Questions on maintenance

[MudWild680]

Just curious

When do YOU do the needed maintenance on your wheeler?

for example, fluids and such

how many miles/hours

I was wondering, do i have to use specific honda ATV oil in my honda ATV?

Thanks!

[mywifeknowseverythin]

Ok,,,,,,,,, Ive been drinking so bear with me.....

I usually change my oil every 2-3 Trips out just cause Im anal like that.....

However I would refer to your manual for Service Instructions.....

Your manual will ALWAYS tell you to use the Honda, Yamaha, Polaris Etc. oil for the specific brand you have.....however.....Any oil you buy with the Recommended weight will do.....

Hope this helped ya.....

[Raptor8]

Use the specified oil. Honda and Yamaha will NOT buy you clutch plates under warranty cuz you used car oil in the crankcase and coated the plates with 'energy conserving 2' additives. Seriously.

Plus quad engines tend to run hotter than car engines so the blend is different. Same with bikes, they use the oil as a lubricant AND a coolant and need a fluid that can do both.

In my experience, I would pop the seat off, grab the owner's manual attached to the bottom of the seat and read every page OK? It could save you a bunch in the long run.

[mywifeknowseverythin]

Use the specified oil. Honda and Yamaha will NOT buy you clutch plates under warranty cuz you used car oil in the crankcase and coated the plates with 'energy conserving 2' additives. Seriously.

Good point.....However, in my 350X Ive been using just regular old Car oil with not one problem for almost the whole 10 yrs Ive owned it.....I replaced the Clutch when I bought it....I ride it hard....Clutch is still good.....Not saying anyone should buy Joe Blow Oil....Just saying it works for me....

[Raptor8]

I agree with you there...

You know, I REALLY want to be your friend, but right after I joined you gotta a woody about me and whatever I did I AM SORRY. I want to be your friend and if there is a problem please PM me or put it RIGHT HERE so everyone can see it. I cannot imagine what I have done to you, but I want to be your friend again. OK? :rolleyes:

[mywifeknowseverythin]

I agree with you there...

You know, I REALLY want to be your friend, but right after I joined you gotta a woody about me and whatever I did I AM SORRY. I want to be your friend and if there is a problem please PM me or put it RIGHT HERE so everyone can see it. I cannot imagine what I have done to you, but I want to be your friend again. OK? :rolleyes:

Ummmmm,,,,,I dont know what to say.....Im sorry that you feel that way and I cannot for the Life of me remember why I would have gotten upset at you.....I may come across like that sometimes.....But usually after I type Im done......Actually,,,,,I would love for you to Mod this Section...You know much more than the Mods Collectively do:yes: Im giving advice from Personal experience on a 23 yr old machine:laugh:

If you would like to refresh my memory I welcome it...If not that is fine too.....

Peace Brotha:wink:

[Raptor8]

It would not be the first time I was WRONG, I was concerned that you were pissed at me and I highly value your opinion and expertise.

OK

If I didn't piss you off than hopefully we are friends, yes?

That would be good eh?

I am looking forward to this now, instead of with apprehension as I have done in the past.

it's cool if I screw up then tell me! Best for the site, right?

As a friend I hope you are doing OK. If you ever need an ear and a beer, a meal and a sleeping bag, we can do.

THANK YOU for this. paul

[mywifeknowseverythin]

Group HUG!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok,,,,Back to the Thread:laugh:

[Raptor8]

that would kill me but it's worth dying for oh yeah!

[handyhiker]

Oil threads are like what color is best or what brand Ford vs Chevy. I do not use the oem brand of oil in my bike or quads. Saying that though, I don't use car oil either. In most motorcycle and quad engines, the oil is in the engine and transmission. It sees a lot of sheering from the transmission gears. Car oil does not provide enough sheer stability for this application. If you want a great oil for ALL the toys, use a quality diesel engine oil. These are very sheer stable as the diesels have a gear drive train for the cams and water pumps and fuel pumps. I personally use synthetic oils. I know that a lot of motorcycle riders like the Shell Rotella oil. It can be bought at Wally World and is reasonably priced. I personally use Moble 5w40 Turbo Diesel oil. This stuff is designed for super high temps for the turbo, wide range multi grade and NO friction modifiers to mess with your clutch. It exceeedes all the specs your engine calls for. I also noticed that my 2007 V-Strom 1000 shifts smoother with this oil then several others I have tried, including the Suzuki 10w40 motorcycle specific oil. This is just my experiance, use what makes you happy!

[mywifeknowseverythin]

The numbers in the designations of the different oils being discussed refer to their viscosity, grade or weight. Don't confuse grade with quality. Viscosity and grade, for the purposes of this discussion, refer to an oil's ability to flow and lubricate. Therefore, a lower grade oil simply flows more easily than a higher grade oil.

At the heart of this discussion is temperature. Temperature changes an oil's viscosity. Hot oil is generally thinner than cold oil. A good example is Margarine. Margarine is a vegatable oil (mostly) that congeals at room temperature. Put it in a hot frying pan and it becomes a thin liquid quickly.

Oil in an engine operating at normal temperature serves several purposes. It helps seal unwanted gaps between internal engine parts, it carrys heat away from hot parts ...and, perhaps most importantly, it lubricates.

To lubricate, oil forms a thin layer, or film, between two parts. The parts slide on the oil film instead of against each other. Since hot oil is thinner (lower viscosity) it flows more readily than cold oil. If it flows too readily, however, it will flow right out from between the parts you wish to lubricate. Therefore, there is a "minimum" viscosity the manufacturer recommends to ensure the engine's parts remain lubricated when it reaches normal operating temperature.

Why is this important?

Let's look more closely at the specifications. 5W40 means the oil is a base stock 5 weight oil (weight is the industry term describing an oil's grade) with Viscosity Index Improvers (VII) added to make the oil less prone to flow out when hot. VII's are special polymers that change shape when heated, thus changing the oil's flow and lubrication characteristics. When the oil is cold (the "W" stands for "winter" BTW, not "weight") it will flow like the 5 weight oil it is. When the oil gets hot, though, that 5 weight oil gets too thin to lubricate. That's when the VII's must do their job; they unfold and help the oil lubricate like a thicker 40 weight oil.

An oil can only do its job when it is present. What I mean is, if the oil is too thick when cold, it takes much longer to pump it to the places inside the engine it needs to be to provide lubrication. In fact, unless you are a racer spending the majority of your riding time with the engine RPM north of 8,000, most engine wear due to friction between moving parts occurs right after start up -- especially when it's cold outside. Why? Because the oil takes a few minutes to flow to all those critical parts.

Hot, thin oil is much easier to pump around your engine. For example, it's easy to suck milk through a straw. Now imagine sucking butter through that same straw. Cold oil is thicker, and takes longer to pump around the engine. Therefore, there is a "maximum" viscosity a manufacturer will recommend to allow oil to flow to critical engine parts when cold.

This was posted on another board I frequent......Thought it might help here........:cheers2c:

[MudWild680]

so..

in other words..

and in words that shouldnt confuse me anymore then what i already am...

I shall just stick with the Honda motor oil

[mywifeknowseverythin]

so..

in other words..

and in words that shouldnt confuse me anymore then what i already am...

I shall just stick with the Honda motor oil

ROFLMAO!!!!!

Sorry!!!!!