives in Atlanta GA......and I was kinda thinking the same thing, but I am not the be all/end all oil guy......so thought I would post for input!

[chucktx]

Originally Posted by AFNurse

Have a buddy that has a soft tail....couldn't find 20w50, so got full synthetic 10w40..... implications? issues? Thanks!

another oil question????!!!!!!!




if it is intended for aircooled engines you should be ok, but if intended for cars....i wouldnt run it for long........altho......ANY oil is better than NO oil.....

[AFNurse]

thanks chuck!!! no, my main concern is that it isn't 20w50 and he is running an air cooled soft tail...(carbed, and not sure which year...) just don't want him doing huge damage....told him NOT to run it in all 3 holes..... only Engine oil....he agreed on that one! He does state that the owners manual/shop manual states 10w40 is ok......I was just checking with a few more folk!!! I don't care about dino or syn.... !!

[chucktx]

i bet the manual states hd 10/40. it probably has a different set of additives than a reg auto brand of 10/40.....but then again, i am no guru either, and i think i will stay out of this!!! lol lol lol

[REDHEAD]

MY THINKING...... The 10 40 will work good... if NOT too HOT weather...... Any thing around 60* will be okay.... 65 and up will thin the oil and probably cause the lifters to rattle.....too light oil will wear on motor....

think of the syrup on the pancake.. thicker at pour---- thinner when on the HOT cake.... OIL NEEDS viscosity(thickness to heat) during the luberciation process AND cooling the engine.
too thin (LIGHT) and it RUNS thru to FAST..... a little thicker and it runs slower and usually shows higher oil pressure.....all the parts are designed for RUN_OFF of the oils thru the gaps engineered.... the oil is designed for the engine...

engines are BUILT with special tollarances and engineered to use a certain weight oil and I would stick with WHAT is recommended in the owners manual...

the manual will give the temps(outside weather) and will allow 10*/40 or 20/50 or straight 50 or 60 weights to be used.... go by what the engine is designed for......and the temps you will ride in!

AIR COOLED engines take a special oil...... IF oil stated to run in a diesel engines it is OK for air cooled v-twins........diesel and air cooled engines are in need of SPECIAL ADDITIVES for anti-wear as they run HOTTER and are very HARD on oil......

the newer oils made for newer cars DON'T HAVE THE ADDITIVES THAT AIR COOLED ENGINES NEED........the additive packages are VERY DIFFERENT for the NEWER auto oils and WILL NOT LUBE (cool) AIR COOLED engines properly

nor have the ANTI WEAR additives that air cooled and diesel engines NEED. (newer oils without wear additives said not to pollute) they designed car engines ESPECIALLY to use this oil..... NOT FOR AIR COOLED ENGINES.....

I use synthetics......REDLINE (my choice) syn oils RUNS COOLER by 20* to 30* over reg oils and remember OIL is used to COOL the inner of your motor..... so WEIGHT AND TYPE are VERY important...

I will not use engine oil in all three hole on my bike..... The engine is for engine oil use......the chaincase is for chaincase oil..... and the tranny NEEDS heaver gear oil to do the right job and LAST the lifetime of bike.....

there are many GOOD oils out there and MOST knowledgeable people CHOOSE syn over dino oil because of FACTS.............LONGER LIVES OF PARTS THEY PROTECT.........
REDLINE 20w/50 or 60 for engine
REDLINE MTL for the chaincase
REDLINE SHOCKPROOF HEAVY for the tranny

spectro makes great oils also!

JUST MY WAY signed....REDHEAD

[Art_NJr]

Originally Posted by AFNurse

Have a buddy that has a soft tail....couldn't find 20w50, so got full synthetic 10w40..... implications? issues? Thanks!

Too thin - issues probably won't show up for a while (depending on how much the bike is ridden) but they will show up & the results will be expensive.

[sarge7]

Stay with the syn oil - but change it out at first change for proper weight.
Unless you have a pocket full of cash then don't worry.

[usahellas]

Good Morning!

