I have posted a few questions about my new lt250r and everyone help has been great. I am looking into changing the oil in my quad and am unsure on which is best to use. I have searched the topic and found mixed results. Some say to use belray 90w gear oil. Others say to use regular 20w40 oil. I was planning on using the same oil I used in my ltr 450 which was amsoil 4 stroke 20w40 oil. Would this be fine? What is the best oil to use in these quads?
I think the best oil for gear box is bel ray gearsaver !
10/30 penzoil, and changed often. its half the price. bellray has showed some pitting of the gears,
well thats waht was said on here before.
OK, this is both extremely simple to answer and a bit complex to explain.
Simple answer: Buy cheap oil without friction modifiers and change it often!
Complex explanation:
Wet clutch setups erode in the same oil that lubricates the transmission gears.
You wouldn't break one of those fiber packs up and toss the shreds into the crankcase of a Ferrari, would you?
No way, those fibers are gritty and cause premature wear on the bearings and such.
So, while an expensive oil may be a great lubricant for transmission gears, it still gets the same fibers entrained in it and carries those fibers to the gears and bearing surfaces.
Ideally, if you had a ton of money, use the expensive oil and change it every few rides.
Most of us can't afford that, but we CAN afford to buy cheap engine oil in bulk.
Cheap single grade engine oil changed after every few rides is better for the gears and bearing surfaces than an expensive oil that's changed less frequently.
There's two other points to consider...
-The weight of the oil
-Friction modifiers
The weight of the oil can be determined simply by seeing how certain weights affect the clutch after its been warmed up.
If your clutch keeps slipping, go heavier.
If the clutch is grabby, go lighter.
You can use anything from a 60W all the way down to automatic transmission fluid (popular for ice racing and drags).
Friction modifiers are frequently found in oils designed for high mileage engines and specialty oils (Slick50 would be a friction modifier).
Generally, if it's an expensive or specialty oil, there's probably some stuff in there you don't want.
Cheap oils are cheap because they don't have that stuff added to them.
Why don't you want friction modifiers?
They bond to the clutch and (you guessed it) reduce friction...bad for something like a clutch that you don't want slipping.
ATF is specifically designed to be both a gear lubricant and a wet clutch friction multiplier (meaning it increases friction for the clutch and holds better)...so you'll be safe with any kind of ATF (remember the weight is way down, so it might cause your clutch to slip in hot temps).
That's about all there is to know about transmission oils...changing it often is more important than expensive oil changed less frequently.
Grk posted a good oil for you to start with, 10W30 Pennzoil is probably somewhere in the middle of winter riding and hot desert riding, so it should be good for most quads on an average.
So just regular 10w30 Pennzoil? Like regular car oil bought at autozone?
and yes ford tranny fluid works great too. i run this in my hybrid.
i think its the gold bottle from penzoil that i use for the other bikes.
I think the best oil for gear box is bel ray gearsaver !
Personal experience, I switched to Bel Ray Gearsaver and started noticing surface rust on my gears. Went to 10w/30 penzoil platinum and no problems since.
Stay away from anything with "energy conserving" on the starburst label on the back of the bottle.
I have used golden spectro 80 or 85 weight gear lube forever. I had seen bel ray gear saver not protect against pitting on the gear faces.
Dez, us desert rats have to run higher viscosities because of the heat involved.
Them Yankees have to use lighter oils because everything north of Texas is a frozen tundra wasteland
I personally use Phillips X/C 25W60, the same oil that I use in my AgCat, during summer months.
In winter temps I switch to 20W50, same oil that I use in my Bellanca.
Both are aviation oils that are formulated for a lot of the same conditions...keeps crud trapped in the oil so it can be removed with an oil change (synthetics usually drop the crud and buildup occurs), has great corrosion prevention, withstands extreme heat without breaking down and releasing acids, and just like avgas, its production is held to exacting standards.
I have bin running amsoil 80/90 gear lube and amsoil 2 cycle in my kx500 for years.