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Diesel oil?

1.9K views 17 replies 15 participants last post by  Tuna  
#1 ·
I was just reading this month's Car Craft, and there was an article in there about how to break in a cam that has just been installed. There was a section that discussed oils, and which ones were better for certain applications. It said that for flat tappet cams, either diesel oil or racing oil is better to use, because there are higher levels of zinc, and this helps protect the constant grinding that occurs between the cam lobes and the lifters. Now, DOHC engines are very similar, since the cam presses directly onto the spring bucket.


Anyway, I was thinking, would diesel or racing oil have any negative side effects on the clutch operation? I know it would work in the engine and trans, but the clutch is the only thing I'm really worried about. I currently use Valvoline motorcycle oil, which supposedly has some type of additive for the clutch, so I'm a little hesitant to switch over before I know if there's any side effects to worry about. I figured that tractor trailor engines last well over 300K miles before any type of maintainence needs to be performed, so why can't I use the same oil that they use?


If anyone has some insight on this, hook a brotha up! :)
 
#3 ·
RTFM ...

Read The Fine Manual - Owners Manual

If you want even more juicy info, read the Service Manual.

You are focusing too much on the mineral additive and not on
the stringy oil molecules.
 
#9 ·
fordracingboyzz said:
motul is great stuff too look into it!
Great yes but way over priced for the SV motor which runs like a champ on Rotella T for $2.48/qt. Put it in and you'll not notice a difference in performance or power you will however have more money in your wallet every 3k.

Image


Rotella T does the SV motor good!! :)
 
#11 ·
I’ve been using Rotella 15W40 since my bike was new & changed it & the filter every 2k miles. I have 24k miles on the bike now & have not had any problems. Over the winter I will be doing a major service including checking the valves. Up till now they have not needed adjusting. The clutch doesn’t slip & there are no odd noises.
Motorcycle Consumer News did an analysis of oils & found that Rotella had many more additives than other oils. This is because it is for diesel use & there are no concerns that the additives would ruin the catastrophic converters on gas engine cars. Whether the additives were good for bikes was left for the reader to determine, I decided they were.
Now for a bit of interesting history. In the “good ole days” racers used a vegetable oil made from castor beans. It is a very good lubricant especially for engines with roller bearing cranks. The down side is it left bad deposits of “gum” bad enough to cause rings to stick. It is still used in some vintage racers; the “gum” is not a problem because the engines are rebuilt on a regular basis. A side benefit of bean oil is the smell of the exhaust. I am not making this up, it has a distinctive very pleasant smell and on occasions I will put a small amount in the gas tank of my bike or even my lawn mower so I can smell it.
BTW I was not aware that Rotella came as a 5w40 synthetic. Is it readily available & where?
 
#12 ·
I use it too. Actually, I've never used anything else but I did pick up a gallon of Repsol from the DC show for $20. I only bought it because they gave me a free hat, two free shirts, a free poster, calendar, patches etc. All the stuff was worth $20 and it was like getting the oil free ;)
 
#14 ·
jeopardy98 said:
I use it too. Actually, I've never used anything else but I did pick up a gallon of Repsol from the DC show for $20. I only bought it because they gave me a free hat, two free shirts, a free poster, calendar, patches etc. All the stuff was worth $20 and it was like getting the oil free ;)
That says a lot about the product if they are giving it away......