THANKS CHUCK!! I knew there had to be 2 answers come up on this one. 1st ANOTHER oil question, 2nd RTFM, hahaha

Gentlemen it is a 2001, FLSTC, Heritage Softail Classic with about 43/44k miles. I bought her used with about 42k and wanted to put new oil in her before the spring season. I also do not trust HD to do what they said they did. So changed oil early.

Redhead you pretty much quoted what the manual states. I have gone with Valvoline, 10/40 synthetic blend. The manual actually goes as far as to more or less recommend 10/40. My current riding temps are low to mid 30s mornings, 40s to 60s evenings. REAL nice WARM riding will not start until May. That gives me time to take a look at the diesel oil, WHICH is a GREAT tip! I am a bit afraid of going with a thick oil when riding at those low temps mornings but do think i will have to thicken it up a bit when our overall temps rise into the 90s. It is a tough choice when you have a span of about 30 degrees from morning ride to evening.

[Art_NJr]

Originally Posted by usahellas

. . . I am a bit afraid of going with a thick oil when riding at those low temps mornings but do think i will have to thicken it up a bit when our overall temps rise into the 90s. It is a tough choice when you have a span of about 30 degrees from morning ride to evening.

One nice thing about a quality synthetic (I like Red Line) is it's really not a multi-grade, it just flows so well cold that it can carry the multi-grade rating. In other words, a conventional 20W50 starts out being 20 weight, but additives are mixed in to make it "act" like a 50 weight hot - "nice theory" said the chemical engineer I worked for.

But the Red Line 20W50 I use is a 50 weight & actually flows better than a 20 weight conventional in the cold. And it doesn't have all the additives a conventional multi-grade oil does 'cause it doesn't need 'em. I use conventional oils too in some applications, but when wide variations in temp is to be expected, you'll do a lot better with a synthetic oil like Red Line & paying attention to the higher number. I'd NEVER run a 10W40 in a Harley engine, but a 20W50 synthetic is fine, even in cold weather.

I'll go to a 60 in hotter weather & I've even got some 70 weight Red Line - but it still flows as well in the winter as a 20 weight conventional oil. Pistons, cylinders, etc. are a lot more expensive than oil .....

[fxdxriderleo]

Couldn't find a 20w50 oil. Around here Walmart carries the Mobil One 20w50. They carry the 10w40 too, it is for the water cooled bikes. I use Amsoil, the 20w50 in the engine, the 10w40 in the primary, the 75w110 gear oil in the tranny. It runs cooler and quieter than the Mobil One. I get the 20w50 right at the Harley dealer, I get the 10w40 at the rice grinder dealer, the gear oil at a diesel shop.

[HellBoy]

Man, I don't believe the "couldn't" find 20W50. It's your bike, and I think it deserves a better effort. I had to order my synthetic Redline on line, simply because it isnt easily found in the V-Twin versions. Still, it took only a few days to arrive. Certainly you can find some Amsoil or some other good quality oil somewhere. Check around at some INDY shops. I think you should get 20W50 and change oil ASAP, why wait? It's not worth the risk to save $50-$60 IMO.

[hotroadking]

The HD manual provides the OK for 10W-40, 20W-50 and straight weight 50 and 60 oils.

The kicker is the temp range you ride the bike in. Everyone assumes 20W-50 is the only allowed weight but it's not.

The hotter the climate the higher the starting number, conversely the colder the climate the lower the number, helps in cold starts,

Basically once that motor warms up he's running 40 the only difference is it's thinner at start up a 10W vs 20W and as long as the oiling system works it's going to be lubricated,

The main thing HD tells you is you should use oils rated for Diesel use I believe thats CJ code or something close.

many people run Mobil 1 automotive 20W50, and some independent tests proved the only difference between mobil1 car and mobil 1 vtwin was $4 and a label.

However it's changed a bit now, mobil1 has repackaged and has a 10W-50 vs 20W. In atlanta I doubt the 10W-40 will do any damage at all.

