MOTORCYCLE OIL 101

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act:

It is illegal for any manufacturer to require the exclusive use in the United States of their private label oil to keep their warranty valid. If a manufacturer indicates only their private label brand will satisfy warranty requirements, they are required to do one of two things.  Obtain written approval from the Federal Trade Commission that no other product except their private label brand will work (currently no manufacturer has done so) or they must make the oil available to you at no cost.

Five primary functions of oil?

1. Lubricity – oil reduces friction and wear by serving as a layer of protection between moving parts.
2. Dispersant – good oil will hold damaging particles like dirt, metal, carbon, sludge and varnish and suspend them in the oil itself, so they can be removed by the oil filter. Other wise those particles would settle to the bottom of the engine and be recirculated through the engine.
3. Coolant – even in liquid cooled engines oil dissipates heat away from hot spots inside the engine that coolant passages do not reach. Motorcycle clutches and transmissions rely on oil to regulate temperatures.
4. Protection – prevents the internal metals from damage due to oxidation and corrosion.
5. Detergent – Clean engine internals. Prevent rings from sticking in the piston lands and deposits from forming on the valves

Five Different groups of base stocks

Group I            Solvent frozen mineral oil- least processed and lowest cost.

Group II          Hydro processed & refined mineral oil- most common of petroleum based oils.

Group III         Hydro-isomerized Synthetics- starts as group 1 petroleum based, then processed to remove impurities and hydrocarbon polymers. Improving the thermal and oxidative stability (high VI) over group 1 or 2. Lowest cost synthetic.

Group IV         PAO (polyalphaolefin) - produced by breaking down petroleum-based oil and reforming the molecules into polymers in a planned manner. They have lower pour points (thinner), greater thermal stability (work better under high heat), and greater resistance to thermal oxidation then group 1, 2 & 3.

Group V          Esters- produced by reacting an alcohol with an animal or plant based fatty acid into structured polymers (esters, diesters). Superior film strength. Esters are polar and actually cling to metal (crank, cams, rods). They act as a solvent inside the motor, causing cleaner operation. They are the most expensive to produce.

TWO STROKE -Four major components make up modern two stroke oil.

1.  BASE STOCK  - a mineral or a synthetic base is used. Represents up to 80% of finished oil

2. BRIGHT STOCK/PIB– Added to improve lubricity at high temps. Air-cooled engines require more bright stock due to higher cylinder temps. It is used as a component of base stock to prevent scuffing and offer additional protection. Many modern oils use polyisobutane or PIB. Typically PIB is lower smoke and cleaner burning then bright stock. Represents up to 20% of finished oil.  
3. SOLVENTS / DILUENTS – petroleum based solvents (Stoddard, white spirits) is added to improve the blending of the oil with gas. It also reduces the viscosity (friction) of oil to let it flow through injector systems at low outside temps. Represents up to 40% of finished oil.
4. DETERGENTS / ADDITIVES  - Clean combustion deposits, provide corrosion protection, reduce ring sticking, power valve hang ups and plug fouling due to increased lubricity. There are two basic groups of additive packages: metal based and ash less. Represents up to 20% of finished oil.

 Specifications for 2 strokes

NMMA TC-W3 – two cycle water-cooled, third generation. TC-W3 obsoletes TC-W & TC-WII. Oils with this spec typically do not use metal based additives, and are ashless. This is an outboard specific spec.

API TC – only API spec established for two cycle engines. It regulates lubricity, detergency, ash content & pre-ignition. Oils with this spec are typically using metal based, ash producing additives.

JASO FA – original spec established regulating lubricity, detergency, initial torque, exhaust smoke, and exhaust system blocking. Now obsolete.

JASO FB – increased lubricity requirements over FA.

JASO FC – lubricity and initial torque requirements same as FB, however far higher detergency, exhaust smoke and exhaust system blocking requirements over FB.

JASO FD - same as FC with far higher detergency requirement.

ISO-L-EGB – same tests and requirements as JASO FB.

ISO-L-EGC – same tests and slightly higher detergency requirements (piston varnish) as JASO FC.

ISO-L-EGD – same tests and requirements as JASO FD

	API	JASO	ISO
		FA
Good		FB	EGB
Better	TC	FC	EGC
Best		FD	EGD

- National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) is based in the USA.

