Been using 5w40 Rotella, thinking of switching to 5w30. Starting this thing in 20 degree weather is iffy at best. I almost always need a jump. Oil is just too
thick to crank this thing over. Any opinions? Rotella doesn't make a 5w30 so I will have to improvise.
0 Kudo
5w30 or 5w40 for the winter?
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 HaChayalBoded |
5w30 or 5w40 for the winter? |
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HSATF Tail Gunner
Posts: 146 01/23/08 7:35 PM Tail Gunner |
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dukey33 |
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HSATF 1st Officer
Posts: 698 01/23/08 9:09 PM |
Is there a Rotella 5W-30?
Theoretically, 5W-30 and 5W-40 should have the same viscosity at the same cold temperature. So there should be no gain going from the 40 to 30W. Now the bad news. Be careful with 30W oils. Most multi-vis 30 weight oils are blended for use in auto engines and will include friction modifiers to achieve an "energy conserving" rating. These same friction modifiers have been known to cause slippage in motorcycle clutches. Not saying that's what will surely happen if you use it, but it increases your chances of having problems. Alternatively, Mobil 1 does have a 0W-40. It is auto and diesel rated. That should give the least viscous friction at cold temps.
duke
loud horns save lives |
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Fredrider |
#2 | |||
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Posts: 5940 01/23/08 9:10 PM
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Eddie,
If you are having trouble starting your T with a 5W oil maybe you should try a 0W oil, like Mobil1's 0W-40. I know what you mean about barely starting your T without a jump. I do use 5W-40 oil in my T, but usually do not ride my T to work unless I believe it is going to be at least 40°F during the day. I do not want my T to "cold soak" all day and come out of work in the late afternoon with the temperature in the twenties or thirties and find my T will not start. The alternative is I have strapped a jumper battery to my passenger seat. My jumper battery has 400 cold cranking amps and always starts my T. That's compared to 220 CCA with a regular T battery. Just some thoughts...
Fred
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southside bob |
oil | #3 | ||
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HSATF Tail Gunner
Posts: 233 01/24/08 10:15 AM Road Captain |
It seems to me that oil weight does help in the winter .I went from 20w 50 year round to10w40 finally 5w 50 summer and 5w 40 winter.It helps but what helped me
the most was the battery .I looked around and found a sealed battery with a little more cranking amps ( but not as long) and leaving it on the battery tender
every night.It took along time to get this figured out but mine will start in 30 f
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HaChayalBoded |
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HSATF Tail Gunner
Posts: 146 01/24/08 1:16 PM Tail Gunner |
Bob, which specific battery did you get? I can't seem to find one that is normal shaped, sealed AND has more CCA than the OEM battery. Whats the CCA of
your battery?
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rod rounds |
#5 | |||
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HSATF Tail Gunner
Posts: 139 01/24/08 2:42 PM |
Get one of these
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=42292 it will keep your battery fully charged so it should start right up when its cold, i know it does mine. ROD
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southside bob |
battery | #6 | ||
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HSATF Tail Gunner
Posts: 233 01/24/08 4:19 PM Road Captain |
Hey, give me a chance to check. I'll have to do it tomorrow.Also it say on our little guest map your in St.Petersburg fl.. If so I am too and I bought my
battery out near Pinellas Park.
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alepel |
#7 | |||
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Posts: 7901 01/24/08 7:41 PM
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southside bob wrote: No he's not! It Yuku doing it weird little thing with locations. If I look him up he lives in my hometown.
alepel
"Ride with the Spirit always, and in all ways"....hombldr |
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bamaTrider |
#8 | |||
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HSATF 1st Officer
Posts: 3747 01/24/08 10:33 PM |
rod rounds wrote: And HF just put them back on sale for $6.99 until 2/11/08. Stan
"We are different - yet we are the
same"
2004 GL1800 Goldwing (Titanium) 1999 Ace Tourer (Silver over Black) |
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HaChayalBoded |
#9 | |||
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HSATF Tail Gunner
Posts: 146 01/24/08 11:52 PM Tail Gunner |
I don't live in FL, and alepel I don't live in your home town either, I'm in Brooklyn NY
I have a battery tender and it's hooked up every day. I picked up some 5w40 today and a battery, unfortunately the battery is an inch too tall, guess their cross reference book was wrong. |
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alepel |
#10 | |||
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Posts: 7901 01/25/08 7:48 AM
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HaChayalBoded wrote: I know you are Eddie....but when I looked at your Yuku profile yesterday it said Rochester, New York. I look at it this morning and it says Brooklyn, New York. This is weird. I thought that if the city and state were blank in the profile it would pick up anyones city and state as your own. Now I see that that is not true either. You know what? It's not important. |
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rod rounds |
#11 | |||
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HSATF Tail Gunner
Posts: 139 01/25/08 2:32 PM |
HaChayalBoded,
If your battery is good and with the battery charger on it you should check the volts that are going to the battery from the charger. I had one go bad several years ago and it was only putting out 11.2 volts. If the battery is good and the charger is putting out 13/14 volts then you have other problems that need to be fixed. My bike is also cold-blooded but with the small charger on it, it starts right up even when its cold(24*). I hope you can get this fixed easily and not have to spend to much. Think Positive ! 
ROD |
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dynodon1 |
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HSATF Tail Gunner
Posts: 72 01/27/08 9:56 PM |
Amsoil makes great motorcycle blend oils in 10-40 and 20-50, a synthetic should help with cold starting.
As for battery chargers, I have found HF to have pretty poor quality on a lot of their equipment. I use Battery Tender products exclusively on all my stuff. the Battery Tender Jr. works great and is very affordable. The best price I have found is at Motorcycle Accessory Warehouse: http://www.accwhse.com/batteryt.htm The have good service, in many years I have only had one go bad, and MAW replaced it with the next BETTER unit when I sent it in! |
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HaChayalBoded |
#13 | |||
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HSATF Tail Gunner
Posts: 146 01/28/08 2:09 AM Tail Gunner |
rod rounds wrote: This is the 3rd winter I am having this problem. During the warmer months I never use a tender and it fires up every day, even 10 times a day while riding just in the city, never above 20mph so never being able to fully recharge the battery until the end of my day for a 10 mile spring on the highway. It is only in the colder months that I have this issue. by the way, this battery is original. Bike is a 2000 and has 60k miles on it. I like to squeeze every last drop out of my batteries. I may simply get fresh acid and see if that helps before buying a new battery. If I have some time I will take a close look at the battery compartment and see just how much room I have to work with, if I can I may fabricate a custom battery tray to make room for a larger Odyssey battery. |
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bamaTrider |
#14 | |||
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HSATF 1st Officer
Posts: 3747 01/28/08 7:00 AM |
Do not add fresh acid to an old battery. I had one to explode on me from doing that many years ago. Batteries go bad from oxidation of the plates inside. They
slowly start to choke and or short out from the oxidation internally. Go spend the $40 for a new one and save yourself from that danger. Repairing the damage
caused by an exploded battery can cost you dearly, both the bike and you. Just speaking from experiences here.
Stan
"We are different - yet we are the
same"
2004 GL1800 Goldwing (Titanium) 1999 Ace Tourer (Silver over Black) |
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alepel |
#15 | |||
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Posts: 7901 01/28/08 7:57 AM
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bamaTrider wrote: Thanks for this bit of information Stan.....I always wondered why people just didn't do that normally. I always thought it was just because it was too difficult to buy the acid. I might have tried this dangerous process. Glad I was spared the disastrous consequences.
alepel
"Ride with the Spirit always, and in all ways"....hombldr |
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