I have a 1974 Honda CB550. I want to change the oil and I got two big jugs of 10W40 today. I got home and read the manual and realized 10W40 was maybe not the best choice of oil. Apparently the 10W40 is best between -20 and 45 degrees F.
I live in Chicago where it is starting warm up outside. Is it a really bad idea to use the 10W40? or does it not really matter? Why, why not?
Thanks,
Ed
2007-04-30 17:51:18 · 8 answers · asked by Edward M 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Motorcycles
Spmdrum has it backwards. In cooler weather the thinner oil flows best as oil thickens up when it is cold outside. As the engine gets hotter and makes the thicker(40 wt) oil flow easier. If you are like me I ride when the temp is around 55deg (50 or so if the sun is out) I run 10-w40 in my 1999 Harley"Springer cause the 20-w50 makes it too hard to "turn over and start and produces a real drain on the starter and battery,not to mention that the thicker oil isn't flowing up to the piston rings and this causes premature wear on the rings and bearings. A lighter wt oil in the summer timeonly means ya might have to add some oil between changes. We are still having weather swings in Cinci,Oh and I am sure you are too in Chi-town. As summer approaches (late June) change the oil over to 20W50for the hotter climate. And in the fall switch back to 10w40 cause there are days ya can ride as fall and winter aproaches. The Big 3 automakers went to 5W30 oil in all vehicles is because on the assembly line we had to put in 3 different grades of oil depending on where we were shipping the car. So to save money they went to 5W30 in all enginescause ya can use it no matter the weather and location of where the customer lived. In fact in the owner's manual it shows using higher wt oil in the southern climates. Same as with Motorcycles. Down here in Cinci I switch from 5W30 in May to 10W40 through November to save on engine wear and consumption. Back in the 80's is when an Engineer told me about the oil and various wts.
2007-04-30 18:23:15 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
10W40 is what you want, Ed. And you should only need 1 jug. The numbers mean that it acts like a straight 10 weight when cold, and like a 40 weight when hot. Your manual will tell you that either one is acceptable.
I have had a handful of old Hondas, filled them with 10W40, and never had an oil related problem from using automotive oil instead of motorcycle oil.
2007-05-01 01:25:28 · answer #2 · answered by Firecracker . 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The 10w-40w will work just fine. Should be good up to 95+ degrees. I live in Las Vegas and run 10w 30w in the cooler months and switch to 10w 50w during the summer months when the temp hits 105 to 115. been riding for 40 years and doing my own maintenance and never had a catastrophic breakdown.
Currently riding a 2003 Goldwing with 56,000 miles and a 1984 sabre V65 with 45,000 miles. I use only synthenic oil because of the heat breakdown protection. I always change the oil filter every oil change also. Good Luck!!!
2007-05-01 13:43:06 · answer #3 · answered by cashcork 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Spmdrumb you have it backward.The colder it is the thinner you want your oil.In the good old days before 10w20,10w30,10w40 and 10w50 they only had 10w,20w and 30w.You were supposed to use 20 or 30w in the summer and 10w in winter.You can run 10w40 year round and it wont hurt a thing.Does anyone even know what the 10w40 means.It means if the temps get colder the oil gets thinner.If the temp get hotter the oil gets thicker.Hope this helps
2007-05-01 01:11:30 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
10w40 is just fine. good all around oil. it works the other way around though, the cooler the temp the thicker the oil will be and be harder to pump. in the cooler months try 10w30 but the 10w40 will be fine for the coming summer.
2007-05-01 10:29:28 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i own a repair shop and it wont hurt to run that in it, i have an older bike and i run 10-w-40 in it especially in hot weather because it stays with it a lot longer than other oils do,but it wont hurt it, mine is an old Honda 450 and i have ran that oil in it for years,and it hasn't hurt a thing yet,but it shouldn't hurt yours either,in fact with the year and mileage it may have on it this oil may help it some,,good luck hope this helps.
2007-05-01 00:58:16 · answer #6 · answered by dodge man 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The problem is that when it's warmer, the oil needs to be thinner in order to flow properly. Oil that's too thick won't get everywhere it needs to, and you're seriously risking oil starvation, which will eventually destroy the engine.
The manual has to tell you what works at warmer temps, doesn't it?
2007-05-01 00:54:36 · answer #7 · answered by spmdrumbass 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Are you sure it is not 45 degrees Celsius.
2007-05-01 01:00:03 · answer #8 · answered by Kmax 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