- American Petroleum Institute (API) is based in the USA.

      - Japanese Automobile Standards Organization (JASO) is based in Japan.

      - International Standards Organization (ISO) is based in Europe.

FOUR STROKE

BASE STOCKS:  mineral or synthetic base is used, account for 75-90% of the volume.

ADDITIVES: account for 7-20% of the volume.

1.  Viscosity Modifiers – polymers that makes oil thicker when hot and thinner when cold, to create multi viscosity oil. First additives to wear out in oil.

2.  Friction Modifiers/ Anti wear agents – protect engine internals from metal to metal wear. They are activated by heat and pressure.

·        ZDDP (zinc/phosphorous) – Anti wear agent offering protection against metal-to-metal contact. Also acts as an extreme pressure agent prevent excess wear on transmission gears.  Shortens the life of oxygen sensors and catalytic converters on sutomobiles.

·        Moly (molybdenum disulphide) - a friction modifier that in high concentrations will cause clutch slippage. Used in automobile oils to increase gas mileage.

3.  Antioxidants – prevent gum and sludge (thickening/oxidation) that will occur when hot oil (at piston, ring, and cylinder walls during combustion) is exposed to oxygen in air

4.  Detergents – release sludge and deposits that has build up or prevent sludge from building up inside the engine. They will help prevent piston rings from sticking in their groves

5.  Acid neutralizers – absorb acid created during combustion. They are indicated by TBN (total base number) the higher the number the better protection against combusted acids.

6.  Dispersants –ensure that foreign matter (dirt, steel chips, carbon, sludge) stay suspended so they can be caught in the filtration system.

7.  Anti-rust /Corrosion Inhibitors – moisture and acids are generated in engines; these additives “marry” themselves to exposed steel surfaces that will prevent rusting.

8.  Anti-foam Agents– at high RPM, silicone additives prevent foaming that starves bearings of the lubrication needed. These agents cause air bubbles to collapse by reducing surface tension.

9. Pour Point Depressants – used to help oil flow better in extreme cold temperatures.

Advantages of Synthetic base stocks

First off synthetic oils are just that, synthetic, or in simple terms man made. One of the major advantages of being man made is that the oil molecules are much more uniform in their make up. No matter how many times crude oil is refined; the finished mineral base oil can never obtain the molecular consistency of synthetic oils. How does this consistency help an engines performance?

1) Synthetics slow thermal degradation allowing you to extend the drain intervals of the oil. Over time the heat an engine produces break down or degrades oil. The longer an oil is used the more viscosity is lost. If you use 10w40, over time it will degrade to a 10w30. Since synthetics use little or no VI improvers (one of the first additives to wear out in oil) they will last longer with out radical changes in viscosity.

2) Synthetics have much lower pour points, which mean the oil flow better in cold weather to more quickly deliver protection to critical engine components. Because of the speed of which oil is delivered to these engine parts, wear from cold starting will be minimized.

3) Synthetics have higher film strength or in other terms they “carry the load” better. What does that mean? At high operating temperatures, and during full throttle accelerations, there is more load placed on your motor. For example, Esters are polar and can actually adhere to metal, decreasing the likelihood of metal to metal contact. Modified motors with higher compression ratios and modified cams benefit greatly from this enhanced protection. An addition benefit of higher film strength is that oil will stay in place longer, better coating the engine parts it is there to protect.

4) Synthetics provide better oxidation resistance. Because they are completely saturated, i.e. that is to say there are no double or triple bonds. Double and triple bonds are the weak spots or first bonds to break, which allow oxidation to occur.

5) Synthetics provide better temperature resistance. Due to the molecular uniformity of synthetics, they resist thinning at high temperatures and thickening at low temperatures. Because synthetics retain thickness at high temperatures they are better suited for air cooled engines and warmer climates. Mineral oils will begin to fail at 250 -300 * F. Synthetics can handle closer to 400*F and can even be pushed to over 600* F before failure.

Specifications for 4 strokes

JASO MA & MB – regulates the amounts of sulfated ash, evaporative loss, foaming, shear stability, and high temperature high shear (HTHS) viscosity.

JASO MA - is for high friction applications, oil that tested safe with a wet clutch.

JASO MB - is for low friction applications, oil with friction modifiers that may or may not harm a wet clutch.