[Art_NJr]

Originally Posted by hotroadking

The HD manual provides the OK for 10W-40, 20W-50 and straight weight 50 and 60 oils.

The kicker is the temp range you ride the bike in. Everyone assumes 20W-50 is the only allowed weight but it's not.

* * *

The main thing HD tells you is you should use oils rated for Diesel use I believe thats CJ code or something close.

That's because diesel oils have anti-wear additives that automotive oils don't & a H-D needs. Here are the American Petroleum Institute classifications & note the update @ the end of the article:

API Motor Oil Service Classifications

In atlanta I doubt the 10W-40 will do any damage at all.

Oh, it gets toasty enough in Atlanta that I'd not use a 10W40. Nothing less than SAE 50 for my air (oil) cooled engines.

[usahellas]

Good Afternoon to you all.

Thanks for all the input and information. I am still sifting through it all but would like to pose one more question to this topic. WHAT oil temp would you consider to be high and or too high? I have a digital temp dipstick but was curious as to what you gentlemen would consider being HOT and or too HOT vs. average running temps.

Thanks and have a GREAT WEEKEND! 70 degrees here in good old ATL!

[Art_NJr]

Originally Posted by usahellas

Good Afternoon to you all.

Thanks for all the input and information. I am still sifting through it all but would like to pose one more question to this topic. WHAT oil temp would you consider to be high and or too high? I have a digital temp dipstick but was curious as to what you gentlemen would consider being HOT and or too HOT vs. average running temps.

Thanks and have a GREAT WEEKEND! 70 degrees here in good old ATL!

I'm told the digital dipstick thermometers are notoriously inaccurate (mine are analog) & it'd be a very good idea to dip yours in a pot of boiling water to see what the gauge reads.

With respect to your question, anything over 200 degrees for any length of time is too hot for any engine of mine & my oil temps typically run 160-180. I will see 200 when stopping for gas after a run down the interstate, but if I see much more than that, I'm not going to ride any farther until I find out why. Yes, I know all about the claims of synthetic oils being able to handle a great deal more than that & I use Red Line synthetic in several applications myself, but oil temps on straight-weight conventional remain the same.

My Sportsters do not need a oil-cooler, but many of the big twins do & if that is necessary, I can certainly tell you who makes the best one, up here in North Carolina - ECS Engineering. I've seen oil temps on a BT like an Ultra with fairing lowers push 300 degrees & run over 250 all the time - with the cooler that same bike runs in the same range my Sportsters do. Yes, the best oils can take a lot of heat - but your engine parts cannot & after you've seen as many destroyed pistons, cylinders, etc. as I have, you won't believe oil co. claims that 250 is OK, etc. anymore.

[usahellas]

OK, 160 to 180 which is sort of what I thought. THANKS!! That was just one of those questions I had off the top of my head when I did not have the manual here at work. I had a XL1200c as well in Germany but I was having trouble remembering the temps. Speaking of interstate I think it is about time for me to get on one and head home. Almost Miller TIME!

[voodoo1]

Originally Posted by Art_NJr

\

My Sportsters do not need a oil-cooler, but many of the big twins do & if that is necessary, I can certainly tell you who makes the best one, up here in North Carolina - ECS Engineering. I've seen oil temps on a BT like an Ultra with fairing lowers push 300 degrees & run over 250 all the time - with the cooler that same bike runs in the same range my Sportsters do.

Anything for Dynas?

[Art_NJr]

Originally Posted by voodoo1

Anything for Dynas?

Yep, the ECS cooler will fit on a Dyna - or an Electra Glide, or anything else 'cause you can mount it several different ways. On a Dyna it's normally installed on the left front frame downtube. The unit is real simple, basically an aluminum tube finned lengthwise inside & out which the oil flows thru. No fan, etc. & the bike doesn't need to be moving for it to work. During testing, a big twin that always ran hot was left running in a parking lot for 1/2 hour with the throttle set @ 2000 rpm - oil temp never even got near 200 degrees. It varies from bike to bike, but the typical drop in oil temp is 50 degrees.