For those of us who play with (and race) two-wheeled toys, poor oil
lubricity has been a major issue since the late '80's. The last oils with
the full amount of zinc and other good shear-stabilizers were rated as SAE
SG. If you wander into a motorcycle shop, you will notice that the oils sold
there are SG rated. Most modern bikes share their engine oil with the
transmission, therefore motorcycle oils need to be very shear resistant as
well as maintaining extreme-pressure lubricity. Most auto parts stores sell
Castrol EVO motorcycle oils, which are SG rated. A lot cheaper than
synthetic and a LOT less prone to leak past aging crank seals.
There are several oil additive packages sold by speed shops like Summit
Racing, any of them should provide adequate protection.
Mark
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From: "Curt" <choffman9@cinci.rr.com>
Subject: Re: New oil formulations and failing Cams
I had my engine rebuilt by a professional shop and two cams have now failed
in less than 25 miles. We are giving up and going to a roller cam.
Curt
My mechanic made me aware of a problem they have been seeing over the past
few years. They have had a few ruined camshafts popping up, he told me
about this article in the July? issue of Hot Rod. Basically they have
removed most of the additives from the oil. My mechanic has been using
Castrol for 30 years and had to stop. He switched me to Rotella T for
diesel.
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